05.11.2009
Another productive evening at the studio… with bowls & cylinders
that have been thrown, stamped and dried to a damp leather-hard,
it was time to trim the bottoms of the pots to make a finished, professional foot.
It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the production process!
And look what a pile of fun it leaves behind… ready to be dried up,
crushed and then re-hydrated and reclaimed into usable clay!
My own little recycling program!
I just noticed this. What’s the rubber rib doing out there with your trimming tools?
HEY WILL – When I’m trimming, I cut off all of the extra clay and create the foot on the bottom of my pots. As we’ve discussed in class, I then like to “burnish” the cut surfaces with a stiff object to press all of the grog back in and seal the open pores I’ve created during trimming. Frequently, I’ll use this stiff dark blue rib to “burnish” the sides of my pots to keep them nice, smooth & finished too!!! It’s about creating a well-finished pot – not just a well-trimmed bottom!