How to Pull Up The Walls of a Pot — A Beginner's Guide

Summary

This video tutorial focuses on the art of pottery, specifically the technique of pulling up the walls of a pot. The instructor emphasizes the importance of proper centering and base formation before demonstrating how to evenly and confidently shape the pot's walls. Tips are provided to avoid common mistakes, ensuring a smooth and even distribution of clay. The video also covers the theory behind the pressure needed for wall formation and how to correct issues like uneven thickness or splaying. The instructor shares personal insights and practice recommendations to help beginners improve their pottery skills.

Takeaways

• 🤲 The process of pulling up the walls of a pot begins with a well-centered and base-formed lump of clay, focusing on creating an even and confident shape.
• 🔄 It's crucial to have a sharp angle on the interior corner of the pot and ensure the walls angle upwards before starting to pull.
• 💧 Keeping hands and the pot surface hydrated with water is essential for smooth clay movement and to prevent sticking.
• 👐 The technique involves using a knuckle on the outside and finger pads on the inside, applying consistent pressure while pulling upwards.
• ⏳ Patience is key; rushing the process can lead to uneven walls, increasing the risk of collapse or twisting.
• 🔄 Regularly compressing and neatening the rim after each pull helps maintain an even shape.
• 🚫 Avoid pinching all the way through the wall, which can create holes and compromise the pot's integrity.
• 🔍 Consistent pulling is indicated by evenly spaced throwing rings on the pot's surface, reflecting the steadiness of your hands.
• 🔄 The goal is to achieve a uniform wall thickness throughout the pot, which can be checked by cutting and observing cross-sections.
• 👉 Counteract centrifugal force by applying inward pressure to prevent the pot from splaying outwards and thinning unevenly.
• ✋ The position and movement of your arms are critical; use your forearms for stability and consistent pressure application.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to teach the process of pulling up the walls of a pot on a pottery wheel, including tips and tricks to achieve an even and confident throw.

Why is it important to center and open up the clay correctly before pulling up the walls?

Centering and opening up the clay correctly are important because they ensure the pot is balanced and the walls can be pulled up evenly. Poor centering or opening can make the subsequent steps more difficult and lead to uneven walls or collapse.

What is the purpose of having a sharp angle on the interior corner of the pot?

A sharp angle on the interior corner of the pot is important for controlling the direction in which the walls are pulled up, ensuring they angle upwards rather than outwards, which helps in achieving an even thickness and shape.

How does the potter ensure the walls of the pot angle upwards during the pulling process?

The potter ensures the walls angle upwards by wetting their hands and collaring the walls slightly, which helps direct the wall in the intended direction.

What is the significance of the grooves on either side of the pot during the pulling process?

The grooves on either side of the pot serve as a starting point for pinching the clay and pulling up the walls. They also help in evenly distributing the clay as the potter's fingers and knuckle work together to pull the clay upwards.

Why should the base of the pot not be pushed down further once it's set?

The base of the pot should not be pushed down further once it's set because it's already quite thin, and the goal is to match the thickness of the base with the thickness of the walls after they've been pulled up.

How does the potter maintain consistency while pulling up the walls of the pot?

The potter maintains consistency by moving their hands at a steady and even rate, not pinching progressively more firmly, and keeping the fingers held at a set position throughout the pull.

What is the purpose of observing the throwing rings on the outside surface of the pot?

Observing the throwing rings helps the potter understand the consistency of their movements. Evenly spaced rings indicate even pulls, while irregular rings suggest inconsistent pressure and movement.

Why does the potter aim for walls and a base of the same thickness throughout the pot?

Aim for walls and a base of the same thickness throughout the pot to ensure even weight distribution and prevent the pot from being bottom heavy, which can affect its balance and functionality.

What is the significance of releasing fingers gently at the top of the pot during the pulling process?

Releasing fingers gently at the top of the pot prevents the rim from becoming uneven and off-center, which can happen if pressure is not released carefully and consistently.

How does the potter correct a wobble in the rim of the pot?

