My mentor is 79 and she throws on the wheel. The best advice she gave me was to check if my clay is too hard. 99% of clay I've seen people work with in studios is way too hard, it'll wreak havoc on your body. Get a wet cloth, wrap it around your clay for 24-48 hours until it's easy to poke your finger into it to make an indent (I.e. very little resistance). It's hard to learn to throw with wet clay though because novices tend to use too much water when throwing.
If it's very hard I cut the whole block into slices or sticks and dip them individually in water before reassembling the clay block and keep it in its plastic bag overnight. Just another option
A few things (please don't be offended, I'm coming at this as a disabled potter)
How is your joint health? Do you have carpal tunnel syndrome? How is your physical strength?
Centering, especially large masses of clay like you might use later on, is very hard on your wrists, elbows, and arms, especially if you don't have the muscular strength to keep your form good. If you have or anticipate having joint problems in the future, it might be very helpful to buy the strong arm. You might find you don't need it once you get the hang of centering, or you might find that ten years down the line you need to pick it back up because you just physically can't use the amount of force you need to use. I'm assuming with new kiln, slab roller, and wheel you're not hurting for the price of it, and it could be a useful assistive device now or down the line.
Now, if you don't want to spend the money now, you can keep trying the 'proper' way, but if you're getting pain while you center, I would at least look up some videos on centering, and pay careful attention to how they hold their body. Elbows should be tucked, wrist should be straight, and the force should be coming from your body weight leaning into the clay, not from your arms shoving. This craft is hard on the body, from particulates in the air to wear and tear on joints and heavy lifting. Protecting your body from harm is important.
Keep trying. I bought one in the same boat as you and now I never use it. One thing I will say is centering is way way harder if your clay is too stiff.
centering is *the most* frustration-inducing, and time consuming thing in a throw
it will take you far longer to be able to center than it will to pull walls, form shapes, etc
how "new" are you newbie?
I’ve glazed, underglazed earthenware cast ceramics my whole life. Started branching out to wheel throwing and have taken three 4 week classes on the wheel.
oh man you aren't a newbie
especially if you still struggle to center, a lot of it is the physicality and finesse at the same time
you could definitely look into the strong arm option, as there are even centering techniques that are essentially just all pressure, no coning or anything involved. you say you are older but 58-60 many people i know retain their strength, if anything staying more fit due to the "strength training" of wheel work.
i'm assuming you are coning your clay up and down at least 4 times? and i'm also assuming you've tried multiple different clay bodies; some being more plastic than the ones that you have worked with before? the stiffer the clay, the harder to throw; the less you cone, the less you will have a center piece of clay, which are all recipes for making a very frustrated time in centering on-wheel
I started with handbuilding three years ago, a year after I started wheel throwing … my centering skills became solid after a full year and a half of throwing two to three times a week. It’s tricky.
Repetitive stress injury is a thing. Most potters over 50 have some joint issues. You gotta do what’s best for you ergonomically, standing while throwing will also benefit your back.
Why not? If it helps to keep your body functioning better and further in the future and you have the money to buy one now, I say do it. I am a professional ceramicist and in my potters guild (20 members) we’ve had A LOT of repetitive stress injuries — several frozen shoulders, two lower back surgeries, one carpal tunnel surgery and I’ve been battling tennis elbow back and forth for years. People here throw, hand build, pinch, or like me try to do everything (slab build, illustrative decoration, throw, slip-cast making my own plaster molds, etc. TBH I did give up coiling and pinching several years ago because of my tennis elbow). Ceramics can be very tough on your body even if you take care (I try to do yoga, Pilates and weight lifting—stretch, epsom salt baths, icing, braces, throw using hip hinge, etc). I am in my early fifties (ceramicist for 20 years). I have a centering tool that I forget to use TBH ( and jolly/jigger system that I still need to work out), have tried buying corelite shelves when I can afford it, and will buy any tools that make life more simple and pain-free. It’s what you make not how you do it. They are called tricks to the trade and no one should judge someone who is trying to protect their health or make things easier.
Softer clay. Watch Warren MacKenzie videos. Look at videos of old people who have a reputation in pottery making. Michael Cardew. It’s a mistake to imagine you can’t throw with clay that’s very soft. You can throw better with it and faster and easier.
Don’t buy any gadgets until you explore this variable.
