Finalize the Thrown Pottery Form

Always support both sides of the pot's walls with your left hand on the inside and your right hand on the outside of the pot. Work at a very slow speed with the clay well lubricated. Smoothly apply pressure on the inside where you want the clay to expand outward. If you want, you can use a rib in your right hand to help smooth and shape the outer surface of the clay.

When done, gently and smoothly release the pressure on both the left and right hands in tandem.

Flaring the pot's rim is very closely related to stretching done in the body of the pot. It also stretches the clay, specifically at the top edge of the pot.

The flared clay must be well-supported by the outer hand as the inner hand guides it outward. You can do this with just your fingers, or you can use tools such as the wooden trimming tool or a rib in order to help form the shape and smooth the clay.

To collar in is to push the wall of the pot inward, making a concave curve. This is generally done with both hands on the outer surface and gently applying even pressure toward the center.

Before collaring in, make sure all excess liquid has been removed from the floor of the pot. Do this while access is still easy. Lubricate only the outside if the pot and work at a slow to very slow speed.

If you are moving the upper edge of the pot radically inward, you may need to support the inner surface with your left hand in order to avoid collapse.

One of the aesthetic choices you make as a potter is about your pot's surface. You may like the throwing marks left on the clay, or you may want to smooth the clay's surface. During straight-forward smoothing, the clay itself is not overly being changed. Smoothing can also be done, however, at the same time as stretching, flaring, and collaring in.

Smoothing the clay is best accomplished with a rib. You should experiment with wooden, metal, and rubber ribs to find the ones that suit your needs and style best.

Smoothing also removes excess moisture from the clay's surface. This can be helpful if you are working with clay that is just a bit too soft. Usually, though, it is better to scrap the pot and begin again with stiffer clay.

After you have refined the form of the pot, the last thing to do before wheel trimming and cutting the pot off the bat is to compress the rim one last time.

Using your thoroughly dampened (but not dripping) strip of chamois, lay it across the rim keeping firm hold of each end. Gently push the chamois slightly downward, supporting the walls below the rim with the fingers not holding the chamois. Smoothly release the pressure after at least one full revolution.

At slow speed, use a wedge-ended wooden trimming tool to cut away excess clay at the bottom outer edge of the pot. Starting about one inch above the bat, position the trimming tool so that one edge is flush against the wall of the pot. The angle of the other side will help direct excess clay away from the pot as it is removed.

Gently push the point of the tool vertically downward until it meets the bat. Keep it there until it has gone all the way around the pot. Cut across the circle of excess clay and lift away.

Trim again, only this time undercut the bottom edge in a one-eighth inch groove where the clay meets the bat. This groove will help guide the cut off line as well as giving the pot a visual lift.

There are bats that allow you to dry pots on them without cutting off first. However, most frequently people do need to cut the pot away from the bat, even when you will not be removing it until it is leather hard. Cutting the pot off is necessary because the clay shrinks while it dries. If it is adhered to the bat and not free to shrink, the pot will crack.

Grasp your cut off line or cut off wire in both hands; pull the line as taut as possible. Starting at the far side of the bat, push the taut line as tightly as possible against the bat. Draw the line slowly toward you as the wheel very slowly rotates the pot.

Once the line has come all the way through, stop the wheel and remove the bat. Set the bat and pot aside to dry.