The potter corrects a wobble in the rim by wetting the top slightly and using a sharp potter's needle to remove excess clay above the lowest point of the undulation, evening out the rim.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Pulling Up Pottery Walls

The paragraph introduces the process of pulling up the walls of a pot after the clay has been centered and the base formed. It emphasizes the importance of centering and opening up the clay correctly, as improper centering can make the wall-pulling process difficult. The narrator discusses the importance of having a sharp angle on the interior corner of the pot and ensuring the walls angle upwards. The technique involves wetting hands, collaring the walls slightly, and pinching from specific grooves to form the pot's walls. The goal is to evenly distribute the clay throughout the pot, and the narrator shares tips on how to achieve this, including the use of water to prevent sticking and maintaining an even rate when pulling the walls up.

05:01

🔍 Detailed Technique for Pulling Up Pottery Walls

This paragraph delves deeper into the technique of pulling up the walls of a pot. It describes the use of a knuckle to pull the walls from the outside while fingers push from the inside, creating a smaller region for the clay to pass through. The narrator explains the importance of consistency in the pulling process, noting that uneven pulls can result in walls of varying thickness. The paragraph also discusses the use of water to keep the clay and hands hydrated, which is crucial for smooth clay flow. Additionally, it touches on the importance of observing the cross-section of pots to understand the evenness of the walls and the need for practice to achieve consistency in pottery throwing.

10:02

💪 Pressure and Counter Pressure in Pottery Wall Formation

The paragraph discusses the theory behind applying pressure when pulling up the walls of a pot. It explains that applying pressure from only one side can cause the form to bow inward, so counter pressure is needed to maintain the shape. The narrator demonstrates how to use both hands to apply pressure from both the inside and outside of the pot. The paragraph also addresses the issue of the top section of the pot splaying outwards and how to correct it by collaring the top inward. The narrator shares personal preferences for using a knuckle for the initial pulls and fingertips for the final touches, and the importance of keeping the pot well-saturated with water during the process.

15:03

🛠️ Correcting and Finishing Pottery Techniques

This paragraph focuses on how to correct issues that may arise during the pottery process, such as a wobble in the rim or uneven walls. It describes the use of a potter's needle to remove excess clay causing the wobble and the importance of maintaining a consistent speed and pressure when pulling up the walls. The narrator also discusses the importance of releasing pressure gently at the top of the pot to avoid an uneven rim and the technique of beveling the edge for drinking vessels. The paragraph concludes with advice on the importance of practice, emphasizing that making many pots, even if they break, is the fastest way to improve.

20:07

🌟 Final Thoughts on Pottery Throwing Techniques

The final paragraph offers concluding thoughts and advice on pottery throwing. It reiterates the importance of not being too precious with the clay and encourages practice with various pot shapes and sizes. The narrator acknowledges that achieving even and thin walls takes time and that it's normal for pots to be heavier when starting out. The paragraph also discusses the sustainability of the pottery process, where clay from failed pots can be re-wedged and reused. The narrator expresses gratitude for the opportunity to share knowledge and invites feedback and suggestions for future topics to cover in the series.

Keywords

💡Pulling up walls

Pulling up walls refers to the process in pottery where the potter shapes the clay to form the sides of a pot. In the video, this is a central technique discussed, with the potter demonstrating how to evenly and confidently pull the walls of the pot to create a cylinder. The process involves using the knuckle and fingers to apply pressure and shape the clay, aiming for an even thickness throughout the pot's walls.

💡Clay centering

Clay centering is the initial step in pottery where the lump of clay is centered on the potter's wheel. Although not the main focus of the video, it is mentioned as a prerequisite to the pulling up walls technique. Proper centering ensures that the clay is balanced and stable, which is essential for the subsequent steps of forming the pot.

💡Base formation

Base formation is the process of creating the bottom part of the pot. The video script mentions that before pulling up the walls, the base of the pot must be clearly defined. This step is crucial as it provides a solid foundation for the pot and affects the overall balance and stability of the piece during the throwing process.

💡Collar the walls

Collaring the walls is a technique used to shape the upper part of the pot by compressing the clay towards the center. In the video, the potter uses this technique to control the shape of the pot, especially when the walls start to splay outwards. It involves wetting the clay and gently squeezing the top part of the pot to correct the shape and maintain an even thickness.

💡Centrifugal force

Centrifugal force is the outward force experienced in a rotating frame of reference. In pottery, this force acts on the clay as it is spun on the wheel, causing it to spread outwards. The video explains how the potter must counteract this force by applying inward pressure to maintain the shape and thickness of the pot's walls.

