Bell Wall Beaker Rib

One curve, top to bottom. The wall leaves a narrow foot and sweeps out in a single unbroken line to a wide rim. No belly, no shoulder, nothing to interrupt it.

A single sweep is the least forgiving shape there is. Any hesitation shows up as a flat spot halfway up the wall, and on a form this plain the eye finds it straight away. Cut as one edge, the curve arrives the same from foot to rim on every pot.

The wall only widens as it rises, so this one works on the outside or the inside.

Default Sizes:

▶ Micro – 45mm height
▶ Small – 80mm height
▶ Medium – 115mm height
▶ Large – 150mm height
▶ Extra Large – 185mm height

Backing width will vary depending on size. Use the Custom Rib Designer for adjusting heights in 5mm increments from 30mm to 200mm.

What It Throws

▶ Beakers and tumblers – The shape it was drawn for
▶ Wine and cocktail cups – The flare gives the hand somewhere to sit
▶ Small vases – A wide rim suits a loose, open arrangement
▶ Dessert and egg cups – The same curve reads well scaled down
▶ Anything in a runny glaze – Glaze thins at the narrow foot and gathers toward the rim

The working edge is bevelled at 45° on both faces, the two chamfers meeting at a single point, so it meets the clay along one defined line rather than a broad flat — compressing as it trues, clearing slurry and throwing rings, and leaving a crisp surface behind it. Both bevels are identical, so there's no right or wrong face to it. Off the wheel it makes a quick gauge for checking a leather-hard pot before you trim, and it trues coil-built and slab-built walls just as happily.

Need a Different Shape?

If this isn't quite the shape you have in your head, you can draw your own in our Custom Rib Designer and we'll print exactly what you draw.

A Note on Wear

These are working tools, and working tools wear. Clay is abrasive (grogged bodies especially), so the working edge will slowly grind down with use. It's gradual, but it's worth keeping an eye on the tightest part of the profile: that's the first bit to soften, and it's usually the bit doing the work. Once it goes, that's the moment to replace the rib rather than fight it. Rinsing grit off after every session will buy you considerably longer. Replacing a preset shape takes seconds.

A Note on Performance

We make countless variations of preset rib, and we haven't put every one of them to the test across every clay body and every form. There are simply too many, and potters work in ways we haven't thought of yet. Expect a rib to take a few pots to get the feel of: how the wall ends up depends on how firmly you push, how wet the clay is and how fast the wheel is turning. Give yourself some practice before you judge it.

If you end up with one that genuinely doesn't work for you, get in touch. We'll refund it, or give you store credit towards a different rib — whichever you'd rather. That goes for every preset rib we make. The only ones we can't take back are the ribs you draw yourself in the Custom Rib Designer, since those are made to your own design.

A Note on Our Photos

The images in this listing are AI-generated rather than studio photographs. The rib itself is shown as a basic silhouette, an outline of the profile, not a picture of the finished tool. The pot alongside it is a visualisation of how a piece might look when thrown with that shape. The silhouette gives you the profile accurately at 115mm high, which is the height shown. If you choose a different height, the image won't change with it. Instead, look at the diagram on this page to see how your rib will actually look. The tool in your hand will also differ from the image in colour, surface finish and small details.

Main Features

☑️ 4mm thick – Enough body to stay rigid under pressure and sit solidly in the hand.
☑️ 45° double-bevelled edge – Both faces chamfered to meet at a single point, contacting the wall on one clean line rather than a broad flat.
☑️ Identical bevels – No right or wrong face; use whichever side falls to hand.
☑️ Doubles as a gauge – Hold it against a leather-hard pot to check the form before you trim.
☑️ Designed & made in the UK – Modelled and printed by us.