It works! In my last post I described how I made a version of the SuperChuck. A couple days ago I got to try it for the first time. I threw a nice vase form and it turned out to be the perfect candidate to trim in the chuck. The black shelf liner material I used provided enough grip and I trimmed the bottom of the vase in no time. You can see an “in progress” shot and then a picture of the finished pot next to the chuck.
I only wish that I would have made the chuck a little taller because the other vase/bottle that I threw had a neck that was a little long for the chuck. I got around it by wadding up some of the extra shelf liner to make the chuck thinner in the middle so the shoulder of the pot would have a place to rest.
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- Using the super chuck
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- The finished pot with chuck
2 Comments
Looks like a super idea. I’d like to try it myself. Where did you get your black shelf liner material? Also, I’ve been looking all over for a “Grabber Pad”, for use in trimming a foot on plates and saucers, and haven’t been able to find one anywhere. In your opinion, would this shelf liner material work in the same manner as a Grabber Pad – you would glue a round piece of it to your plastic bat, and use it to grip the rim of your plate in order to hold it steady while you trim the bottom and make a foot? Thanks!
Hey Pat,
Thanks for your comments. I got the shelf liner at Menards but I’ve seen it at other places like Walmart. The original video I watched used neoprene but the shelf liner was a lot cheaper. It was only a couple dollars for a roll of it. I’ve never tried it as a Grabber Pad but I think it might work. I guess it would depend on how wet or “sticky” your clay still is when you trim it. Maybe it would help to glue a couple layers of the shelf liner on the bat to make it more sponge-like? I have trimmed a large platter on the rim of the “Super Chuck” and it was heavy enough, and the shelf liner was “sticky” enough to keep it from sliding around. Some day I’ll have to try your idea of a “Grabber Pad.”
Thanks again!