One of the first plates I made cracked because I didn't compress it enough. Compressing is the process of pressing out from the center of the plate and back in as you throw the plate, to eliminate any air pockets. If it's not compressed, the pressures caused during the drying process can destroy pots. Plates are highly susceptible to this problem. The thing is, when they crack, it's usually in an S-shape. I think these S-Shapes are pretty good looking. This plate broke in two with a nice S-shape. Then a section of the rim broke off while I was handling it post-bisque. So, with this plate I decided to Raku fire the component parts and mount them. After the Raku firing, the section you see on the bottom broke off when I put the hot plate in water to cool it. Here are the results.