💡Consistent pressure

Consistent pressure is essential when pulling up the walls to ensure an even thickness throughout the pot. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady and even rate when applying pressure with the hands. This consistency helps prevent the walls from becoming uneven or collapsing during the throwing process.

💡Cross-section

A cross-section in pottery refers to the internal structure of the pot, visible when the pot is cut in half. The video script mentions examining the cross-section to assess the evenness of the clay distribution within the pot. A well-thrown pot should have walls of consistent thickness, which is a sign of skilled pottery technique.

💡Rim compression

Rim compression is the act of squeezing the top edge of the pot to neaten and even out the rim. The video describes this as a step taken after each pull to ensure the rim remains smooth and centered. Proper rim compression is crucial for the pot's overall appearance and function, especially for drinking vessels.

💡Throwing rings

Throwing rings are the grooves left on the outside surface of a pot by the potter's fingers during the pulling process. The video explains that these rings can be used as a visual indicator of the evenness of the potter's technique. Consistent and evenly spaced rings suggest that the pressure applied during the pulling process was steady and uniform.

💡Sponging out

Sponging out is the process of removing excess water from the inside of the pot. The video script mentions this as a step towards the end of the throwing process, preparing the pot for further work or removal from the wheel. Properly sponging out the pot helps prevent distortion and ensures the pot's integrity during subsequent steps.

Highlights

The video focuses on the technique of pulling up the walls of a pot in pottery, providing tips and tricks for even and confident wall formation.

It emphasizes the importance of proper centering and opening up of the clay before pulling up the walls, as incorrect initial steps can complicate this process.

The video explains the need for a sharp angle on the interior corner of the pot and how to ensure the walls angle upwards before beginning to pull.

The process of pinching the thicker section of clay to form the walls is detailed, highlighting the importance of even clay distribution.

The video demonstrates the use of a knuckle and fingers to create a smaller region for the clay to pass through during the pulling process.

Maintaining the base's thickness and avoiding further thinning is discussed, as well as the goal of matching the base's thickness with the walls.

The importance of keeping hands and the pot wet for smooth clay flow is highlighted, to prevent sticking and uneven walls.

Consistency in the pulling process is stressed, with advice on how to avoid creating uneven thicknesses in the pot's walls.

The video provides a method for correcting the rim of the pot by compressing it after each pull to ensure an even and neat finish.

It explains how to avoid pinching all the way through the wall, which can create holes, by ensuring fingers never touch during the pulling process.

The video illustrates how to create an indentation at the bottom of the pot to push excess clay into the walls for controlled wall thickness.

Consistency in movement is key, and the video suggests checking the throwing rings on the pot's surface to assess the evenness of pulls.

The video discusses the theory behind applying counter pressure when pulling up walls to prevent the pot from bowing inward or outward.

A technique for correcting the rim and maintaining an even thickness is shown, including the use of a potter's needle to fix wobbles.

The importance of releasing pressure gently at the top of the pot to avoid an uneven rim is demonstrated.

The video concludes with advice on finishing the pot for removal from the wheel and preparing it for further shaping or trimming.

It reiterates the importance of slow and consistent speed when pulling up the walls and the value of practice in achieving even distribution of clay.

