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Three sides to everything
Oct. 2nd, 2018 08:14 amI got an interesting request last Saturday at Market: someone wanted three triangular plates.
Apparently, it's a significant birthday thing: their friend was turning 39, so they wanted nine triangular plates by three different potters, 3/9.
My first reaction? No way in hell.
I've had a few days to unpack that initial response, and I think it comes down to time, difficulty and practicality.
Time. Non-circular usually means hand-built, which takes extra time. Make templates, roll out slabs, stiffen slabs, cut and assemble. Or make a mold, dry it, bisque fire it, then roll out slabs and form them over it. Either way, what would take 3 minutes on a potter's wheel is now at least a couple of days, possibly over a week. For three plates. (Well, six, just in case. Always make extras when time is a factor.)
Difficulty. Drying slab-built plates is a fussy, time-consuming process. Clay shrinks as it dries, and if it dries unevenly, it will warp or curl. Even compression of the clay while throwing helps prevent this, but since a slab roller only compresses in one direction, you have to dry slabs much more carefully. I foresee several days on drywall squares, putting plastic on, taking plastic off, flipping them over. And over. And over...
Practicality. Ultimately, I just don't like triangular plates. They don't seem practical to me, corners that aren't convenient to eat out of, wasted space that's poking out, waiting to be chipped or broken. I could see doing trochoidal plates--three corners, but the sides are segments of arc, a fat triangle. But triangles? Nope.
Ultimately, it came down to time of year. I'm just too busy to deal with non-standard items when I'm getting ready for holiday sales, and I think the birthday was before my next firing? So sorry, but there's plenty of other potters to ask.
Apparently, it's a significant birthday thing: their friend was turning 39, so they wanted nine triangular plates by three different potters, 3/9.
My first reaction? No way in hell.
I've had a few days to unpack that initial response, and I think it comes down to time, difficulty and practicality.
Time. Non-circular usually means hand-built, which takes extra time. Make templates, roll out slabs, stiffen slabs, cut and assemble. Or make a mold, dry it, bisque fire it, then roll out slabs and form them over it. Either way, what would take 3 minutes on a potter's wheel is now at least a couple of days, possibly over a week. For three plates. (Well, six, just in case. Always make extras when time is a factor.)
Difficulty. Drying slab-built plates is a fussy, time-consuming process. Clay shrinks as it dries, and if it dries unevenly, it will warp or curl. Even compression of the clay while throwing helps prevent this, but since a slab roller only compresses in one direction, you have to dry slabs much more carefully. I foresee several days on drywall squares, putting plastic on, taking plastic off, flipping them over. And over. And over...
Practicality. Ultimately, I just don't like triangular plates. They don't seem practical to me, corners that aren't convenient to eat out of, wasted space that's poking out, waiting to be chipped or broken. I could see doing trochoidal plates--three corners, but the sides are segments of arc, a fat triangle. But triangles? Nope.
Ultimately, it came down to time of year. I'm just too busy to deal with non-standard items when I'm getting ready for holiday sales, and I think the birthday was before my next firing? So sorry, but there's plenty of other potters to ask.