How to trim pots on a pottery wheel

When is a pot ready to trim or turn? The pot should be "leather hard", that is it should be the consistency of chocolate or cheddar cheese. You should be able to press a finger nail into the clay but it should be firm enough to be handled without damaging its shape

Some trimming concepts / pointers
1. Always trim the pot based on or following the inside shape.
2. A good way to think of trimming is to imagine that you have created a bowl with a continuous shape and now you are "adding" a foot..

Tools for Trimming Pottery
Trimming/turning tools have a sharp steel edge to pare away the leatherhard clay. Some are all metal with a right-angled blade, others are wire loops—also called ribbon tools—which I prefer.

If you have any questions about trimming techniques, please contact me
at. Artwheel School and Studio in Imperial Beach, CA. Visit my site to check my calendar for available classes.