Collar a cylinder into a bottle neck

Collaring is the technique of squeezing a cylinder inward to narrow it. It's how you make bottle necks, vases, and closed forms.

Steps

1. Throw a cylinder from 500 g (~12 cm tall, standard walls)
2. Wrap both hands around the upper third of the cylinder
3. Squeeze inward gently and evenly while the wheel spins at medium speed
4. The top should narrow to about 4 cm diameter

What to watch for

• The walls must stay centered as they narrow (no wobble!)
• Even thickness around the narrowed section
• No wrinkles or accordion folds (means you're compressing too fast)

If it wrinkles

You're squeezing too aggressively. Slow down. Multiple gentle passes beat one strong squeeze.