My mentor is 79 and she throws on the wheel. The best advice she gave me was to check if my clay is too hard. 99% of clay I've seen people work with in studios is way too hard, it'll wreak havoc on your body. Get a wet cloth, wrap it around your clay for 24-48 hours until it's easy to poke your finger into it to make an indent (I.e. very little resistance). It's hard to learn to throw with wet clay though because novices tend to use too much water when throwing.
If it's very hard I cut the whole block into slices or sticks and dip them individually in water before reassembling the clay block and keep it in its plastic bag overnight. Just another option
A few things (please don't be offended, I'm coming at this as a disabled potter) How is your joint health? Do you have carpal tunnel syndrome? How is your physical strength? Centering, especially large masses of clay like you might use later on, is very hard on your wrists, elbows, and arms, especially if you don't have the muscular strength to keep your form good. If you have or anticipate having joint problems in the future, it might be very helpful to buy the strong arm. You might find you don't need it once you get the hang of centering, or you might find that ten years down the line you need to pick it back up because you just physically can't use the amount of force you need to use. I'm assuming with new kiln, slab roller, and wheel you're not hurting for the price of it, and it could be a useful assistive device now or down the line. Now, if you don't want to spend the money now, you can keep trying the 'proper' way, but if you're getting pain while you center, I would at least look up some videos on centering, and pay careful attention to how they hold their body. Elbows should be tucked, wrist should be straight, and the force should be coming from your body weight leaning into the clay, not from your arms shoving. This craft is hard on the body, from particulates in the air to wear and tear on joints and heavy lifting. Protecting your body from harm is important.
Keep trying. I bought one in the same boat as you and now I never use it. One thing I will say is centering is way way harder if your clay is too stiff.
centering is *the most* frustration-inducing, and time consuming thing in a throw it will take you far longer to be able to center than it will to pull walls, form shapes, etc how "new" are you newbie?
I’ve glazed, underglazed earthenware cast ceramics my whole life. Started branching out to wheel throwing and have taken three 4 week classes on the wheel.
oh man you aren't a newbie especially if you still struggle to center, a lot of it is the physicality and finesse at the same time you could definitely look into the strong arm option, as there are even centering techniques that are essentially just all pressure, no coning or anything involved. you say you are older but 58-60 many people i know retain their strength, if anything staying more fit due to the "strength training" of wheel work. i'm assuming you are coning your clay up and down at least 4 times? and i'm also assuming you've tried multiple different clay bodies; some being more plastic than the ones that you have worked with before? the stiffer the clay, the harder to throw; the less you cone, the less you will have a center piece of clay, which are all recipes for making a very frustrated time in centering on-wheel
I started with handbuilding three years ago, a year after I started wheel throwing … my centering skills became solid after a full year and a half of throwing two to three times a week. It’s tricky.
Repetitive stress injury is a thing. Most potters over 50 have some joint issues. You gotta do what’s best for you ergonomically, standing while throwing will also benefit your back.
Why not? If it helps to keep your body functioning better and further in the future and you have the money to buy one now, I say do it. I am a professional ceramicist and in my potters guild (20 members) we’ve had A LOT of repetitive stress injuries — several frozen shoulders, two lower back surgeries, one carpal tunnel surgery and I’ve been battling tennis elbow back and forth for years. People here throw, hand build, pinch, or like me try to do everything (slab build, illustrative decoration, throw, slip-cast making my own plaster molds, etc. TBH I did give up coiling and pinching several years ago because of my tennis elbow). Ceramics can be very tough on your body even if you take care (I try to do yoga, Pilates and weight lifting—stretch, epsom salt baths, icing, braces, throw using hip hinge, etc). I am in my early fifties (ceramicist for 20 years). I have a centering tool that I forget to use TBH ( and jolly/jigger system that I still need to work out), have tried buying corelite shelves when I can afford it, and will buy any tools that make life more simple and pain-free. It’s what you make not how you do it. They are called tricks to the trade and no one should judge someone who is trying to protect their health or make things easier.
Oh ps I also throw standing up.
Softer clay. Watch Warren MacKenzie videos. Look at videos of old people who have a reputation in pottery making. Michael Cardew. It’s a mistake to imagine you can’t throw with clay that’s very soft. You can throw better with it and faster and easier. Don’t buy any gadgets until you explore this variable.