CHAPTER IX: THE POTTER'S WHEEL

Much of the glamour of the potter's art is associated with the wheel. Poets have sung its praise and artists have delighted in its rhythmic motion, but alas! the wheel as a commercial method of manufacture is doomed to extinction. It cannot compete with the precision and speed of machinery. It devolves, therefore, upon the artist potter to maintain the wheel in its rightful place as, _par excellence_, the potter's tool.

No clay worker's studio should be without a wheel, but the particular form of wheel depends upon the nature of the circumstances under which it is to be employed.

The simplest wheel is that used by the Chinese. A circular plate with a heavy rim is set upon a spindle so that it will revolve freely and run steadily. As the workman sits or kneels upon the floor the surface of the wheel is about at the floor level. Around the periphery and upon the upper surface four holes are sunk and the workman, inserting a short stick into one of these, gives the wheel a rapid motion. Then while it is revolving by its own momentum the clay is centered and shaped. As the motion is lost the stick is again inserted and the wheel spun. This method, of course, involves much skill on the part of the workman.

In the next form, one which is only adapted, however, for crude experimental work, the wheel is set upon the frame of a sewing machine and operated by the treadle. A beginning may be made upon such a wheel but the operator will soon wish for something better.

A common factory form and one which is well adapted for studio work is the kick wheel. The wheel head is set at the top of a spindle and in the upright shaft there is a crank to which is attached a horizontal moving treadle. This is worked continuously by the left foot, the weight of the body being supported by the right. The action is strenuous and scarcely fitted for persons of other than robust physique but it can be used successfully after practice. This wheel is made by the manufacturers of potter's machinery.

Another form of the kick wheel is used in Europe and is, in fact, the original wheel used by the French and German potters in the seventeenth century. The head is set on a spindle as usual but instead of the crank there is a large heavy disc on the bottom of the shaft and revolving in a horizontal plane. This is within reach of the foot and the operator, being seated, imparts a rapid motion by pushing, usually with the ball of the right toe. The momentum is kept up by the weight of the disc and there is a great advantage in that the foot need not be in continuous motion. On the other hand it is difficult to acquire sufficient speed and power for the work.

There are several forms of machine wheels which are entirely satisfactory but which need the application of power. If a gas engine or a water motor or electric current be available, every effort should be made to obtain a wheel of this description. The prime motion is imparted to a short horizontal shaft which moves at a constant speed. Then the operator, seated in comfort, regulates the speed of the wheel itself by pressure upon a treadle. No action is required but a simple pressure, light for a slow speed and heavy for rapidity. Where the electric current is available, nothing could be better. Self-contained motor-driven wheels are available but are rather expensive.

One more plan may be mentioned in which the wheel is simply a vertical lathe with a belt and handle to be turned by an assistant. This may be convenient for some but it is not always possible to secure help at the moment when the wheel is to be used. Moreover the cost of labor would soon pay for a mechanical wheel.[G]

[G] Information as to the usual types of wheel may be obtained from The Crossley Manufacturing Company, Trenton, N. J.; The Patterson Foundry and Machine Company, East Liverpool, Ohio; a wheel operated like a sewing machine is sold by the Lewis Institute, Chicago.

Whatever type of wheel is selected it should be arranged with a head which can be removed. There are two methods of constructing this; the head may be screwed on to the spindle, or the latter may terminate in a cone-shaped plug upon which the wheel head is made to fit as in the illustration (Fig. 14). The latter plan is to be preferred as the head can be removed more quickly and is not so likely to work loose. Several heads for the wheel can then be provided, one for regular work, one for making plates, one for finishing and so forth.

The regular operation performed upon the wheel is termed either throwing or turning according to the industry in which it is employed, but in this description the word "throwing" will be used because the subsequent operation in which tools are employed is best described as turning.

