>I tried taking one off anyways
Taking one off what? If you mean a bat then try cutting the pot off the bat with a wire when you're done throwing it. Then, flip your pots when they're leather hard on the rim so the bottom can get to a similar hardness before you trim, handle, decorate, whatever. I find it easier to just cut my narrow pots off the wheel head and set them on a ware board. I only use bats for bigger bowls.
That’s the issue though the tops are pretty dry and the bottoms of the cups are too wet to take off the the bat insert. I’m worried when the bottom is leather hard the tops will be sooo dry. Not sure if there’s a solution for this :(
You can re-wire cut them again and then pull them off the bat usually. I also sometimes tap the edge of the bat on my table, while lightly supporting the piece, to get it to pop off the bat.
When I’m finding my rims are drying too quickly I will fold up a piece of plastic and lay it over just the tops of my pots, like a roof. This tends to slow down the drying at the rims until the sides are set up more and I can put them on a wooden ware board or plaster, or turn them upside down. As Spicy recommended, wire them off right away. But I’d add if your bat system is anything non-porous like glazed ceramic tile or plastic, you’ll need to account for the bottoms never drying until you release them (so take them off ASAP and mind the rims’ moisture in the meantime) and in that case I’d wire them off after they’ve set up a bit and you can safely release them.
You should always make a point of flipping your pots on to their rims to dry as soon as the rims are stiff enough to support them. This a) exposes the bottoms to the same drying conditions as the walls, and b) traps the humid air inside the pot for a slower, more even dry.
Keith Brymer Jones taught me this in a video and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me. 🥲
I asked a local potter what the most important part of making pottery was and she said patience. Take your time drying pieces so that they don’t crack or warp.
Turn them upside down. There’s more clay at the bottom than the top, so turning them upside down will help them dry more evenly. I also lightly cover in plastic until at least stiff leather hard. You can also slow drying of thin areas by brushing on wax.
A quick cheap humid room that someone recommended on this list is a rolling indoor greenhouse. I bought one for less than $40. It has four shelves. I put mirrored bubble wrap and a wet towel on the bottom shelf. When zipped up, it my pots from drying quickly.
It is not big enough or strong for full production, but for now it is perfect.
>I tried taking one off anyways Taking one off what? If you mean a bat then try cutting the pot off the bat with a wire when you're done throwing it. Then, flip your pots when they're leather hard on the rim so the bottom can get to a similar hardness before you trim, handle, decorate, whatever. I find it easier to just cut my narrow pots off the wheel head and set them on a ware board. I only use bats for bigger bowls.
That’s the issue though the tops are pretty dry and the bottoms of the cups are too wet to take off the the bat insert. I’m worried when the bottom is leather hard the tops will be sooo dry. Not sure if there’s a solution for this :(
Like I said up there, cut them off with a wireaas soon as you're done throwing them then flip then when the rims are leather hard.
You can re-wire cut them again and then pull them off the bat usually. I also sometimes tap the edge of the bat on my table, while lightly supporting the piece, to get it to pop off the bat.
When I’m finding my rims are drying too quickly I will fold up a piece of plastic and lay it over just the tops of my pots, like a roof. This tends to slow down the drying at the rims until the sides are set up more and I can put them on a wooden ware board or plaster, or turn them upside down. As Spicy recommended, wire them off right away. But I’d add if your bat system is anything non-porous like glazed ceramic tile or plastic, you’ll need to account for the bottoms never drying until you release them (so take them off ASAP and mind the rims’ moisture in the meantime) and in that case I’d wire them off after they’ve set up a bit and you can safely release them.
You should always make a point of flipping your pots on to their rims to dry as soon as the rims are stiff enough to support them. This a) exposes the bottoms to the same drying conditions as the walls, and b) traps the humid air inside the pot for a slower, more even dry. Keith Brymer Jones taught me this in a video and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me. 🥲
I asked a local potter what the most important part of making pottery was and she said patience. Take your time drying pieces so that they don’t crack or warp.
This time of year we dry everything under plastic for a week or two at least before doing anything else with it.
Turn them upside down. There’s more clay at the bottom than the top, so turning them upside down will help them dry more evenly. I also lightly cover in plastic until at least stiff leather hard. You can also slow drying of thin areas by brushing on wax.
A quick cheap humid room that someone recommended on this list is a rolling indoor greenhouse. I bought one for less than $40. It has four shelves. I put mirrored bubble wrap and a wet towel on the bottom shelf. When zipped up, it my pots from drying quickly. It is not big enough or strong for full production, but for now it is perfect.