Ceramic arts handbook

Show more. Book review. Your rate. How useful is the contents of the book? Was this book worth the time you spent reading it? The cross section photos should be a helpful guide for beginners out there and those who teach them. After the clay mass is well centered and wheel-wedged, you are ready to begin forming a vessel.

With the wheel still running at high speed, lubricate the spinning lump, wrap your hands around either side for stability, and with the tip of one thumb create a dimple in the center of the top. When working with a small lump of clay, squeeze some water into that dimple, and simply continue pressing the thumb down into the lump, creating a narrow V-shaped opening in the center of the lump.

When working with a larger lump, after squeezing water into the dimple slowly press one finger of your left hand the second finger with the index finger twisted around behind it to back it up works very well down into the center of the lump, holding the finger at a slight angle, and keeping the fingertip right on the center axis as you press down, again producing a V-shaped hole. Keep your right hand wrapped around the right side of the lump for stability, and use the left side of your right thumb as a steady rest and guide, sliding the fingers of your right hand against it as they penetrate the lump.

The decision of how thick to leave the bottom of a pot depends on whether or not you plan to trim away any clay from the bottom.

Until you develop an accurate sensitivity to bottom thickness, it is worthwhile to check it at this point. Hold your needle tool in one hand with the index finger against the base of the needle. Poke the needle tip through the inside bottom of the "vessel" until it touches the wheelhead or bat surface, and slide your index fingertip down along the shaft of the needle tool until it touches the bottom of the "vessel" Lift finger and needle tool out together.

The distance between your fingertip and the end of the needle tool gauges the thickness of the bottom. You can use this system whenever you wish during the throwing process to measure the thickness of the bottom of a pot.

Slow the wheel down a bit for this operation. As your skill develops, you may wish to do the penetrating and claw widening steps in one continuous movement with the wheel at high speed. Squeeze water from your sponge over the spinning lump so that it flows down over the inside and outside walls. With your right hand wrapped around the right side of the lump for stability, place the second finger of your left hand into the hole in the lump, with the fingertip touching the bottom of the hole and with your index and ring fingers "backing up" the second finger, providing more strength and rigidity.

Keep the edge of your left index finger resting against the side of your right thumb for stability with right hand still wrapped around lump , and move your three left fingers together as described towards you in a claw motion, so that you widen the inside and bottom of the "vessel" without widening the opening at the top.

As you widen the bottom try to keep it as level as possible. If you end up with a raised bump or "pedestal" in the center of the bottom it is because you are pushing down as you widen the bottom.

If you end up with a concave cross section across the bottom it is because you are lifting up your fingers as you widen the bottom. Avoid both these circumstances, trying instead for a flat uniform bottom. Check out the full post! It is more energy efficient than traditional high-fire soda firing, has a faster turn-around time, and can yield exciting results that aren't possible at the higher temperatures.

While crazing is technically a glaze fault , it can also be a very beautiful effect and many potters seek to increase rather than reduce crazing.

Oribe Green. If a kick wheel is available, it is do this, and with practice you can surface of a coil pot is controlled by great to be able to rotate the form close the rim to a very small open- the potter from start to finish with- with your feet while both hands are ing, or even close it completely to out the influence of any mechani- busy adding coils and smearing them create an enclosed form.

Finish the rim however you wish. Coil vessels are constructed by an Some pinch-potters like to leave a Even the most uniform and sym- additive process of building up the thicker rim, whereas others like to metrical coiled pot expresses the walls with long ropelike coils of clay pinch the rim to a sharp edge.

Each to his or her own. Figure 2. If you are going to sand the pot when dry, wait until then to resolve the shape of the opening.

When the pot is completed, you of course have numerous options such as the application of tripod feet, a pedestal base, small hanging lugs, handles, or other appendages. If you wish to make spherical shapes, it is possible with a single lump, but you also may wish to pinch two hemispheres and join them when leather-hard.

Pinch construction is only practical for vessels up to four or five inches in diameter, so the addition of ornamental or func- tional elements can greatly increase the visual impact. Coil Construction Throughout history the prevalent handbuilding approach has always www.