The best head for the wheel to be used in throwing is made of hard wood or brass because the ball of clay can be easily centered upon a smooth surface. This, however, involves that the work shall be cut off with a wire and removed while soft. This is commonly done by professionals but is beyond the skill of the beginner. It is best, therefore, to use a head like that illustrated for plate making and to have a number of specially shaped plaster bats to fit the recess (Fig. 17). Then when the piece is formed, the bat with its burden can be set aside for the work to harden.

Throwing is not an easy operation to describe but the following instructions in the form of lessons will, with a large amount of practice, enable the student to become fairly expert. Every opportunity should be taken to watch a good potter at work. There are a thousand and one little tricks in the position of the arms, hands, thumbs and fingers which are impossible to describe but which can easily be copied. If a kick wheel be used some time must be given to practicing the motion without using clay. The action of the foot must become subconscious or automatic like the pedaling of a bicycle so that simply to will a change of speed is to accomplish it.

_Lesson I._ Take the bat about to be used, plunge it in clean water and soak it nearly, but not quite, to saturation. If the bat remain wet one minute after being taken from the water, it has soaked too long and must be dried off a little. The effect of a wet bat is that the clay slips and cannot be held in one place. The proper dampness is secured when the clay ball can be pushed along the surface of the bat but does not slip easily. This condition is important and should be secured by experiment, because if not right, good work will be impossible.

_Lesson II._ Place a small basin of water close at hand. Take a ball of clay about three inches in diameter. Set it on the center of the wheel as nearly as can be judged. Now spin the wheel at a fairly rapid rate. Brace the left elbow against the side and, wetting the hand, press the ball of the thumb and the lower part of the palm against the clay. The left forearm being kept rigid, the clay as it revolves will be forced into the center of the wheel. Use the right hand to sprinkle water on the clay that proper lubrication may be maintained. With the fingers of the right hand pull the clay towards you, at the same time pressing inward with left hand and so squeezing the clay. As the hands come together the clay will rise in a cone. Do not pull it upwards but let it rise as it is squeezed. Now bring the hands over the top and with the thumbs together press down again. Lumps and irregularities will be felt in the clay and the operations of spinning up and pressing down must be continued until these disappear. Repeat the exercise of centering with a fresh ball of clay until it can be accomplished with ease and rapidity. The clay so used is not wasted. The superfluous water may be dried off upon a plaster bat and the clay wedged up for use again.

This wedging or waging of clay--the word has descended from the old English potters--is important. A strong table should be built of which the top, measuring about 30 by 20 inches, is made of two-inch plank. A raised edge two inches high is fastened firmly by being nailed to the sides; the trough thus formed is then filled with plaster and allowed to harden. An upright post is fastened in the center of one side and from the top of this a fine brass wire is stretched to the other side of the table, thus making a diagonal. The worker stands at the side of the table opposite the post. The ball of clay is taken in both hands and cut in two against the wire, then the pieces are slapped smartly upon the plaster, one on top of the other. The whole lump is then lifted, cut in two and slapped down as before. The lump of clay is thus formed into layers, the irregularities in hardness are corrected and the clay made smooth. A little practice will make the work quite easy but it will often be found necessary to cut and beat the clay fifteen or twenty times before a good texture is secured. If the plaster table be dry the clay will be stiffened rapidly but the plaster may be made wet to prevent this if it should not be necessary. A clay may also be softened in this way by sprinkling it with water as the wedging goes on.

_Lesson III._ Center the ball as in Lesson II and moisten both hands and the clay. Grasping the clay lightly but with sufficient force, press the right thumb downwards and towards the palm and a cup-shaped hollow is formed in the clay. Raise the right hand slowly, still keeping a light pressure upon the clay with the thumb. The clay wall will rise with the hand. Now insert the two first fingers of the left hand into the hollow and hold them against the right-hand wall. Slacken the speed of the wheel a little. Bend the forefinger of the right hand and press the second joint and the knuckle against the outer wall so as to oppose the fingers which are inside. Press the thumbs together to steady the hands and raise both hands upwards together. The fingers inside and outside the clay should be kept at a definite distance apart so that as the hands rise, the clay is brought to a uniform thickness. The hands are brought steadily to the full height to which the clay will go and thus a cylinder is formed.

