This video is all about pottery wheel bats. Hi everyone Marie here with another how-to
video for you. I'm going to go over types of bats for your pottery wheel,
how to use them, the best way to care and store for them, and a few cool tips along the way.
Any important information I mention in this video along with any links for supplies and
tools used in this video, will be listed for you in the show notes below. Let's dive right in.
Pottery wheel bats are mainly used for removing your pottery from the wheel while it's still wet
without damaging or misshaping your pottery. They're also good for making pieces that you
want to put back on the wheel for trimming or decorating without spending time re-centering
and using clay nubs to hold the pottery down. Bats come in different shapes, sizes, and materials.
Let's have a look at some of the different types of bats to choose from.
Masonite bats are made from wood fibers. They come in different sizes 12 inches, 13,
14, and 15 inches across. With 10 inch bat holes. Also 9-inch square bats with 10-inch bat holes.
These bats are slightly absorbent allowing the clay to stick well to them.
You have to be careful not to let the wet clay sit too long on these bats or soak them in water. If
they stay wet too long they will warp. Bat tip. If you have a warped bat, place your bat on a
flat hard surface with the curved side up. Then find a heavy object like these cement squirrels
and place it in the middle of your warped bat. Leaving it for about a day does it for me. Plaster
bats are more absorbent than other bat types. They're long-lasting and maybe more suitable
for pottery wheels that don't have bat pin holes. They're also thicker and heavier than other bats.
You have to be careful not to have any plaster chip off and get into your clay, because it will
damage your pottery. To make plaster bats you need to buy pottery plaster, mix it with water,
and pour the plaster in a metal or plastic mold to make the bats. Plastic bats are waterproof
non-porous, and they're more durable than the wooden fiber or the plaster bats. There are
different brands of plastic bats, but my favorites are the Speedball and Amaco Plasti bats. These
speedball plastic bats are available in different sizes 12 inch which I have and 14 inch round bats.
Also seven and a half inch square bats. The round and square speed ball bats have both
nine inch bat holes and ten inch bat holes. Making them compatible with more pottery wheels that have
9 or 10 inch bat holes. They have a smooth texture that the clay sticks well to.
These two speedball bats came with the speedball Artiste pottery wheel. I have a review video on
the Artista pottery wheel. I left the link for you below if you want to check it out.
These Amaco Plasti bats come in a variety of sizes 12 inch, 14 inch, 16 inch, 18 inch, and
even 20-inch bats. They fit wheels with 10 inch bat holes. You can get 9 inch square Plasti bats
to fit wheels with 10-inch bat holes. Also I don't have every size but the ones I have are awesome.
The Amaco plasti bats are textured on one side to help keep the clay in place while centering.
It sticks really well. The other side is really smooth. You can still throw on the real smooth
side but you have to be careful not to push the clay too hard so the clay doesn't slip or slide
when you start centering. When choosing bats you want to make sure that they're compatible with the
bat pins on your wheel. It's good to double check and measure the bat pins on your wheel to make
sure the holes are the same inches apart as the bats you choose. There are two ways that I know
of that you can attach your bat to the wheel. You can use bat pins or the clay pad method.
I'll show you both. If you don't have bat pins on your wheel like my SKYTOU pottery wheel machine.
Here's how you make a clay pad to attach your bat to the pottery wheel.
Slam a chunk of clay on the wheel. Right around a half a pound is good. Press the clay down like
you're making a plate. A very flat plate. Continue pressing the clay until it flattens. If you're
finding any value in this video, make sure you hit the like button at any time during the video.
Using a rib. Wooden or plastic is fine. I like to use the wooden rib. Level the spinning clay.
Once the clay is leveled, use the pointy end of your wooden rib or plastic rib and make several
rings on the clay pad. The air between the lines and the clay will help seal the bat to the wheel.
Make sure your clay is level before placing the bat on the wheel.
Place the bat on the clay pad and center your bat. Once it's centered,
press down on the bat and make sure that it's secure without slipping or wobbling.
Bat tip. Using a masonite bat works really well. It doesn't slip or slide off of the clay pad.
If you use the plasti bat and place the smooth side on the clay pad, your bat will slide.
Placing the textured side on the clay will secure your back to the wheel and it will not slip or
slide on you. Once the bat is secured to the pottery wheel, you can start throwing your clay.
