Dango - Rib

The Japanese title of this tool is “Dango”; in English is “Rib”. A rib is any object, for example a piece of bone, wood, bamboo, or metal used to change or smooth the inside or outside of a form, usually while it is being thrown (wheel pots) or formed (coiled pots).

Ribs are versatile and invaluable tools that perform a wide variety of tasks both on the wheel and off the wheel. In no particular order of importance, ribs can:

    - Aid in forming the basic shape of a pot, through pressure on the inner or outer
      surface, during or after throwing.
   - Smooth and bind together the separate coils of a coiled pot, and the thrown and
      coiled sections of a two-stage pot.
   - Support sections of a pot that may collapse during throwing, either through
      shortness of clay, thinness of walls, overworking, or from the extreme sharp of
      the pot, while final manipulations are made. 
   - Clean the bottom of the pot, much as a substitute for a knife.
   - Using the angles a rib to create lines, grooves, shoulders or ridges.

Following are close-ups of a 4" long x 1.5" wide x 0.25" thick rib. There are a lot more different usage. You just need to hold them and explore them.