How to throw a plate on a pottery wheel? — Spinning Pots

You have learned how to throw mugs or bowls on your pottery wheel, but how do you plan to throw any plate on your pottery wheel? With the wrong technique in place, you would see your mud plopping all around the wheel with no shape formed. What an utter waste!

So, how do you throw some best-quality plates on your pottery wheel without actually wasting anything?

Here is a quick rundown of the best ways to throw some unique plates on your pottery wheel.

Plan Out the Plate

The first thing you need to do is to plan out your plate’s size. This makes it easy for you to decide the exact clay amount you need to create the plate. On average, potters make use of 2 pounds of clay approximately to create a plate. You can also add a bit more in case you tend to struggle to keep the pieces thick enough.

Having some extra clay will also help keep the plate thick while preventing any close trimming through your plate’s foot ring. Keep in mind that you can easily trim extra clay. However, it could be hard to add some extra after you have thrown it on the pottery wheel.

Wedge the Clay

Next, you need to consider wedging your clay prior to throwing. Doing this makes your clay fluid enough for an…