sipping service · by robert balaban 41} instructors file making a clay ruler by paul andrew...

May/June 2010

Also in This Issue . . .Disassembled Decoration Shaking Up a New Form Thrown Extrusions

Sipping Service

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PotteryMaking Illustrated | May/June 2010 1

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2 PotteryMaking Illustrated | May/June 2010

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table of contents

departments6} In the Mix

Adjusting Glazes8} Tools of the Trade

Wheels: The What and Why Before You Buy

10} Supply RoomThrowing Ribsby Bill Jones

12} Tips from the ProsCustom Hardwood Ribsby Robert Balaban

41} Instructors File Making a Clay Rulerby Paul Andrew Wandless

44} Off the Shelf Ceramics for Beginners: Wheel Throwingby Sumi von Dassow

features17} Decorating Through Disassembly

by Jeff Campana

Campana’s divided and

reunited pots each have

a nuanced history.

23} Sipping Serviceby Mike Jabbur

Contrast and variety

can play as great a role

as unity when designing

a serving set.

29} Salt and Pepper Shakers

by Keith Phillips

Suspend your disbelief,

no stoppers required.

Phillips’ design spices up

these tabletop standards.

35} Half and Halfby David Hendley

Half thrown, half

extruded, completely

functional hybrid

solutions for two very

different vessels.

48} Pottery IllustratedThe Measure of All Things

Illustrated by

Robin Ouellette

On the CoverMike Jabbur’s liquor service, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, glazed porcelain and unglazed earthenware See story on page 23.


fired upDoodling

Who would have thought that, besides be-ing one of the funniest sounding words in the English language, it just so happens

that doodling can boost your memory? In a study by Jackie Andrade, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Plymouth in England, test subjects who doodled while listening to a long, boring phone conversation recalled 29% more of the call than those who did not doodle.

The next time you find yourself locked into a long meeting, lecture or community event and you’re having a hard time paying attention, just think, you can doodle the designs for your next pots or sculptures while remember-ing 29% more of what the meeting is about. After it’s done, you’ll also be inspired about your next creation.

This is our throwing issue, where we feature projects and ideas for the wheel. You’ll definitely be inspired because each article contains a great idea to work with. Jeff Campana creates pieces by cutting his pots apart then put-ting them back together again. Keith Phillips (remember the Pancaker, the Candy Dispenser, and the American Butter Dish?) returns with a stopperless salt and pepper shaker technique that leaves the design possibilities wide open; and David Hendley demonstrates how to throw extruded forms.

In our cover feature, Mike Jabbur showcases his thrown and altered por-celain pieces by handbuilding contrasting earthenware display structures for them—an idea that’s both brilliant and inspirational.

Now you’re set. You’ve got four great concepts to work with and scientific proof that doodling increases your capability to remember what someone is droning on about. You should be able to come out of that next meeting with some really great ideas to take to the studio . . . I know I will.

P.S. It just so happens that National Doodle Day (USA) is on May 13, 2010. This day was set up to raise awareness for a ge-netic nerve disorder called neurofibromatosis (NF), and the NF organization raises money by auctioning off doodles created by celebrities.

Bill JonesEditor

If you are in a boring meeting, the best thing you can do is try to make it more interesting, but if that’s not going to happen, your best bet is to doodle.

—Jackie Andrade

Volume 13 • Number 3

Publisher Charles SpahrEditorial

Editor Bill JonesAssistant Editor Holly Goring Assistant Editor Jessica Knapp Editorial Assistant Erin [email protected]: (614) 895-4213Fax: (614) 891-8960

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in the mixAdjusting Glazes

Since glazes have many qualities, there are many ways to adjust them. If you want to raise or lower the maturing point or change the look and feel of the

surface, you can make simple adjustments. Here are a few.

Maturing PointThe maturing point of a glaze is controlled by the kind of flux and the proportion of flux to silica and alumina. The proportion of silica to alumina remains fairly constant, varying between 6 to 1 and 10 to 1, while the proportion of flux to both silica and alumina changes drastically from low fire to high fire. High-temperature glazes contain a lower percentage of flux, so a small change in the flux makes a big difference. Low-temperature glazes contain a high percentage of flux, so they require larger changes in flux to significantly affect the glaze. The alkaline fluxes (lithium, sodium, potassium) are the most powerful fluxes at high temperature and will have the greatest effect on maturation point. The alkaline earth fluxes (magnesium, barium, calcium, and strontium) are less powerful, but give harder, more durable surfaces.