Always start off the coil, bringing both hands back and press a single course of coils in with a good supply of well-wedged to the center, moving then outwards place, working it well to force out clay—keep your clay supply cov- again, and repeating the process until excess slurry. This is diameter of coil. Do not attempt to score and slurry further as long as critical, as the coils should be very roll coils with stiff clay.

Use soft clay, you proceed with adding coils. If tacky when joined. You must make and make sure the rolling surface you leave the form for a period of the choice of hand-rolled coils or, if is well dampened. If the coil starts time and the walls begin to stiffen at the equipment is available, extruded to go oval, purposefully restore it all, then you should score and slurry coils.

You can roll long, uniform to round before continuing with before adding the next coil. With a little practice, When adding each successive coil, the mechanical precision and shape you will be able to roll uniform drape the coil from one hand so that imposed by the extruder Fig. With your tomed form, select an appropriate an extruder. Make a flat slab of clay for the diameter, depending on how aggres- the thumb and upwards on the out- base—this need not be precisely sively you thin out the walls as you side with your fingers, as shown in rolled out—you can simply slap a join the coils.

For a larger coil pot, Fig. Rotate the vessel or move lump of clay between your hands the coils can be I to 1H or more around it and slowly lower the coil or pound it out on a flat surface to in diameter.

There are several con- onto the wall, smearing it in place as form a slab of an appropriate thick- siderations here.

Once you become you go. Some coilers prefer to apply ness for the intended form. It will greatly back after the lower portion of the ing process. Some tribal potters use help in this process if your coil pot pot is complete. This also ensures coils that are several inches thick, but is sitting on a banding wheel or that you always begin coiling the during the joining process the wall a kick-wheel.

Tribal potters often walls on top of the base, rather than is thinned to less than K. Also, once build their coil pots on the ground by laying the first coils next to it. If walls Fig. It is essential that you on the inside and down on the out- coils. For the best coils, roll them anticipate these things in determining side on the side closest to you.

With on a well-moistened porous or the size of coils to be used. Do not Fig. Score and slurry the desired ing this process. If you are smearing hands outwards towards the ends of attachment point on your base slab, aggressively, you will leave a rather www. Apply a coil and gently paddle in place. A and out over the stiffened edge. It is Native American cultures all feature bled immediately. With the stiff-slab a simple matter to stop periodically extraordinary design and technique method, the slabs are allowed to dry and smear the surface smooth with in coil construction.

Any time can simply apply the coils to the tion of pressure, the clay mass is a clay wall veers away from the verti- inner surface of the rim and smear compressed and the platelets are cal, gravity will make it tend to lean inwards on the outside of the vessel.

If you are contemplat- As a refinement of this, support the ing on the type and direction of ing a radical expansion or reduction inside of the rim with your fingers pressure applied. The clay retains a in diameter, you must either allow and smear inwards over the top sur- memory of the compression and the the clay to harden sufficiently as face of the rim with a rib, rotating currents, and it will shrink accord- you proceed, or you must provide a the form continuously.

As long as ingly during the drying and firing. In slab time, always cover the top coil with much as you want by this method. If construction, however, it must be damp paper towels to keep it moist the rim is not thick enough to allow taken seriously. When rolling slabs and wrap the whole pot in plastic. Both a board and and paddle the first coil in place to Of the primary ceramic form- a unidirectionally rolled slab have ensure a good joint see Fig.

The technique than across the width, but will shrink densation inside the plastic in your of constructing with clay slabs is more across the width than along studio environment, drape a cloth or suitable for a wide variety of forms the length. If you assemble a large sheets of newspaper over the form and is the ideal method for achiev- slab form from these slabs, with the before covering it with plastic. This ing flat-sided geometric and archi- grain structures intersecting at angles, diffuses any moisture, which evapo- tectural forms.

Historically, such the piece will likely pull itself apart rates and recondenses where the forms were generally built by the because of differential shrinkage in plastic touches the form.

This is the most form to collapse. There are several solu- tion are unlimited, so almost any twentieth century. The ancient and tribal tradi- slab construction. With soft-slab con- thicker than you want, turn the slab tions of East Asian, Middle Eastern, struction, the slabs are manipulated 90 degrees, reset for a thinner roller Mediterranean, African, Peruvian, while still soft to form curves and height, and roll the slab again. With www. In either from you, with the clay between the size, shape, and thickness you want.

