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The Secret to Making a Living as a Potter

I was out at John Hartom's throwing some Empty Bowls for his yearly fundraiser and recorded this little throwing session.

We decided that if you could make this many bowls in 3 minutes every day for 12 hours a day 365 days a year you could acutally make a living as a potter.

John Britt

www.johnbrittpottery.com

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Togeika said…
I bet you could make at least 33% more bowls in the same time off the hump. But as I realized at the Mashiko Pottery festival, where folks had bins on the ground filled with $5.00 pots, for them to equal one $250.00 platter, they'd have to sell 50 bowls. I sell little bowls like these for about $12.00 I'd have to sell 21 of these to match a platter which I can make in about half the time it takes to make 21 bowls.
August 28, 2009 at 6:21 PM
Kyle Carpenter said…
i hate those crappy square bats.
August 28, 2009 at 9:13 PM
Sunni said…
Not to mention the time it takes to trim all of them, and glaze each one... compared to a platter!! Just curious tho, what makes the bats spin backwards in the video, like an old movie with the wagon wheels?
August 28, 2009 at 10:39 PM
John Britt said…
Sunni,

I am assuming the rate of images taken by the camera in relation to the speed of the wheel is what makes it look like it is going backwards.

Just like if you blink you eyes real fast while sitting in the passenger seat in a car looking at a semi wheel next to you. You can make it do that.
August 29, 2009 at 8:36 AM
John Britt said…
Lee,

I know that I could do it faster off the hump but there are also associated problems with that method, (deformed rims, "S" cracks, thicker feet, etc.). I do know the solutions to "S" cracks but this is really fast enough for what we are doing the they can dry on the bat and still be round.

I do make platters but we are making Empty Bowls for a fundraiser and so that is what is happening.

All this is really just a joke because everyone knows you can't make a living as a potter!!!
August 29, 2009 at 8:40 AM
John Britt said…
Kyle,

Square bats are the bomb!Dawg!
August 29, 2009 at 8:40 AM
zafka said…
I acquired about a hundred square masonite bats. I love them. I don't even use the wholes. I just put a little water on the bat, then lay the corners against the pins.
August 29, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Steve White said…
If I made bowls that fast, twelve hours a day, day after day, there wouldn't be enough people in the world to buy them all.
August 30, 2009 at 8:26 AM
John Britt said…
Steve,

Let's try it and see.
August 30, 2009 at 9:25 AM
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