I have a review video on this little machine. I left the link for you below. If you want to
check it out. The second way is to use the pre-drilled bat holes and pins that come
standard with many wheels to hold the bats in place.
Place the bat on the pottery wheel by aligning the bat holes with the bat pin heads
and press on the bat to ensure that it's attached properly to your wheel. Bat tip.
If your bat is loose or wobbly you can use a bat mate or slip. Bat mates come in two sizes,
12 and 14 inches. I just dip my bat mate in water, wring it out, and place it on the wheel. If you
don't use a bat mate you can put a little thick slip on your wheel to stop the bat from wobbling.
Unlike the clay pad the slip won't keep the bat secure without the bat pins. But the slip will
stick well enough to stop your bat from wobbling. Now that your bed is secure to the wheel you can
throw your clay on the bat and start making your pot. Bat tip. Your clay will stick to the bat
when you wipe it with a damp sponge. A very thin layer of water does the trick.
If your bat is too dry the clay won't stick to your bat.
Same goes with your bat being too wet. The clay won't stick to your bat.
If you have any ideas for future projects, let me know in the comments section below. I'd love
to hear them. After you've created a beautiful piece of pottery, remove the bat from the wheel.
With bat pins carefully lift the bat from your pottery wheel when you look closely at the holes
on your bat you'll notice that there is one bat hole that is round and the other bat hole is oval.
The oval hole gives the bat room to move. Making it easier for you to lift the bat off the wheel.
You want to lift your bat from the round bat hole side using a tool or your fingers. I prefer to
use a tool. Xium pottery tools has a bat lifter that easily lifts bats from your pottery wheel.
These speed ball plastic bats have rims on the sides to make it easy to grab and remove from
the wheel. The nine inch holes have one raised dot on the side of the bat and the 10 inch holes
have three raised dots to make it easy for you to find where the bat holes are. The speed ball has a
bat hole that's cut so the bat hole spreads out to fit the bat pin more snugly. That's why you have
to be careful when taking the bat off the wheel because it is more secure around the bat pin.
Before I found this out I wondered why it was so hard to get one side of the bat off the
wheel. I put a mark on the side that has the cut bat hole so I know where to lift the bat.
There are a few things that you can do to your pottery before you remove it from the bat. You can
add slip. I have a video on three ways to decorate with colored slip. I left the link for you in the
show notes below. You can trim your piece if you want to get some extra clay off your pot or make a
more defined groove. You can also decorate with a ball stylus tool, modeling tool, or carving tool.
Are you coming up with some different things that you can do with your pottery while it's
still attached to your bat? If so, let me know in the comments section below. There
are two ways that I know of to get pottery off your bat. You can remove it with a wire cutter.
Allow your piece to dry to the touch before removing it from your bat. This lessens the
chance of leaving marks or misshaping your piece. Make sure you keep checking your clay
so it doesn't get too hard. I put some water on my bat with a sponge and run the wire through.
Another way to remove pottery from your bat is to let it dry off the bat on its own.
With the plasti bat, you can use the textured side or the smooth side. With this technique,
once the clay is dry to the touch I cover the top with plastic to help the clay dry out more evenly.
Otherwise, you risk cracking your pot if the top dries faster. then the bottom.
As the pottery dries, it will release from the bat on its own. If you use the textured surface,
you'll get this textured pattern on the bottom. The textured side releases faster because the
texture allows the air to get underneath the clay. The smooth side does take twice as long to release
but if you want to get a nice smooth bottom it's worth the extra wait.
When you're finished using your bats you want to take proper care of them so they'll last a long
long time. After you remove the pot from your bat it's best to always scrape off any remaining clay
right away. My tool of choice is the wooden rib. A hard plastic rib will also work.
Then turn your wheel and wipe the bat with a clean, damp sponge and allow it to dry.
If you have bat pins you should loosen the wing nuts to remove the pins and clean them.
This prevents them from getting fixed permanently on your wheel and rusting out. Some say to clean
your bat pins after every use. I don't think that's necessary or realistic. Once a week
is fine. If you use your wheel most every day you want to store your bats vertically. Preferably in
a space close to your wheel, or you can get a bat storage cart. Brent has a convenient mobile bat
storage cart. Maybe you'll get one someday. Click on this next video now. It'll help you center your
clay and even better you're going to help with studio supplies when you click. Let's stay dirty.