However, with practice you sure the bottom of a pot. In all cases, memory able to make use of the full width Soft-slab construction is the pre- of improper rolling can ruin the of the rolling pin. In either case, be ferred method for a wide variety of finished product. It is eral times while rolling to equalize ideal for any form that may be cre- Rolling Out Slabs the compression.

The work calls for quantities of large canvas depending on the size you following is a range of very simple uniform slabs, you should consider want on a sturdy table, and start projects that will serve as a good this major investment.

If you do not rolling it, changing directions fre- introduction to soft-slab construc- have a commercial slabroller at your quently. As more. Cups or fast and just as uniform as with a over. Cut a roller tends to stretch slabs only in degrees, and roll some more. Roll strip of slab as wide as the desired the direction of travel.

In order to out from the center, and minimize height of the cup and as long as the avoid irregular shrinkage or serious pressure as you approach the outer desired circumference. Score and warping, these slabs should really edges, because it is very easy to get slurry the ends of the strip and join be aggressively hand-rolled on both the slab very thin at this point. Roll them together to form a cylinder. With practice, you will mark lightly around the bottom with bearing-mounted handles, you find that by rolling outwards from circumference.

Remove the cylin- can quickly roll out very large uni- the center and along the edges in der and score and slurry inside this form slabs. If you need absolutely specific directions, you will be able circle, then press the cylinder gently uniform thickness, make a series of to control the way the slab expands into place.

Cut away the excess base pairs of long wooden slats in gradu- and thus control the finished shape. With a set of slats Continue to flip the slab, turn it 90 tap the bottom slab around the www. Finish the cup however use if consistency and uniformity of insulating board have become very you wish. An alternate approach is size and shape are desired, because popular.

When these are set on a to use bisque stamps or a sheet of all the vessels made from one mold flat table surface, clay slabs may be textured material to create a pattern can be very similar in size and shape.

Similarly, making it into a cup. Cut See Figs. Wrap an appropriate be sure to use several layers of news- slab can usually be gently pressed width and length of dry newspaper paper strips beneath the slumped or into place. If you use a deep bowl around the can or other cylindrical draped clay to keep it from stick- as a mold you will have to apply the form. With slump molds slab in several pieces, scoring, slur- the layer of dry newspaper, as you made of plaster, bisque-fired clay, rying, and vigorously connecting will be unable to slide the form out plywood, or foam board, no news- the joints.

After the bowl stiffens up of the cylinder. Score and slurry paper layer is required. Open-center a bit, invert it on a board, remove the ends of the slab-strip, wrap it around the newspaper-covered can, and join the ends together.

While the clay strip is still wrapped around the can, if you wish you may press Figure 2. After you have joined the ends of the slab strip and added any addi- tional stamped decoration, hold the cylinder carefully cradled in one hand, push out the can, and remove the newspaper.

Proceed with adding the bottom as explained above. Slump-Molds In the current world of functional and decorative ceramics, slump- or drape-molded bowls and platters a.

This method simply involves slump- ing a soft slab inside or over a mold. There are a number of rib or modeling tool to smear together to add a raised foot-ring to the base if ways to make tiles. The simplest is to any wrinkles or gaps on the outside you wish. However, if you try to slump roll out uniform slabs with a slabroller surface.

Or, as a decorative option, a deep-dished form on the outside sur- or by using a large rolling pin with make sure to smear the inside connec- face of a rigid mold, you must remove a set of wooden slats as previously tions very well and leave the outside it while still very damp, as any drying described.

Let the slab stiffen to soft seams visible. If you Making Tiles straightedge, taking into consider- slump a very shallow platter or bowl There are some excellent books on ation drying and firing shrinkage. For small quantities of ing tiles, if your intention is to glaze tiles, a similar extrusion die on a stan- them, all your efforts will be wasted dard clay extruder works quite well. This is espe- order to produce perfectly flat tiles.

If the stack up to six layers of drywall and firing shrinkage of the glaze is less than tiles. Obviously, this method works the clay, the tile will become convex. When necessary, impressed decoration.