Ceramics & Pottery: Trimming a Coffee Mug

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Vincent Sansone and I am the Head of the Ceramics Department here at Crealde School of Art here in Winter Park. Today for Expert Village I am going to show you how to trim a pot on the potter’s wheel. So, first I have to moisten the head of the wheel so that the pot will stick to it and then I will wet the rim of the pot. Then I am going to create a section on the surface so that it will not come up. Next I just pushed the pot into center and the only pot that I am interested in centering is the pot that I am going to trim. You will notice that this part t is not centered but this part is centered; this is what I am trimming. Most are not just one center. They have more than one center and usually the top is a little bit off from the bottom, so it is not an unusual thing, but I am using the trimming tool that has an angle on it and I would like to save all these scarps because I use them for making things and I am cutting a beveled edge on the bottom of this and give it a nice finish. I am taking excess clay away, so that it will not feel heavy on the bottom. If the pot has a good balance, then it feels much better in the hand and since this is a coffee mug, it is important that it does feel good because you are going to use it everyday. Then I need to take some clay out here in the center, but I am leaving the foot ring for the pot to sit on, make sure that it is… and there is still some clay left. Okay, now I think I have taken enough clay out, may be a tiny bit more. Now, I smooth the bottom off, make sure the edges are not sharp, rough and then I sign my name to the bottom of it and then it is ready to have a handle attached."