To raise the firing temperature of a glaze, there are several options. You can add silica and alumina (usually by adding clay), decrease the percentage of flux, or use a weaker flux. To lower the firing temperature of a glaze you can decrease silica and alumina (usually by decreas-ing clay), increase the percentage of flux, or use a stronger flux. Also, using a variety of different fluxes in a glaze will usually broaden the range of the glaze.

Glaze FitGlaze fit refers to the way the fired glaze adheres to the clay surface. The most desirable circumstance at low-

fire temperatures is for the glaze to be an exact fit—to conform to the size and shape of the clay vessel. Because there is no interlocking network of mullite crystals at low-fire temperatures creating a strong physical connec-tion between clay and glaze, it is only a simple sintered connection that holds the glaze in place, and if there is any appreciable difference in coefficient of expansion between clay and glaze, serious flaws may result.

In high-fire glazes the most desirable situation is for the glaze to be under slight compression. In other words, the clay body should shrink ever so slightly more than the glaze. The mullite network still connects the glaze to the clay, and this tension of compression results in a more resilient, durable object.

Although this is an oversimplification of all the condi-tions that affect glaze fit, in general, the glaze fit can be corrected by adjusting the ratio of silica to flux. Re-duce the silica and/or increase the flux for greater glaze shrinkage, and do the opposite for less glaze shrinkage. Very small alterations in the recipe can make a huge dif-ference, including increasing the possibility of glaze flaws such as crazing and shivering.

OpacityOpacity is controlled by either microscopic inclusions (bubbles or refractory particles) suspended in the glaze that obscure transparency, or by microcrystals on the surface that disrupt the clarity of the glass. All glazes are opaque when they are underfired, but you should never rely on an immature glaze to achieve opacity. The preferred form of opacity is caused by neutral particles suspended in the glaze. Tin oxide (5–7%) or a zircon

Top row, left to right: Glaze flaws; crazing, crawling, underfiring and pinholing, and shivering.Bottom row, left to right: Surface qualities; opacity, opalescence, mattness, and crystalline.


opacifier (8–12%) are the materi-als most commonly used to achieve glaze opacity. Tin and zircon are both extremely refractory and chemically inert in the firing and will opacify without otherwise affecting the glaze. The alkaline earths (calcium, barium, magnesium, and strontium) all encour-age opacity, primarily by creating a matt surface through recrystallization in cooling.

OpalescenceOpalescence is closely related to opacity, but this effect is usually cre-ated by reflective globules of material suspended in the glaze, as from bone ash (phosphorous) seen in traditional Chun glazes.

MattnessMattness, or the lack of surface shine, can result from under firing, but again, one should never rely on an immature glaze for a matt surface, especially in functional wares. The addition of alumina or kaolin would raise the maturing temperature and thus matt the glaze, but the surface would be both less durable and less imperme-able. Mattness is normally achieved by introducing matting agents that promote recrystallization on the glaze surface during initial cooling. This microcrystalline surface disrupts the reflection of light, but has no negative effect on durability and impermeabil-ity of the surface. At low-fire tempera-tures the best matting agents are talc and lithium. High-fire glazes may be matted with varying percentages of any of the alkaline earths—calcium, magnesium, barium, and strontium, or by sufficient amounts of titanium. Magnesium and calcium are especially useful for those illusive glazes known as transparent matts.

Crystal GrowthCrystal growth in the surface of a maturing glaze produces widely varying effects other than mattness. There is a wide range of crystal sizes possible. At one end of the spectrum are microcrystalline effects, where the individual crystals are invisible to the naked eye, as in most matt glazes. At the other end are macrocrystal-line effects on what are usually just called crystalline glazes, which feature

large visible crystal blooms up to four or five inches across. The primary materials that help seed this kind of crystal growth are zinc, titanium, and lithium. Lithium is the only material that appreciably seeds crystal growth even at low temperatures. As men-tioned earlier, at higher temperatures, thermo-chemical activity is greatly accelerated, with more opportunities for migrating molecules in the melt to join up into the crystalline structure. A high temperature soak will encourage desirable crystal growth, but if there is excess free silica in the clay or glaze,

David Snyder began repairing kilns atage 15 in his parents’ ceramic shop. Helives in Charlotte, North Carolina and ser-vices kilns in an eight-state area.

