Increasing Production (plus a video)

Video below

I should be putting together some more foot-soaking bowls, but I wanted to post again on the blog since it's been a few days.

The first 32 bowls should be in the hotel by now. They came Thursday and picked them up in a U-Haul truck. Meanwhile, I've upped the number of bowls per production run from six to 10, about every three to four days. I also went back to using the original clay. I had decided to add grog and kyanite after a couple of bowls cracked at the joint, but I had two pots with the grog that cracked or developed small S-cracks in the middle.

I don't know if I can have another 85 of the bowls ready for shipment by July 15, but I'm giving it my best shot. I could make some more bats and try throwing 15 or 20 at a time, but that's pushing the envelope.

Ten completed bowls drying on rack

Ten platters covered

Ten tops covered

Mary's been working in the garden every morning this week.

The following video shows my current technique in making the top for the foot-soaking bowl. It's a bowl shape without a bottom, diameter at the wheel head is 14 inches and at the top of the bowl, 20 inches. The outside curve of the bowl shape is important. It needs just a slight curve, so I am using a long metal rib that has a slight curve to shape the bowl.