How to Tap Center Pots on the Wheel 

Thanks so much for a wonderful comment, that really means a lot! I'm glad to have you aboard!

I agree, great way explaining how important videos like these are to us novice potters.

It’s a great tutorial. Now can you tell me why none of my pots are round? 😂 they start round I’m sure but by the time I’m trimming them they are oval so tap centring doesn’t work! 😭

Thank you, that really means such a lot-there's plenty more to come, with another video going live in about 2 hours or so!

I hope it helps! It's a tricky skill to learn but once you've acquired the skill it'll be with you forever. Thanks for watching!

Exactly =))

That's very kind of you to say, thank you so much!

Glad you think so! After watching all this footage back it does look a little like magic.

Thanks very much, that's so kind of you to say.

Cheers man! So appreciate that.

I'm glad to hear so! Thanks for taking the time to watch, I really hope it helps.

So pleased you like them, thanks for taking the time to watch!

Thank you so much Asha! best of luck centring.

Thank you! :)

This is so wonderful to hear Joclyn. Thanks so much for watching and I'm so glad you've found the videos to be useful.

Thanks for watching Vibha! It can be tricky but it really just takes persistence. It'll click I promise!

@@floriangadsby Yes I will definitely practice this technique daily 😊

@@floriangadsby Yes I will definitely practice this technique daily 😊

Thank you Victoria! Best of luck!

So glad to hear so, thanks for taking then time to watch.

Thank you 😊

It’s a pain at the start, and very slow like you said. Learning to centre quickly is invaluable and does help speed up the making process so much - good luck chasing it!

So pleased to hear so. It’s a fantastically useful technique. Thanks for watching!

It's definitely like that at the beginning. I know this sounds stupid, but I think to help let it click you've literally just got to bash it around until it works. Over analysing anything can be detrimental, I do it a lot too!

@@floriangadsby Your videos are super helpful. You are a true professional and I love your work, so thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!

Thanks for watching! And yes, absolutely, my wheel changes depending on what's on it, as does my tapping strength and what part of my hand I'm using. There are so many variables really, it just takes time to get used to them all.

Haha, I love that compliment! Thank you!

Compress the base as you make the pot. The 'S' crack is formed by a difference in spacing of clay particles in the base compared to the walls of the pot. So when the water dries out and the pot shrinks the particles shrink away from themselves leaving a crack. If you make sure that you compress the base of the pot through the making process especially when you're throwing and if you add any water at any point to the inside of the pot make sure you compress again afterwards, it's not enough to just compress when you make the base of the pot at the opening up stage. Also, if you ever see a book called The Potters Dictionary of Materials and Techniques by Frank and Janet Hamer (second hand, it's crazy expensive new- well it is here in South Africa) Get it, it's so useful! It'll teach you all about cracks and so much more!

@@alilahofmeyr4350 thanks! I do usually compress the base; but perhaps not enough? From SA as well! Whereabouts are you from?

Thanks! I'm using a Rohde HMT 500 at the moment, wonderful wheel and very comfortable!

I'd say that it's at about a medium speed. Not too slow, not too fast. I guess this might differ from potter to potter.

It’s mostly feel as I can tap centre with my eyes closed. Sight just helps with visual timing, but all the work is done by touch.

@@floriangadsby Good to know, thanks again.

Hey! Thanks for watching. 😊 Generally you want a surface that is somewhat absorbent. It can help take a bit of the moisture out of the clay and it tends to stick less. For the se reason people use plaster batts sometimes to wedge on. With granite or something similar you’d just smearing the clay around and it might actually make your life more difficult. Slate works! But again, because it’s absorbent.

@@floriangadsby Gotcha, thanks so much! :) side note: loving how informative and therapeutic these videos are ~ keep up the good work!

Well, I'd say a nice middle speed. Not too fast and not too slow otherwise you'll be there forever. It's one of those things that you'll be able to do with a faster spin once you've got it nailed in. Once you're comfortable with it you might find yourself naturally spinning faster but at the beginning just a nice medium pace should be fine.

@@floriangadsby thank you for taking the time for such a comprehensive response. I'll give it another go with something less fragile this time!

If the pots are wobbling at a minimum it might be that your pots have been thrown with an inherent wobble, in which case it's almost impossible to perfectly centre it. Imagine trying to drive a car with wonky wheels, its motion will always be jarring, whereas with perfect round wheels it'll be smooth. If that isn't your problem it sounds like you're applying uneven pressure with your trimming tools as you work, either way, both are factors overcome with practice.

@@floriangadsby I'm merely a beginner, so it's likely the former. But regardless, how do I know that it's centered enough to start doing work on it? Especially with the more irregularities it inevitably has due to my inexperience.

There’s some examples in this video of me tapping leather hard pieces. I’ll use the pads of my fingers though generally, so the taps pressure is spread out a little more but the essential motion is the same. Thanks for watching!

@@floriangadsby thank you for you reply! I will try out your suggestion!!

That’s aluminium from the wheel head. It shouldn’t come off when tap centring… is the wheel new?

This is why you're a legend. Yes, just a few months old.

It's easier! As the pot has more weight to it and doesn't move around so much. It's also a tiny bit sticky, which helps it stick in place.

@@floriangadsby Thanks heaps! Still working on this--plan to sit working with it for a couple of hours as suggested!