IV Craft, clay and kiln · Plate 012
Cutting off with a wire
A thin wire drawn under the base frees a finished pot from the wheel head. Cutting also shows the thickness of the floor, which should be even.
The Barcelos specification names the tool for this step: the cortador, a length of fishing line with a bit of cloth at each end, used to cut pieces when they are taken off the wheel. It sits among the wheel tools: the agueiro, a vessel for water; the canivete, a rectangular metal blade for smoothing and pulling the clay; a cloth for smoothing rims; the mosca, a pointed stick for marking bases; and the espicha, which also marks and cuts away excess clay.
Other workshops use the same idea. In Nisa the piece is cut from the wheel head with a thread tied to a stick, or by hand when it is large, and then left to dry in the sun. Drying matters: the Barcelos text calls it one of the most decisive phases for a successful firing, with careful and thorough drying essential. Formerly pieces were set out in the sun; today methods vary from potter to potter, with some still using the sun, others dryers and others the kiln itself.
This is a general description, not confirmed to a single source.
Source: cearte.pt, museubordadoebarro.cm-nisa.pt
AI-generated illustration in the manner of the tradition, not a photograph of a specific object.
