During the process of throwing, the wheel rotates rapidly while the solid ball of
soft clay is pressed, squeezed and pulled gently upwards and outwards into a hollow
shape. The first step of pressing the rough ball of clay downward and inward into
perfect rotational symmetry is called centring the clay which is a most important
skill to master before the next steps:
Opening (making a centred hollow into the solid ball of clay).
Flooring (making the flat or rounded bottom inside the pot).
Throwing or Pulling (drawing up and shaping the walls to an even thickness)
Trimming or turning (removing excess clay to refine the shape or create a foot).
Considerable skill and experience are required to throw pots of an acceptable standard
and, while the ware may have high artistic merit, the reproducibility of the method
is poor. Because of its inherent limitations, throwing can only be used to create
wares with radial symmetry on a vertical axis. These can then be altered by impressing,
bulging, carving, fluting, and incising. In addition to the potter's hands these
techniques can use tools, including paddles, anvils and ribs,specifically for cutting
or piercing such as knives, fluting tools and wires. Thrown pieces can be modified
to attach handles, lids, feet and spouts.
