Hi, thanks for your question. I used a 14 inch Hydrobat. In practice, the bat might be 13.5 inches wide. I cut the clay slab to around 12.5 or 13 inches before bringing up the wall.
I typically start with a slab that is about 1/2 inch thick or maybe 7/16" thick. The slab is thinned a bit when it's on the wheel. Usually, my goal is to end up with walls around 3/8" thick in the greenware stage for all my pottery, but there can be some variation with this and you will find your own way if you make pottery from slabs!
Sorry for the delayed response. Porcelain is definitely trickier, but try it with a thicker slab, or be careful to not thin the rim and get it too wet. When the plate is leather hard, you can always trim it thinner as well
Hi, thanks for your question. The large wooden boards in this video are actually a plywood, specifically wood-veneer laminate over pressboard material. I believe they were once very deep bookshelves? I found them on the street here in NYC and repurposed them in the studio. I also have a variety of birch plywood wareboards. For these plates, most of the drying occurs on the hydrocal Hydrobats, as I find that helps keep the drying even.
Helpful video… I struggle with warping on my plates. ….with the center of the plate rising slightly….Evan after I have weighted down the center during the drying process… any suggestions…thank you
Thanks for your question. I think that warping is often caused by uneven drying. This might be a result of uneven thickness, but assuming your plates are relatively even, my best advice would be to try an absorbent bat and to dry the pieces slowly under plastic. I use Hydrobats, which are made with the plaster-like material hydrocal. You could also try a wooden or masonite bat. With slab plates, it's pretty straightforward to wedge and roll out an even slab, and then dry slowly. If you are throwing bats, let it get to the dry side of leather hard, then trim, and cover with plastic again to dry completely. I hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions if this doesn't help. Good luck!
That's correct. It's an absorbent bat made out of hydrocal, which is similar to plaster but more dense. When the piece easily "pops" off the bat, it is usually ready to trim. For me, Hydrobats are a gamechanger!
Really great video, thank you! Today I followed your instructions to make 3 plates and so far they‘re looking great ☺️ fingers crossed for the next steps. Greetings from @santosa.ceramics from Switzerland
Thanks for your question. I'm using a full-size Soldner wheel. You could definitely do this technique with a table top wheel too, such as a Speedball Artista. I have also tried this technique with a banding wheel with nice results, but the edge was more varied because you don't have a motor to constantly spin it for you to make it super even. Try it with what you have - you could even just turn a board or a bat by hand while raising the rim. Good luck!
Hello, I use a medium slow bisque firing schedule. In Fahrenheit: Preheat at 180 F for 3 hrs Climb 120 per hour to 250 Climb 300 per hour to 1000 Climb 150 per hour to 1100 Climb 180 per hour to 1700 Climb 108 per hour to 1945 (cone 04) If your plates are cracking, try drying them completely before bisque firing. Good luck.
hey, would you help me with a problem? Having, my rims are drying faster than the rest of the body and I always get warps. So it's the center either popping up or down. I just can't get them to stay flat. They are dried covered, I do soak the sponge and sponge the rim in the middle of the drying process, and I also tried flipping them over, it did get a little bit better but I still get a slight pop in the center. What can I do to fix this?
Thanks for your questions and my apologies for the delay in responding. For plates, I always make them on an absorbent bat. In this video (and my studio) I use the "Hydrobats," which are made with hydrocal, which is a dense plaster. This allows for even drying on the top and bottom. Another method you could try is getting the plates onto a wire shelf, so that they have airflow all around and dry evenly. The key to keeping things flat is to have everything dry evenly. I personally don't sponge or add water to pieces in the drying process. Instead, I use the hydrobats or wire shelves along with covering pieces with plastic, to slow the drying process and keep things even. Good luck!
Perfect video!! thank you!!
thank you
Quick and fun process! Nice to see all the steps. 👍
Thanks for watching! Have fun trying out this technique.
Great video mate
Thanks!
Thanks!
Matthias,those is brilliant!Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you!
Bravo !
This is a fantastic idea. What size was your plaster bat if you used a 14 inch clay circle?
Hi, thanks for your question. I used a 14 inch Hydrobat. In practice, the bat might be 13.5 inches wide. I cut the clay slab to around 12.5 or 13 inches before bringing up the wall.
Love this! How thick was your slab?