Transcripts

after a lump of clay has been centered

and the base formed the next step in the

process is pulling up the walls of the

pot and doing that is the topic of this

video in which i'll discuss how to pull

up the walls alongside showing you any

tips and tricks i have together with

showing you what to avoid to hopefully

get your throwing to a point where you

can quickly evenly and confidently pull

the walls up on the pods you're making

it's worth noting that this video won't

go over centering or opening up and

forming the base of your lump of clay as

i've already covered those topics in

great detail in two videos which i'll

leave links to in the description below

both centering and opening up the clay

correctly are undeniably important parts

to this process and if you attempt to

pull the walls up on a pot that's

centered poorly or opened up incorrectly

you'll only make this next step of

pulling the walls up all the more

difficult so

let's begin this is the shape i finished

with at the end of my last video the

base of the pot has been clearly defined

as has the thicker portion that

surrounds it and it's this thicker

section that's going to be pinched

together and pulled into the walls of

the pot it's quickly worth reiterating

though how important it is to have a

sharp angle on the interior corner of

the pot and then before i start pulling

the walls up into a cylinder i just make

sure that my walls are angling upwards

instead of potentially angling outwards

and to do that i just wet my hands and

collar the walls in slightly this way

the wall is facing the direction you

intend to pull it in this cross section

you can see the area from which i'm

going to pinch from which at this point

are these two grooves either side

as for the base once it's set i never

want to push down any further as it's

already quite thin and ideally i want

the thickness of the base to be matched

in the thickness of the walls after

they've been pulled the aim of the game

is to pull these thicker sections up so

the clay is distributed evenly

throughout the entire piece

to do this i make a fist and i extend a

knuckle my hand is then twisted so it

faces downwards and it's the side of

this knuckle which is going to do a

majority of the pulling from the outside

my right hand knuckle is placed into

this groove on the outside and on the

inside the pads of my fingers meet it

and then push them together which

creates a smaller region the clay has to

pass through as it's squeezed up on

successive pulls the positioning of my

fingers changes slightly and the pads of

my fingers on the inside are a bit

higher than those on the outside but

let's start with this initial pull the

first thing i do is make sure my hands

and the pot itself are covered in water

as if they aren't hydrated the clay

won't flow smoothly and instead it'll

stick to my hands

i tuck the side of this wetted knuckle

into this groove and as it pushes

against the pads of my fingers on the

inside

i move them both up at a very steady and

even rate and this is not a process you

want to rush as if you move your hands

too quickly or spin the wheel too fast

you may impart various thicknesses into

the walls of the vessel which then makes

the walls themself uneven and more

likely to collapse or twist after each

pull i take a moment just to compress

and neaten the rim which i do by

squeezing it either side and by pushing

down with my index finger for my next

pull this is when i get a lot more

height out of the cylinder and now the

walls are a bit thinner i can begin to

manipulate them in a slightly different

way so of course i always wet the region

i'm going to work on and then i push my

knuckle into the bottom of the pot and

with my fingers on the inside i push

them out slightly above where my knuckle

is pushing

the gap you leave between your fingers

dictates how thick the wall will be as

you pull it up often i'll see beginners

pinch all the way through the wall

creating a hole in their pot and well of

course that happens if your fingers

actually ever touch as it means you'll

have pierced a hole in the walls of your

pot for my next pull i make sure the

walls are wet and then i dig in with my

knuckle to create an indentation at the

bottom this pushes in the excess clay

into a portion of the walls you'll then

be able to pull up the bump you see

above that groove is where my fingers on

the inside are pushing out and once i've

set this up i can push both fingers into

these indentations pinch

and then move them up at a steady rate

forcing the clay upwards once again i

move both my hands at a very even

gradual rate i'm not pinching

progressively more firmly as my hands

travel up instead once the initial

squeeze is made at the bottom and the

gap between my fingers is set i keep my

fingers held at that position throughout

the entirety of the pull i don't

suddenly squeeze more firmly or suddenly

release pressure as i'm going up and in

fact the most vital thing at this stage

when you're pulling is to just be as

consistent with your movements as you

possibly can be one way to tell if

you're doing that is to look at the

throwing rings you leave on the outside

surface of the pot if they're spaced out

nice and evenly then it means your pull

was even too if instead these grooves

are sporadic and some are wider more

narrow or deeper than others then it

means your pulls are inconsistent so you

can look at the outside surface of your

pot at this stage to really get an

understanding of how your hands are

moving but the best thing you can do is

to cut your pots in half and observe the

cross section

and this is ideally what we're looking

