Trimming feet without losing the bottom
Trimming is where a heavy, honest pot turns into something you actually want to hold. It is also where I have put a trimming tool straight through the base of more bowls than I want to count.
Leather hard, again
The clay has to be firm enough to hold its shape upside down on the wheel, but soft enough to peel away in long ribbons. In my studio, with the window open in June, that window is about three hours. In February it is most of a day. I now wrap the bowls loosely in a dry-cleaning bag overnight and trim first thing.
The trick that saved me was tapping. Before I cut the foot ring I tap the centre of the base with a fingertip and listen: a dull thud means there is still plenty of clay, a hollow drum sound means stop. It sounds like folklore, but it works better than any calliper I own.
The bowls from this batch have proper feet for the first time, and they sit on the table with a little shadow under them, which is what I wanted all along.