Comments on: Welcome Back, Tried & True: Bisque Tile Bats

By: Anne Webb

Anne Webb — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:34:33 +0000

I like using the tiles better than any wooden bat. Since I only use 6×6 bisque tiles, I am, of course, limited to the size foot of my pot I can throw on them. For platters etc i have to resort to my plastic and particleboard bats. Just so you know, I always run a wire under my pots after throwing on the tiles which allows me to remove the pot from the tile as soon as its firm enough to pick up. The bottoms are never too hard to trim.

I’ve not tried wonderbats, per se, but as I mention above, i do have some particleboard ones that I’ve drilled the holes on myself, which are quite a bit cheaper than the wonderbats. The grommet on the holes is a nice idea though.

I replied to your other question on the other post, re tile distributor.

By: Anne Webb

Anne Webb — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:22:18 +0000

I’ve not tried wonderbats. I use Daltile bisque tiles which are actually a bit thicker than the ceramic tile that comes with the bat system. I find them to be less prone to breakage but they absorb slightly more water. Unfortunately, despite there being a Daltile location near here, I had to locate a local distributor and get my tile from them; in Toronto, I was able to go right to the warehouse to pick them up. Regardless, since 6×6 bisque tiles aren’t regular stock item for the flooring place I went to, they had to order them special for me, which was no big deal. Here’s the link from the Daltile web site to help you locate distributor closest to your studio: http://daltileproducts.com/dealer_search.cfm Hope that’s a help.

By: Fraser Langford

Fraser Langford — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:20:16 +0000

Please send me the address of your tile supplier. I’m going to order the system which comes with one tile. Clay Planet in San Jose has bisque tiles at $1.49 ea but they are 1/4″ or about half the thickness of the wonderbat.

Fraser

By: Fraser Langford

Fraser Langford — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:41:18 +0000

Thank you for the bat information. The tile bat system looks like it’s worth a try. I’m using several different bats. Do you like the tiles better than Wonder Bats? I trim most of the bottoms of my pots and find that the bottoms are too dry when they finally pop off of the Wonder Bat.

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Toshiba Portable DVD — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 01:26:55 +0000

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By: glass tile

glass tile — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:08:35 +0000

I find it useful to throw some things off the hump and other times.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:20:42 +0000

Hey Good idea for clay tiles not labor intensive and quick and easy…I found using SoulMat works great to make super smooth surfaces w/o clay sticking..and they work great as a work surface might be worth a try for you.. they are the cheapest slabrolling material I found that works better then using tar paper or canvas.

By: Anne Webb

Anne Webb — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 02:44:47 +0000

Yes, its a pretty simple concept. If I had larger bisque tiles I think I might consider making one for them to accommodate wider based pots.

You could make wooden inserts quite easily.. just cut them to fit. If you can make tiles, I doubt it would be hard to make your own tile inserts, it would just tedious and labor intensive.

I don’t know, I like the commercial tiles because they are not expensive, they’re uniform, and for me, its more worth my while to buy them than to try making them. When I take into consideration materials, firing, loss, and my labor, I doubt making them would represent much of a (if any) savings.
But as i mentioned, I like how the tile works when you use them. Being able to take my pots off the bat sooner makes a big difference.

By: Rob Lorenz-Simple Circle Studios

Rob Lorenz-Simple Circle Studios — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:08:40 +0000

I seem to remember reading an article about how to make something like this with a plastic 7 1/2 inch bat and quarter-round moulding. I was thinking about making one, but this sounds pretty good too, especially for $12. I wonder how difficult it would be to make your own tile inserts?

By: Anne Webb

Anne Webb — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:16:31 +0000

You can just use regular old masking tape when you want it to stay in place. Just a thought…