for a pot with walls that are the same

thickness throughout they shouldn't be

too thick in one section or thin in

another it is normal perhaps to have a

slight extra bit of thickness in the

bottom corner but generally what we're

aiming for for a cylinder at least is to

have walls and a base that are more or

less the same thickness throughout you

don't want the bottom of your pot to be

excessively heavy but naturally at the

beginning when you're learning to throw

they will be it's just one of those

things but with enough dedicated

practice it doesn't take long to get

pots to a point where they'd look like

this the key is just not to be too

precious at the start and to throw

cylinders until they break so you really

gain a thorough understanding of the

limits of your material

now while that might have gone over the

process in some detail i'll spend the

rest of this video going over each step

in a lot more detail together with

discussing how to fix certain things why

some errors arise together with showing

you many more cross-sections like this

to hopefully illustrate what is

sometimes quite a difficult process to

grasp as it certainly was for me when i

was a student first learning how to

throw pots

let's discuss the pressure needed to

pull up the walls and the theory behind

it if you only apply pressure from the

outside you can see that the form just

bows inward the same is true if you only

push from the inside instead what we

need is some counter pressure to oppose

the force being applied from one side so

instead i pinch with two fingers and

they move up together with a relative

amount of pressure

as you throw pots centrifugal force will

naturally will want to pull the walls of

the vessel outward which you can see

here although it is an abstract

situation if i spin the wheel as you can

see the pot gets wider as the clay is

flung outward as it spins you may find

as you're pulling up cylinders that the

top section begins to splay outwards as

you're making them which will cause it

to thin out as it stretches and that

part can be quite difficult to control

if i find this is happening to my pots i

wet the vessel and then i clasp both

hands around the piece and i gently

collar the top inward

i run my hands from below

up to the top and i make as much contact

with the rim as possible with my hands

so that it's being squeezed in from all

the way around as opposed to just one or

two points and then just to correct the

rim i pinch it between two fingers and

compress it down from on top now the

reason i'm showing you that

is to explain why i throw pots in this

inward tapering shape as i'm pulling up

the walls of my cylinders i aim to keep

the opening more narrow than the base of

the pot and after every pull i'll collar

in the upper sections of the walls just

to keep them tapered in as with each

pull the walls become straighter and if

i didn't account for this and didn't

correct them by tapering them in

slightly then there's a chance the

cylinder will gradually begin to flare

out more and more and as it does so it

becomes more difficult to control

and as i pull the walls up i do so in

such a way that they slope inward in

this way i end up with a cylinder that's

more stable and controlled

now i use a knuckle on the outside to

pull up the walls i find this really

works well for me for the first couple

of pulls at least yet you'll find other

potters who use just their fingertips on

the outside and you'll find other

potters who instead of using their

fingers directly they'll push them

through a wetted sponge on the outside

there isn't just one correct way of

doing it but the fundamental technique

remains the same regardless if you're

using your fingers or a sponge and

whilst the sponge does come with the

added bonus of keeping the pot well

saturated as you're throwing you're also

disconnecting yourself slightly from the

clay as you aren't pushing on it

directly

for me though personally i tend to use

my knuckle for the first couple of pulls

and then i might switch to using my

fingertips towards the end to really

pinch out the very last of the excess

clay in the base and typically i'll only

use a sponge when i'm throwing larger

pots

there are constants in this process

though such as dousing the piece with

water before you begin each pull along

with the constant pressure and speed the

wall is pulled up at another very

important factor to consider is the

positioning of your arms and tuck my

elbows into my torso and actually that's

where most of the movement comes from

i'm moving my whole forearm up from the

elbow as opposed to just moving my hand

or rotating it at the wrist

moving my hand from the elbow means that

the position of my knuckle remains the

same on the outside of the pod and the

angle that i push in initially is

maintained as it travels up the wall and

as you can see here my whole forearm is

moving not just my hands and the result

of this is that my hands are just far

more stable as i move them up

in this clip i'm doing what you

shouldn't do i'm moving my hand upwards

just by rotating my wrist and you can

see just how drastically the angle at

which i'm pulling up at changes and i've

gone from using the side of my knuckle

to the tip of it and the focus pressure

i began with when i first tucked my

knuckle in becomes very difficult to

sustain as the point of focus changes

halfway up the pot

in fact i found myself losing control

when trying it this way

if as you're pulling up you linger in

one spot for too long you may also

create a weak point as the clay thins

beneath your fingers and collapses down