I typically start with a slab that is about 1/2 inch thick or maybe 7/16" thick. The slab is thinned a bit when it's on the wheel. Usually, my goal is to end up with walls around 3/8" thick in the greenware stage for all my pottery, but there can be some variation with this and you will find your own way if you make pottery from slabs!
My lip just flopped down when I tried this technique. Is it because it was porcelain, or maybe I wasn’t using enough water?
Sorry for the delayed response. Porcelain is definitely trickier, but try it with a thicker slab, or be careful to not thin the rim and get it too wet. When the plate is leather hard, you can always trim it thinner as well
😊
Can I ask what type of wood you're drying out the plates on?
Hi, thanks for your question. The large wooden boards in this video are actually a plywood, specifically wood-veneer laminate over pressboard material. I believe they were once very deep bookshelves? I found them on the street here in NYC and repurposed them in the studio. I also have a variety of birch plywood wareboards. For these plates, most of the drying occurs on the hydrocal Hydrobats, as I find that helps keep the drying even.
Helpful video… I struggle with warping on my plates. ….with the center of the plate rising slightly….Evan after I have weighted down the center during the drying process… any suggestions…thank you
Thanks for your question. I think that warping is often caused by uneven drying. This might be a result of uneven thickness, but assuming your plates are relatively even, my best advice would be to try an absorbent bat and to dry the pieces slowly under plastic. I use Hydrobats, which are made with the plaster-like material hydrocal. You could also try a wooden or masonite bat.
With slab plates, it's pretty straightforward to wedge and roll out an even slab, and then dry slowly. If you are throwing bats, let it get to the dry side of leather hard, then trim, and cover with plastic again to dry completely. I hope this helps and feel free to ask more questions if this doesn't help. Good luck!
@merkelhess how long does it usually take for them to dry under the plastic? Thank you
Bc of the bat you use, you don’t have to wire it off?
That's correct. It's an absorbent bat made out of hydrocal, which is similar to plaster but more dense. When the piece easily "pops" off the bat, it is usually ready to trim. For me, Hydrobats are a gamechanger!
Really great video, thank you! Today I followed your instructions to make 3 plates and so far they‘re looking great ☺️ fingers crossed for the next steps. Greetings from @santosa.ceramics from Switzerland
I’m sure they’ll turn out great! I find it helpful to dry plates slowly.
What type of wheel are you using? Does it fit on a tabletop?
Thanks for your question. I'm using a full-size Soldner wheel. You could definitely do this technique with a table top wheel too, such as a Speedball Artista. I have also tried this technique with a banding wheel with nice results, but the edge was more varied because you don't have a motor to constantly spin it for you to make it super even. Try it with what you have - you could even just turn a board or a bat by hand while raising the rim. Good luck!
What is the profile of biscuit firing? My plates got cracked at delta 100 grad C till 650 ?
Hello, I use a medium slow bisque firing schedule. In Fahrenheit:
Preheat at 180 F for 3 hrs
Climb 120 per hour to 250
Climb 300 per hour to 1000
Climb 150 per hour to 1100
Climb 180 per hour to 1700
Climb 108 per hour to 1945 (cone 04)
If your plates are cracking, try drying them completely before bisque firing. Good luck.
Thank You!
hey, would you help me with a problem? Having, my rims are drying faster than the rest of the body and I always get warps. So it's the center either popping up or down. I just can't get them to stay flat. They are dried covered, I do soak the sponge and sponge the rim in the middle of the drying process, and I also tried flipping them over, it did get a little bit better but I still get a slight pop in the center. What can I do to fix this?
these are perfectly flat, this is magic to me
Thanks for your questions and my apologies for the delay in responding.
For plates, I always make them on an absorbent bat. In this video (and my studio) I use the "Hydrobats," which are made with hydrocal, which is a dense plaster. This allows for even drying on the top and bottom.
Another method you could try is getting the plates onto a wire shelf, so that they have airflow all around and dry evenly.
The key to keeping things flat is to have everything dry evenly. I personally don't sponge or add water to pieces in the drying process. Instead, I use the hydrobats or wire shelves along with covering pieces with plastic, to slow the drying process and keep things even.
Good luck!
Do you know how much clay you use for each plate?
I have never weighed it, but I would imagine it is around 1 to 2 lbs of clay at the beginning.
More work than throwing it