Big Zig Pottery Rib: Angular Clay Tool for Wheel Throwing

Simple pottery rib to create this fun oversized zig-zag pattern on a pot. Includes a decent flat zone on the top and bottom to create a foot. The opposite side is straight which makes it easy to get straight walls on the pot before you apply the rib.

Standard Big Zig rib is 3 ½" tall and 2" wide. The Bigger Zig rib is 6 ½" tall. Each spike/hump is a bit under ¼" deep and a bit over ¾" wide and the edges are all gently rounded over to create a pot that is comfortable to grab and doesn't have brittle, hard angles.

Using profile ribs can take a bit of practice, but the technique is fairly simple to learn:

1. Pull a cylinder up just a touch taller than the rib.
2. Very gently push the edge of the rib against your pot, keeping the bottom of the rib aligned with the wheel or your bat. Hold the rib steady as you move onto step 3.
3. With your other hand, start pushing the walls of the cylinder from the inside out, shaping them to match the recesses in the rib. Start at the bottom and work your way up.
4. If the rib builds up a lot of clay, simply pause and clean off large chunks, then resume.

As with everything clay related, it takes a bit of practice to get consistent results. And since the rib does not control the overall width of the pot, you'll still need to make sure your cylinders are the same width if you want to get matching pieces. A throwing gauge can help with that if so!

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Products are made with a renewable bioplastic called PLA. It's made from starches instead of fossil fuels, making it more ecologically considerate, but it doesn't tolerate high temperatures or exposure to UV well. To ensure your tools last for a long time, avoid leaving them in a hot car or out in the sun.