slightly although in a different spot

this is what a thin region can look like

in comparison to the rest of the wall

and if this occurs lower down the weight

of the walls above it can be enough to

cause the lower section to crumple and

collapse this is also something that's

more likely to happen if you've spent a

very long time throwing the same

cylinder because as you progressively

add more and more water the clay slowly

becomes saturated it degrades and

becomes weak and a cylinder like this

really shouldn't take more than two or

three minutes to make if they are taking

you 10 or 15 minutes per piece then

there's a chance the clay you're working

with is already too saturated and

therefore structurally the clay will be

weaker and you'll have a more difficult

time making the pot

if you pull the walls up too quickly

you'll end up creating very dramatic

throwing rings like this which if this

was your end product and the look you

wanted then fine but as the cylinder

still needs to be thrown a lot more

exaggerated rings like this can impede

your making as there are now very thin

and very thick sections that you have to

contend with as you pull the walls up

and you'll have a much more difficult

time evenly distributing the clay but

now that we've discussed all that and

some of the reasons why i do certain

things let's go back to the beginning i

pinched the clay firmly at the bottom

between my knuckle on the outside the

pads of my fingers on the inside they

squeeze and move up the walls together

and then as i'm fetching more water i

keep one hand on the pot to help keep it

sturdy i then plunge my fingers back

down and with my knuckle on the outside

i gouge in and undercut and just above

that on the inside i'm pushing out with

the pads of my fingers to create a bump

and then i lift this bulge up the walls

of the pot and you'll notice that my

hands don't change their position

whatsoever rather they're just pivoting

from my elbows i then gently release my

fingers from the top and compress the

rim again just to ensure that it's

running smooth and is perfectly centered

i then fetch some more water once again

and douse both my hand on the inside and

the walls on the outside then imagine

i'm using a knuckle on the outside i

push in at the very bottom and just

above that i push out slightly and then

i move the two up together very

gradually and you can see as the clay is

forced through that thinner gap between

my fingers the wall itself becomes

thinner and i'll show you that again

from the outside and one thing you might

notice is how i'm bracing the thumb of

my left hand against the knuckles of my

right hand this is done once again to

add stability to my movement and it

means my left hand isn't floating in

space quite so much and here's how that

pull might look now that the wall is

thinner and you can clearly see how the

bulge that's created is lifted up by

that finger underneath

creating pots that have even cross

sections is one of the first things you

should work towards when learning how to

throw pots on the wheel as you don't

want your pots to feel bottom heavy when

they're lifted up pots can still be

thickly walled even thicker than this as

long as the weight is distributed evenly

throughout the entire pot and what i aim

for is to have a base which is the same

thickness

as the walls next to it the next pot

i'll show you is what we don't want this

is an example of a pot that's bottom

heavy thrown in such a way that the clay

has been left down in the bottom not

only will this piece defy your

expectations when you go to pick it up

especially when it's filled up with

liquid but if you don't trim lots of it

away you're essentially wasting raw

material not only that but a bottom

heavy piece like this is a sure sign the

creator isn't throwing their pots

properly they aren't squeezing the clay

in enough at the base and the lower

balls still hold much of the reserves

which should be distributed more evenly

throughout the pot above it it's also

worth mentioning here that my pots were

heavy like this ones

any potter learning how to throw will

have pots at the beginning that are

bottom heavy as learning how to

distribute it evenly is one of the

trickiest things about learning how to

throw pots learning to do it efficiently

is something that just takes time

but for those who are starting out i'd

recommend just going for it use a bit

more gusto and pinch more firmly at the

base try to move as much clay upwards in

the first three pulls as you possibly

can and if that means your pot breaks

then so be it slice it off and start

again the fastest way you will improve

is by throwing hundreds and hundreds of

pots

another important thing to consider when

you're throwing is how you release your

fingers when you get to the top of your

pot ideally when you get to the top you

want to release pressure very gently

from either side

and i'll show you that again

as i'm pulling up

my knuckle on the outside and the pads

of my fingers on the inside never go

beyond the rim of the pot instead they

arrive just underneath it and then i

very gently detach them

often beginners instead of stopping at

this point simply continue pulling all

the way through the rim and pinch it

like so which often causes one side of

the rim to be thinner than the other and

if you do this numerous times you can

end up with a rim that's very uneven and

off center

if i am making a drinking vessel i don't

want the top of my pot to be squared and

blocky like so so instead i bevel this

edge so it comes to a point where it

meets the outside wall this way the

sharper edge will fit comfortably into

