It is not possible to finish work to perfection in the operation of
throwing. The clay is too soft to handle and for proper finishing the
piece must be turned over to get at the bottom. An experienced thrower
reduces the final work to a minimum and this, of course, is the ideal
plan but even in factory practice every thrown piece is passed on to the
turner so that the phrase "thrown and turned" is used as of a single
operation, though it, in fact, expresses not only two processes but the
work of two men.
The artist-potter must needs, therefore, learn to turn, though this
process should not be worked to death as it is liable to be. Many
persons in the pride of having produced some sort of a form on the wheel
will leave it in the crudest possible condition and trust to the turning
tool to remove defects. If the lessons on throwing have been
conscientiously carried out, this error will not be committed.
A half dozen cylinders of convenient size should be thrown on separate
bats and set aside in a cool place to harden. They must not be dried but
should be in the condition known as "leather hard." If thrown one day
they will be ready for turning the next morning. Pieces thus hardened
are no longer flexible. They can be handled freely and the clay can be
easily cut with a knife.
[Illustration: Fig. 19. Turning tools bent and sharpened.]
The equipment for turning consists of a board support, a turning stick
and a set of tools. The board is of soft pine, eight or ten inches wide
and two feet high and is set upright at the back of the wheel frame
opposite the workman. It may be screwed in position if it does not
interfere with the throwing, or it may be set in a socket so as to be
removed when not in use. Its purpose is to support the end of the
turning stick. The stick is an ordinary broomstick in the end of which
is a sharpened nail. In use the end of the stick is held in the left
hand and the point is pressed into the board at any required height. The
right hand, holding the tool, is rested on the stick just as the hand of
a painter rests on the mahl-stick.
The turning tools are of soft steel.[H] They are purchased unshaped and
the potter must learn to bend and file them to suit himself. A section
of bench should be set apart for filing and care must be taken that the
steel dust does not get into the clay.
[H] The Milligan Hardware Company, East Liverpool, O.
One of the cylinders, with the bat upon which it was thrown, is now
taken in hand. Many beginners try to turn their pieces without detaching
them from the bat, trusting to the original adhesion to hold the piece
in position. This is a very unsatisfactory plan. A fundamental principle
in craft work is that the mechanical difficulties in manipulation should
be met and overcome at the first. If one trusts to some method which is
apparently easy one walks with crutches and there will come a time, if
progress is to be made, when such helps must of necessity be abandoned
and then the learning must be begun again. Therefore the student is
advised to face the mechanical technique at the very beginning. The
cylinder may be turned on the throwing bat, but there is a better way.
The piece should not become so hard that it will release its hold on the
bat but with a long bladed knife it should be cut away. If the knife be
held close to the bat a separation is easily effected. Set the
leather-hard cylinder upon a new bat which is slightly damp and which
runs true, on the wheel. The first problem is to center the work. A
pencil line may be run upon the bat making a circle just the size of the
cylinder. Then as the wheel is revolved it will be seen if the piece
runs true. It is quite unlikely that this will be the case. Perhaps the
bottom is true but the top circle is untrue. In other words, the axis of
the cylinder is not upright. Turn the cylinder upside down and try if it
will run any better. If it does the work may be begun in this position.
If it does not, turn it back again. Now take a pencil and hold it with a
steady hand so that it just touches the near side as the wheel goes
round. Lift up the edge of the cylinder on the side marked by the pencil
and slip a morsel of clay under it. Revolve the wheel and try with the
pencil again. In this way raise or press down one side, keeping the
bottom circle in the center until both top and bottom are running as
nearly true as they can be made. This, so far, refers only to the
horizontal planes. If one side is higher than the other it does not
matter at present. Now take three small pieces of soft clay, and,
holding the cylinder firmly with one hand, press them down at
equidistant points in the angle where the piece joins the bat. This
serves to hold the work in position. A square turning tool of small size
is the best to begin with. It is held in the fingers as a pen is held
but more firmly. The right hand rests on the turning stick and, the
connection between hand and stick being as rigid as possible, both are
moved together. This is better at first than moving the right hand
freely for to do so will surely result in irregular work.
The tool should be held so as to cut with one corner at first and it is
well to take one cut, remove the tool, take another cut and so on. The
object should be to feel the clay and to test its resistance. No one can
be a successful potter who does not cultivate a sympathy for the clay.
The tool is to cut, not to scrape. That is, the cutting edge is to be
opposed to the revolving clay. The point at which the tool touches the
clay is opposite the center or at the same distance from the operator as
the center of the wheel is. If nearer to the workman the tool will not
cut; if further away, it will scrape and pull (Fig. 5, page 50).
The first efforts should be directed towards acquiring skill. The
student should endeavor to make a cut at any desired point without
regarding the effect upon the shape of the cylinder. In other words the
clay is used merely as a practice piece. It is not to be preserved. It
is a good plan to keep on turning the first piece until it is all turned
away. Too many students fail because they wish to have a piece to keep.
He will make the best ultimate success who cares nothing for the
preservation of a dozen or two cylinders or other shapes, but uses them
merely as exercises in manipulation. If the student is over anxious to
avoid spoiling his work, he grows nervous and so loses control of his
tools and material. To set no value on the practice pieces themselves
begets confidence and this is the surest aid to success.
After two or three cylinders have been centered to the pencil line the
attempt to center one free-hand may be made. Place a cylinder on the
wheel but not quite in the center. Spin the wheel at a medium rate. Fix
the attention upon the eccentric motion, trying to forget the circular
motion. As the cylinder appears to move from side to side tap it lightly
with the hand so as to drive it towards the center. In all probability
this will result in driving the cylinder off the wheel altogether. Some
little practice is needed, but if persevered in the result will be a
power of convenient and rapid centering which is never forgotten and
which is the greatest possible help to successful work. One may practice
with a wooden cylinder or even a tin can if the weight approximates that
of the clay pieces.
[Illustration: Fig. 20. Turned feet. _A B C_, feet for small pieces. _D
E F_, feet for large pieces. _G H I_, common faults in foot finish.]
Accompanying the practice in turning there should be some exercise in
the shaping and filing of tools. Broad tools filed to the proper curve
are indispensable in finishing concave surfaces. A curved edge may also
be put upon one or two narrow tools. These will cut more rapidly than
the broader ones but will not leave as smooth a finish. Whatever tool be
used the final surface must be worked over with a soft sponge and water
so as to eliminate the tool marks and leave a plastic surface. One of
the principal troubles with which the beginner will meet is the
vibration of the tool known as "chattering." This is sometimes so slight
as not to be felt by the hand but when the motion of the wheel is
stopped the work will be found covered with fine ridges like gathering
on muslin. The way to prevent this is to avoid using the broad edge of
the tool until some experience has been gained. The way to cure it is to
go over the work again with a fine pointed tool and then to use the
sponge liberally. The point of the tool cuts through the small ribs or
wrinkles whereas a broad tool would ride over them and make the trouble
worse.
While the whole surface of the work will probably need more or less
turning, the chief part of the operation is concerned with the under
part or foot. The formation of a good foot marks a good potter and vice
versa. Before beginning to turn it should be decided what kind of a foot
is desired. Each shape has its own style. Some sketches are given here
with an idea of the form to which each is adapted. They are shown upside
down because the work is done in this position. The small bevel at the
outer angle is used for facility in glazing. A foot finished thus always
has a neat appearance when the glaze has been removed from the beveled
face.