Video Tip of the Week: Making a Homemade Wire Faceting Tool and a Wire Faceted Bowl

Great tutorial! Is there a possibility I could download the movie for reviewing?‡

The video was Awesome! Inspirational! I loved the music and just found it so I will play it in my studio! I tried a spring, it was to big, going back to the hardware store for a small flexible one. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us.

Audrey from New York found the video outstanding. Yes, dialogue takes away from concentration. I watched it twice and I am keeping it in my favorites. Thank you for for sharing your technique.

Audrey from New York found the video outstanding. Yes, dialogue takes away from concentration. I watched it twice and I am keeping it in my favorites. Thank you for for sharing your technique.

Another question I got via e-mail was about my sponge. I use an artificial sponge from Sugarloaf. It's a great sponge. I got my first one at NCECA in 1996. I'm on sponge #5 now and I still use #4(I still have #3 but it's retired from active duty). They last for thousands of pots. You won't lose them because they float. If you buy one get the large size. They take a couple of weeks to break in so don't give up on them too soon. No- I'm not on their payroll.

Linda- to keep the rim neat try ending the facets well below the rim. Suzy- I'm actually right handed but I throw clockwise. I guess that's twice as "backwards". Ribs work fine at the end. Most of the time my fingers were fanned out and so they were in contact with the inside of the bowl in a couple of places. It's intuitive when you try it. Thanks for the comments!

Wow. I Love seeing a fellow southpaw throwing "backwards!" We use BOTH of our hands! I love the loose rim but was surprised you didn't use a rib to stretch your bowl shape. I'll look forward to the trimming video. Suzy PS This new video feature is terrific. I am saving some of them on my computer - almost like attending a workshop!

Very interesting and informitive vidio. How can one make the pot without the uneveness of the rim? brucelinda01

Very interesting and informitive vidio. How can one make the pot without the unjulations and uneveness of the rim? brucelinda01

As a retired high school ceramics teacher and currently teaching at the college level, I find Mark's video to be refreshing -- I remember one lesson in which I had to teach with laryngitis and my class of thirty was so silent you could hear a pin drop -- they knew that had to concentrate much harder since I wasn't narrating everything I was doing and it made them much more attentive. Bravo! Karen Grossman

Bryna- The piece of spring that I used was attached to washers. It's just something to hold on to. Jeanne- Yes I throw clockwise. I wondered if anyone would comment about that. My first throwing teacher was Japanese. They throw clockwise over there. When I started teaching, I realized it was best to teach counter-clockwise. So I taught myself to throw that way. Now I can throw both directions. But, I'm much more comfortable clockwise.

good stuff, had never seen the throwing done after the faceting. Wondering, are you throwing on the wheel clockwise?? noticed your right hand on the inside of pot? enjoyed, thanks!

Thanks so much for a great video. I didn't get what the spring ends were attached to. Also, i liked the music and written text.

LOVED THE VIDEO, Anybody who puts out the effort to try and do something like this and shows a little creativity in doing it has my vote, enough with the opinions of negativity. I LOVED THE MUSIC, CAPTIONS AND QUICK INSTRUCTION! NAYSAYERS BE QUIET!!

Thank you for posting this inspiring video! Concise, clear — I very much enjoyed the music — and it played beautifully on my computer. I can't wait to try the method. I actually have an expensive twisted wire tool, but it's on a harp that limits how I can apply it. I am off to rummage right now through the junk box in search of a cheap wire. Thanks so much! Great video.

Hi- thought the video was great.. I loved the music with it- To me this shows the freshness and spontanaeity of the thrown and worked piece- As you were getting to the difficult bits and to the finish the tempo increases! Great stuff indeed..

I enjoyed the video and I believe I can try that sometime. I teach at a community Studio and it is nice to be able to introduce some new tecniques. Thanks a bunch. Karla

I thoroughly enjoyed both the music and the demonstration. Thank you for sharing.

LOVED THE VIDEO, Anybody who puts out the effort to try and do something like this and shows a little creativity in doing it has my vote, enough with the opinions of negativity. I LOVED THE MUSIC, CAPTIONS AND QUICK INSTRUCTION! NAYSAYERS BE QUIET!!

LOVED THE VIDEO, Anybody who puts out the effort to try and do something like this and shows a little creativity in doing it has my vote, enough with the opinions of negativity. I LOVED THE MUSIC, CAPTIONS AND QUICK INSTRUCTION! NAYSAYERS BE QUIET!!

Rodney- This site archives all the videos. Mine are also archived on my website.

Rodney- This site archives all the videos. Mine are also archived on my website.

Carol- I understand that the videos aren't great for beginning potters. Since the vids were primarily for my website I decided to tailor them for intermediate and above potters. However, I hope to inspire the new potters and I believe that potters of at any level can get something out of them. I remember going to workshops years ago, seeing something cool, and then filing it away in my head for years. Then using that idea after I had gained the skills to do it.

Angela- You nailed the Cynthia Bringle tool. That's another thing I should have given credit to( It's the wooden tool I used to under-cut the pot just before I used the wire tool). She's a neighbor and of all the folks in this world, she's one of the best.

Wow! Great comments. I'll try to address some- Pat- I use a stoneware clay from Highwater Clays in Asheville, NC. It's called Phoenix and it's probably their most popular cone 10 clay. This faceting technique calls for a very plastic clay.

The faceted bowl video is great! I like this feature a lot! If a picture is worth a thousand words a video is worth 10,000. Is there a way to save these videos to your computer? Or, is there a way to go to archived videos when you want to review a technique?