the corners of your mouth and it also

makes the pot feel less enclosed as if

it's offering out its contents as

opposed to holding them in

it's also through this edge that we

perceive the thickness of the pot and by

throwing it to be just a bit more

delicate like this it makes the entire

vessel seem as if it's being more

carefully thrown

you may also sometimes find that you

have a wobble in your rim this can be

due to many factors such as poorly

wedged clay or inconsistent pressure

when you're pulling up the walls

to rectify this i wet the top slightly

and then take a sharp potter's needle

i'll push this

through the wall below the lowest point

of the undulation and when i feel the

tip of the needle on my finger on the

other side i'll lift away all the excess

clay above it which in practice looks a

bit like this

i'll then wet this room again and just

carefully work it back to my desired

shape

one thing i really want to reiterate is

just how important it is for your pulls

to be slow and consistent speed you

start with at the beginning of your pull

should remain the same from bottom to

top the more practice you get the faster

you can begin to throw but initially you

should just be focusing on the quality

of each pull

make sure the rim is set the form is

tapering in

wet the outsides

form the groove in the base and then

gently pull the walls up

if you find your hands are getting dry

as you're doing this you could try

throwing with water that contains a bit

more slip in it as it tends to cling to

the form of the pot as opposed to water

which can just run off in some cases

i usually fetch a bit more water in

between each pull squeezing it on both

my hand on the inside so the interior

walls are covered and on the outside if

the component does dry out too much and

you start to feel the clay sticking to

your hands then that's a sure sign that

you need to add some more water

the position on the wheel that i'm

pulling from is also really important if

the wheel head is a clock my hands are

pulling on the walls at about four

o'clock

next i'll discuss how i finish a pot so

that it can be removed from the wheel

although that topic together was shaping

a pot i'll save for the next video in

this series i begin by sponging out the

excess water inside the pot and then i

carefully trim away this skirt of clay

around the base

which is done with a blunt old turning

tool there's then a selection of tools

you can use to clean up the walls these

are three throwing kidneys one's rubber

one's wooden and one's metal they'll

more or less do the same thing and they

all have the same feature which is a

nice long sharp side it's this edge

which i'll be offering up to the clay in

order to scrape away the excess slip on

the walls and whilst they may all be

similar the different materials really

do make a big difference i primarily use

metal ones these days they tend to be

the sharpest and are probably the most

difficult to control but i'll discuss

each of them in turn

the plastic ones tend to be the most

beginner friendly they're smoother and

they don't bite the clay as much as the

wood or the metal but they are more

malleable which can be very useful in

some situations then there's the wood

which isn't flexible whatsoever but has

a smooth edge relatively compared to the

metal and then there's my favorite which

is the sharp brass tool which bites and

really rips away the outer layer of slip

and it is slightly flexible when i

remove this lip i place one hand inside

the pot and then i firmly grasp the

metal tool and i hold it hovering it

just where i want the wall to be i'm not

digging it into the clay rather from the

inside i'm pushing the clay out against

the metal edge and i'm not digging the

metal into the clay as doing so usually

causes the pot to twist and deform

i even use a sharper metal edge

sometimes which leaves me with a very

crisp and dry surface although there's

little room for error when using tools

like this

i hope all this has proved to be useful

out of all of the processes i've shown

so far in this series i think this is

the most difficult part i know i've said

it a lot but the best thing is just not

to be too precious when you're first

learning how to throw tall thin

cylinders just spending an afternoon

with 10 lumps of clay and throwing each

of them as thinly as you possibly can is

absolutely fantastic practice even if

they break as you'll still learn so much

and sometimes you need to exert too much

pressure and pull the walls up too

thinly to really gain a thorough

understanding of the material throwing

pots really evenly and thinly is

something that takes time so you

shouldn't let this hinder your progress

and you should try throwing all kinds of

pots even if they are a little bit heavy

initially you'll learn more doing that

than feverishly trying to throw perfect

even cylinders and there are still some

shapes these days that i find much

harder to distribute the clay nice and

evenly but maybe in 10 years time with

another decade of practice i'll be able

to throw them as easily as i can

cylinders

and we should think ourselves as lucky

as potters as all the clay from pots cut

in half or ruined can simply be wedged

back up into perfectly usable material

and ultimately thrown with again into

ever more successful pots

thanks for watching

i hope this video helped the series

isn't over yet and please do let me know

down in the comments below if you found

this series helpful and equally if you

have any ideas or specific topics you'd

like to see me cover please do let me

know in the comments below

that's all

see you next time

[Applause]

you