Repeat this lesson three or four times with fresh clay.

_Lesson IV._ Keep the hands wet. Shape the clay cylinder as directed in the previous exercise. Now repeat the action of the fingers inside and outside and, beginning at the bottom, take a closer grip of the clay and draw up the walls as before. The cylinder is now taller and the walls thinner. Do this again and again taking a little closer grip each time until the cylinder is as tall and as thin as the clay will bear. The walls will probably spread as the work proceeds and the hands must then be used outside. Grasp the clay with both hands and squeeze it slightly; at the same time raise the hands upwards. This will reduce the diameter of the cylinder and thicken the walls. The operation of the fingers can then be repeated until the full height is reached. There is, of course, a limit to the height of the cylinder which can be made from a given lump of clay and it is best to begin on a small scale. A ball of clay which can be easily grasped with the hands is the proper size with which to learn. A very small ball is nearly as hard to work as a large one. Repeat this lesson until a tall cylinder can be made with ease and certainty.

_Lesson V._ Keep the hands wet. Spin up a cylinder with thick walls as in Lesson III. With the fingers of the one hand inside and those of the other hand outside, open the cylinder gradually. Keep the wheel at a slow speed. If the edge runs unevenly, use both hands outside to steady it, then work outwards again until a shallow bowl is formed.

_Lesson VI._ Keep the hands wet. Spin up a cylinder of medium height as in Lesson IV. With the fingers of the right hand outside press inwards at the base of the cylinder close to the bat and with the fingers of the left hand inside, press outwards at a slightly higher level. This will reduce the diameter at the bottom and increase it in the middle, making a cup shape. Now raise the right hand and gently draw the top inwards. With the left hand inside press the upper edge outward and with the fingers of the right hand shape the upper part into the form of a jar or flower pot.

_Lesson VII._ Keep the hands wet; proceed as in Lesson VI. Instead of making the top flange outwards, draw it gradually inwards into a globe form. Work the clay carefully upwards and inwards until the opening at the top is almost closed. Several attempts will probably have to be made before this result can be secured.

_Lesson VIII._ Keep the hands wet. Spin up a globe shape with a narrow base as in Lesson VI but carry a good share of the clay to the top so that the upper edge of the globe is quite thick. Insert two fingers of the left hand and with the fingers of the right hand outside work the upper edge of the globe into a tall neck. The action is the same as in the shaping of a cylinder except that the diameter is smaller. A good deal of practice will be necessary in order to keep the neck thin and to raise it to any appreciable height, but perseverance will accomplish it.

These lessons if carried out conscientiously will enable the operator to produce almost any form in so far as the manipulation of the clay is concerned but the work up to this point is drill only. It is not intended that the pieces should be preserved. The next point is to insist that the clay obey the potter in the shaping of a form.

A simple drawing of a jar should be made exact to the size proposed. Two or three pairs of calipers are provided and with them the diameter of each part of the drawing is taken. Of course a single pair could be made to serve, but it is very inconvenient to change measurements while working. A piece of wood also is cut to the height of the proposed piece. The throwing is begun as usual by making a cylinder. This should be higher than the drawing for the clay sinks in the shaping. First the bottom is pressed into the proper size (Lesson VI). Then the body is enlarged to the required measure and, lastly the diameter of the top is taken and the height brought to the determined point. If too high the superfluous clay may be cut off with a pointed knife, the edge being carefully rounded afterwards.

It is only by checking up one's work in some such way as this that real power can be acquired. The skilled worker can think in the clay and create forms at will upon the moving wheel, but for the beginner to attempt this is like an endeavor to paint pictures before one has learned to draw. Shape after shape should be designed, drawn to scale and thrown to measure; in fact, for elaborate pieces no other course is possible.