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K.X. STUDIOS,Inc.

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presents:

An ILLUSTRATED TUTORIAL

CERAMIC BATS

Ceramic Bats speed up production time.

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They are called bats because attached pots were hung upsde down on racks to assist drying. Just like bats in a cave.

The left image shows two bolt heads on the wheel head. The bolt heads are 1/4 inch [1.5 cm ] and round NOT multi sided.
The right image; is a close up of the head wheel; showing the gauge in the side of the aliminum wheel head; made with a file. The gauge tells me which bolt to to look for when putting a bat back on the wheel with a pot on it. Like it or not, even well thrown pots are a bit off center. Placing a bat back on the wheel on the wrong bolt will make a slightly off centered pot, COMPLETELY off center.
WHY ?
Well... remember the wooden bat is homemade and is ITSELF a bit off center.
By marking the wheel head, and the bat ; you can put the bat back on the same pin.
Actually, even manufactured bats should be put back on the same bolt; for the same reason.

These two images show a close and long shot of a marked bat. Just, use a knife to make a notch next to one hole.

This image shows the

“slurry”

used to help adhere the bat to the wheel head

There is one important step you MUST do; center the bat. If you make your own bats, the holes in the bat that fit on the bolts on the wheel head will not be centered.. My template for the holes is a commercially made bat. Tracing it works up to a point. There is a problem, though.
When you are throwing a pot on a bat that is not centered; it seems to throw the pot off center. If thats is not true; it still throws my eye off center and that throws the pot off center.
Once you drill the two holes in a bat; you may [ will ] have to make small ajustments on the holes with a knife to make the bat fit on the wheel,
The next step; is to take a pencil and re-draw the circumference of the circle as the bat turns on the wheel. This step centers the bat relative to the holes and the bat turns true. WHEW ! SCROLL DOWN for more

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A “bat” is small board; wood, plaster or plactic, usually round, used to move clay pieces around the studio. They are attached to the wheel with holes that fit over two bolt heads. Bats makes it easier to take thrown pots off and on the potter's wheel.
My first experience with bats was in January, 1992 at a clay studio. My adult students threw heavy, wet, thick, soft, pots. They were weak and could not support themselves. [ the pots; not the students ] So, they had to throw on bats.
That was before my discovery of PROPANEin June,1992.
This image shows an empty spool for wire from a home improvement store. It can be taken apart and used as a bat. The bat in the bottom left corner is an example of a bat from a spool. The others in the picture represent various other found boards cut into circles for bats. SCROLL DOWN for more

This is a close up of a display board from the home improvement store “close out bin” Several came from the same board. The ones with holes are used to excellorate drying and to help the bottoms of pots dry evenly. You place pots on them upside down and ellivate the bat with wood scrapes. The weight of the pot helps the edges or rims from warping and exposes the pot to air throughout. You can find entire sheets, 4 feet x 8 feet [ 122cm x 244 cm ], if you look in the

right places.

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This bat is made from a nice square board 24 inch x 24 inch [ 61 cm x 61 cm ] found along the road. There are two small holes you can see . One over the other. They fit over two bolt heads on the wheel [ head ]. This bat is for trimming bottoms on very large platters or bowls. The aray of holes is to excellorate drying of latge pieces as they rest upside down on the bat. AND FINALLY; this bat also has a large hole in the center. This is so I can reach up inside a pot as it rests [ upside down ] over the hole and work on the inside of the pot. SCROLL DOWN for more

This is another huge bat. It is at least three feet [ 1 meter ] in diameter. It also has two small holes to fit on the wheel head. This view however, is the bottom of the bat. It shows the frame I glued and screwed to make it easier to pick up and down from a table. AND It also makes the board stronger and less likely to warp with a damp platter or bowl on it. SCROLL DOWN for more

This image shows the collection of signs and loose boards I have found over the years to make drying bats for platters. If you have not seen our linked web site, you have not seen our large platters.
See the

PLATTERS

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