IV Craft, clay and kiln · Plate 042
Ribs and scrapers
Ribs are flat tools, of wood, metal, rubber or plastic, for shaping, smoothing and scraping clay. Each curve suits a form, and many potters make their own.
The English glossary of pottery terms defines a rib tool as a wide, flat handheld tool used to shape, smooth or scrape clay surfaces. It is usually made of wood, rubber, plastic or metal, can be rigid or flexible, and can have a straight, curved or profiled edge. The glossary also lists a kidney-shaped tool, made of flexible steel for finishing thrown pots or of stiff rubber for pressing and smoothing clay in a mould. The names describe shape and material, not a single design.
The Barcelos specification names the equivalent tools of a wheel potter. Forming on the wheel has three phases: centring the clay, opening it and shaping the piece. Among the aids it lists is the canivete, a rectangular metal piece used to smooth pieces and pull up the clay, and a cloth used to smooth the rims. In industry the profile is fixed in the machine: the glossary defines jiggering as shaping flatware by the differential rotation of a profile tool and a mould.
This is a general description, not confirmed to a single source.
Source: en.wikipedia.org, cearte.pt
AI-generated illustration in the manner of the tradition, not a photograph of a specific object.
