Wheel Bats
Bailey • Brent • Creative
Industries • Northstar • Plaster
Bats • Wonder (Wooden) Bats
Production
bats are simple things, really, no more than circles of wood or plastic
that sit between your wheelhead and your clay. They're simple but necessary:
bats enable you to quickly and easily remove your work from the wheel.
Put a fresh bat on your wheel, and you're ready to throw again. These
bats all have holes for batpins spaced 10 inches apart, which is standard
for all new wheels. Please let us know if your wheel has different spacing
for the batpins.
Batmate Grippers
Batmates are the perfect solution to problems with warped bats or bats that jitter on your wheel. Soak the Batmate in water, wring out the excess, lay the Batmate on your wheelhead, and put the bat on top. Voila! Rinse off any clay buildup after use, dry it, and store it clean (no clay). If the Batmate becomes stiff, soak it in water again and it will return to its original shape. Available in 12" and 14" sizes.
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Brent Plastic Bats
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Plasti-Bats were designed by studio potters to be versatile, long-lasting,
and practically indestructible. Made of rigid high-impact
plastic, they will not shrink, splinter, delaminate or swell
even in continuous use. They're easy to clean, and impervious
to water and most chemicals. The surface is a non-absorbent,
positive adherence surface that does not allow clay to slide
or turn loose while centering. All that, and they're lightweight
and easy to carry, stack or store, too. (Cleaning before
storage, and storing in either vertical racks or stacked
on a flat surface, is recommended to avoid a possible risk
of the bats' warping.) |
Brent Batmobile
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New and improved design!
Welded support rails offer added strength and stability and side frames include holes to adjust the top two rails for holding larger diameter bats (see inset photos above).
This strong steel cart glides on 4" diameter rubber swivel casters and is a great place to store your unused bats. Once in place the casters can be locked to prevent rolling. It holds up to 90 - 14" bats, with adjustable shelves for almost any size bat and a top shelf that can be used on a ware cart. And to keep them securely in place, the Batmobile includes the Brent BatBrace (see photo). Acting like a "bookend", the BatBrace keeps up to 50 12" or 14" Plasti-bats from sliding. BatBrace also sold individually if more than one is desired, click here for more information.
Bats (shown in photo) not included in price.
- Shipping
weight 60 lbs (can be sent by UPS)
- Dimensions
42"w by 35"h by 14"d.
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Creative Industries Plastic Bats
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Creative
Industries' trademarked "Easy Lift Rim" makes
it easy to remove the bat from the wheelhead in one smooth
motion without disturbing, rocking or tipping your new work.
These injection-molded plastic bats are easy to maintain
and long-lasting in use, while holding their original shape
and size. As an additional feature, their unique "bat
ribs" easily grab onto clay rings for throwing on wheel
heads without bat pins.
These
popular, smaller square bats save room on your studio shelves
(or on your ware carts) so you can use the space more efficiently
to store more pieces. They offer the same features as the
larger Creative Industries bats.
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NorthStar Plastic Bats
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Duron
Bats are made with a moisture-resistant wood
composite material, often called Masonite. NorthStar's
Duron bats are 1/4" thick and cut to 13" or 15"
wide to provide a 1/2" overhang around the edges of
the wheelhead. This overhang makes it much easier to remove
the bat without disturbing your new work. No more prying,
no more broken fingernails! (Ooowwww...!)
Medex Bats are composed of a wood product without formaldehyde, 3/8 inch thick. Handles clay like wood or Duron. Waterproof, no warping, and extremely strong. Will not degrade like particle board. More expensive but PERMANENT. |
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NorthStar's Universal Bat System saves
a great amount of shelf space when making pieces with small
footprints. The outer bat is Medex, 1/2" thick and
13" wide, and the inserts are 1/4" Duron which
fit flush with the top of the outer bat. The inserts measure
5-1/2" square. Inserts remove easily from the outer
bat, yet fit snugly enough that the cavity stays free of
clay and slurry. When you finish each piece, lift out the
bat insert, plug in the next one, and you're ready to continue
your production work. The outer bat and bat inserts are
sold separately as listed below.
NOW IN STOCK!
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Plaster Bats
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Hydrobats are made of gypsum cement ten times stronger than conventional
plaster, but with a similar water absorption rate. Two hard
rubber grommets in the bottom assure snug fits on wheels
with standard (10") pin spacing. Larger and smaller
sizes of Hydrobats are available: please call or email us
for more information. |
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Plaster
Drying Bats are an important part of the process
if you reclaim clay from slurry, scraps, or "oops"
moments on the wheel. You can also use them to dry your
work with less chance of cracking at the bases. With reasonable
care, these drying bats can last for several years of use.
These bats measure 19" x 14" x 2-1/2" to
give you lots of working room. |
Wonder Bats
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Wonder
Bats are made with a moisture-resistant formaldehyde-free
treated wood composite developed for applications in exterior
and high moisture interior environments. It has a uniform
density and thickness compared to “raw” wood:
the consistent physical properties throughout the board
make it resist warping. And no old-growth timber goes into
Wonder Bats! They're made solely from wood chips and sawmill
byproducts.
- Performance similar to plaster bats.
- No need to cut your pieces off with wire or string: when the clay is leather hard, it just separates from the bat.
- Drilled for standard bat pins, but not drilled through: no holes in the surface.
- Sealed wood product does not swell when wet.
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