As very new student to wheel throwing, I enjoyed seeing the faceted bowl come to life...I however thought the music distracted from my concentration. I need some voice explanations from the potter as he works inside the bowl--the text was an "after the fact" explanation--would have been helpful to have the verbal explanation while the potter was working inside the pot. This non verbal style might be great for more advanced potters but us "newbies" need a bit more...thanks

Very entertaining and informative. I enjoyed the rhythmic beats, silent movie captions, and humorous editing, and look forward to seeing more work from Mark. The faceting technique was very clearly presented. I say this as someone who prefers seeing how something works over hearing how it does.

Loved the music. Going to try this tomorrow. A note on tools and clay type would be a plus. looking forward to next video.

I enjoyed Marks' videos with the music only and text comments. It was easier to focus on the method, than the sound,inflection,and vocalizations of the demonstrator. The music for the faceting video was a perfect accompaniment to Mark's motions. I look forward to more in this series.

I dig the music and no talking, i do miss some of the explanation as he was going through the process but i love the silent movie narration. And i live that i have the same tool that he used in the last one with the bowl, i got it at NCECA from Cynthia Bringle.

cant agree that the tin cans can be called music. only took an hour to download 7minutes of video. love the overall look of the pot how do you trim something that shape. A face and a voice would be nice even at begining or end.Thankyou Mark see ya.

Thank you, Mark for a wonderful demo! I laughed when you speeded up the action during the faceting. Music was awesome too! Diana from Ohio

Again....great video! Thanks for sharing so many really interesting ideas. This is something that I plan to try tomorrow! Please keep the videos coming...you are a natural and I love the music.

Gotta agree with Susan and Elise....

i can hardly wait to try this technique. It looks like there are endless possibilities to the designs you can come up with. I also appreciated knowing how much clay you were using. What type is it? I enjoyed the music!

Heather- Good Idea, I'll post credits. FYI she stamped cup soundtrack from a couple of weeks ago was Ti Mon Bo by Tito Puentes. This week it’s Zahrafat Al Sa’id by the Musicians of the Nile.

The background music/banging was aweful and really took away from the enjoyment of watching the video. Please do not do that again. I have always enjoyed listening to the artist talk about his/her work.

I'd like for Mark to post the music credits. I enjoy hearing what he's playing. And the demos are great, except for the fact that he makes it look so easy...

Thanks for the comments! I understand that not all will like the music, but I figured those that didn't can easily turn it off. Elise and Susan- I also noticed a few spots where the music seemed to sync with what I was doing. I promise it was just coincidental. Patti- Showing each tool as I use it is a good idea and I'll do it next time.

I enjoyed the video and did not mind the fact that there was no narration. However, I found the music very disturbing and had trouble focusing on the demonstrationl. Thanks for the use of the spring. Marion Ring

I always look forward to your videos, always interesting and informative. Another use for the stretched springs is as a cut off wire if you don't need a flat bottom. I especially like how jar lids look with the spring pattern.

I find the videos by Mark very helpful. I prefer narration but appreciate what he is trying to do. I just returned from Italy and so why there was an olive oil jug with spout next to the wheel during the 1st video until you used it to dry the stamps! A text panel explaining that may have been useful. The 2nd video kept pausing but eventually played through. I wondered a couple of times what tool you were using. Showing each tool before using it may help. Looking forward to the next one.

I find the videos by Mark very helpful. I prefer narration but appreciate what he is trying to do. I just returned from Italy and so why there was an olive oil jug with spout next to the wheel during the 1st video until you used it to dry the stamps! A text panel explaining that may have been useful. The 2nd video kept pausing but eventually played through. I wondered a couple of times what tool you were using. Showing each tool before using it may help. Looking forward to the next one.

I find the videos by Mark very helpful. I prefer narration but appreciate what he is trying to do. I just returned from Italy and so why there was an olive oil jug with spout next to the wheel during the 1st video until you used it to dry the stamps! A text panel explaining that may have been useful. The 2nd video kept pausing but eventually played through. I wondered a couple of times what tool you were using. Showing each tool before using it may help. Looking forward to the next one.

I find the videos by Mark very helpful. I prefer narration but appreciate what he is trying to do. I just returned from Italy and so why there was an olive oil jug with spout next to the wheel during the 1st video until you used it to dry the stamps! A text panel explaining that may have been useful. The 2nd video kept pausing but eventually played through. I wondered a couple of times what tool you were using. Showing each tool before using it may help. Looking forward to the next one.

Great video. The music really was a wonderful addition, adding to the excitement and energy of the video. It was amazingly well coordinated to the movements and really seemed as if it had been written for the actions! Interesting technique that I will try, as I have only attempted faceting afterwards, when the bowl is already thin. This looks easier, and the bonus is the deliciously undulating rim edge. Thanks for sharing!

i absolutely loved the demo - all aspects - it was very clear and i wonder who's doing the music - so much in synch that it seems that you're doing the drums as you throw, something which is obviously impossible, but an intriguing thought...anyway i think that all the elements of the demo work brilliantly together...i can't believe i'm getting this kind of turn on for free

wonderful video! Technique was easy to follow and I was not distracted by the usual background noises and unnecessary comments. The text addition gave me just the right amount of information. Really lovely piece of work as well. Donna

The bongo drums detracted from the demo. I turned it off. Also, the video would not run past the middle. Your server?? Looked interesting but I shall never know how it turned out.

I thoroughly enjoyed the video. The backround rythmns were cool. Visual text is much easier than listening to a potter's voice. Thanks for sharing. Six minutes is a short/concise time to learn a fun technique.