the pitch bowl sits on a ring made of rope, covered in cloth and waxed to provide more friction. You can put the whole lot on a pedestal and walk around it or just turn it in the ring... the friction between the heavy bowl and the waxed ring is more than enough to resist motion. Oh and we were doing chisel work without issue, turning the piece by hand when necessary. No need to reposition the piece until you want to work on the other side. No re tightening or worries about marring any piece of it.
Here is the recipie I got from my instructor... who got it from Ford Hallam...
http://followingtheironbrush.org/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=75 "1 Kg finely ground fire clay or Plaster of Paris
750 grams of Pine Rosin
50 ml of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of charcoal powder.
Gently melt the rosin in a metal container, do not allow to burn. When completely fluid, with the consistency of runny honey, start adding the filler material ( powdered clay etc ). As you add the powder gently stir it in.
Once it has been completely mixed add the oil and the charcoal powder. At this point resist the urge to stick your hands in the pitch, this may cause some discomfort.
If you are using a pitch bowl it's usual to fill it to within an inch of the top with lead, to give it extra weight and stability when working on it. Presuming the pitch bowl is prepared ( and cool ) fill the remaining space with the still very runny pitch. Once this has cooled enough to allow it to firm up you can begin to slowly add small amounts of now less runny pitch. You can use a cold hammer to help keep the pitch where you want it."
To get the metal item to stick to the pitch you need to heat it or allow it to warm up from the warm pitch. For some reason cold metal does not stick to hot pitch which is why you can move hot pitch around with a cold hammer.