“Paragon is by far the most solid-built,virtually repair-free kiln made,” said David.“I can honestly say it’s the best kiln made inNorth America.

“Over the years Paragon has led the in-dustry in innovation,” David said. “I’ve al-ways found that everything Paragon didwas followed by other kiln companies twoor three years later.

“As a professional repair person, I pre-fer selling a top quality kiln and then neverhaving to worry about a warranty issuerather than selling a kiln of lesser qualityand having to worry that I will have to makea trip for warranty service repair.

“I like the balance of firing in a Paragonkiln, and quality of construction,” he said.“Their control boxes are heavy duty. Thefall away easy access switch box is reallynice. One thing I love about Paragon is theclear wiring diagrams for every kiln theymake. Elements are pre-stretched withpre-bent corners, so there’s no worry aboutthe element fitting or not. New elementconnectors come with every element.

David Snyder of All Fired Up said, “Everything Paragon does is normally agrade above what is the standard for the industry.”

2011 South Town East Blvd.,Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557Toll Free Fax [email protected]

“Paragon is by far the most solid-builtkiln made” —David Snyder

“The switch boxes are made of thicksteel. They don't use cheap wire mesh ontheir switch boxes. The wire mesh isspot-welded and fails after a few years.Stands are heavy duty. The galvanized steelbase plate is a great feature especially forsetting up a new kiln when you have to shiftthe kiln on the stand. For kilns without asteel base plate, you have to lift the kilncompletely off the stand to adjust the kilneven a quarter of an inch. Otherwise thestand will dig into the bare brick bottom.

“Another factor is element design. Oneproduction potter I know does literally dayin, day out cone 6 firings in his Paragon Vi-king-28. He had his kiln for right at threeyears before needing new elements. The el-ement replacement in that kiln could nothave been simpler.”

Call or email for a colorful free catalogor to find a dealer near you.

soaking can also encourage the growth of cristobalite or crystalline silica, decreasing durability and thermal shock resistance in the wares. Cristo-balite forms primarily above 2250°F (1232°C), so to minimize this destruc-tive crystal, keep free silica in the clay and glaze to a minimum, and/or avoid very long soaks or slow firings in the upper range of any high firing. n

Sources: Clay: A Studio Handbook by Vince Pitelka and The Ceramic Spectrum by Robin Hopper, both published by The American Ceramic Society.

http://www.paragonweb.com



•Therearemanytypesofmotorsavailableforpotter’swheelsandtheyareei-

thersetupforstandardhouseholdalternatingcurrent(AC)orasdirectcurrent

(DC).WhileACmodelsarerelativelyinexpensive,themotorspeedisdifficultto

controlbecausetheyhavenopermanentmagnets.Althoughitisn’tpossibleto

successfullyvarythespeedofanACmotorelectronically,amechanicalspeed

control,suchasaring-coneorcone-and-disk,canbeusedtovarytheconstant

speed(1725rpm)ofthistypeofmotor.

•ThehorsepoweronDCelectricmotorscanberatedas“peak”or“continuous

duty.”Lessexpensivepeak-ratedmotorsprovidehorsepoweronlyforshort

intervals–notaproblemfortheoccasionalthrower.Continuous-dutymotors,

ontheotherhand,whiletypicallymoreexpensive,canrunfullyloaded24

hoursadaywithoutoverheating.Temperatureisthebiggestcauseofservice

problemsandmotorfailure.Excessiverunningtemperatureseverelydegrades

anelectricmotor.Becauseinsulatedwireisusedtocreatetheelectricalmag-

neticfieldsthatcausetheshafttospin,moreheatbuildsupinthesewindings

atslowspeeds,andtheinsulationweakensovertime.Oncetheinsulation

degrades,windingfaultsoccurandthemotoriscompromised.Further,as

tools of the tradeWheels: The What and Why Before You Buy

sturdier professional models. Additionally, if you plan on centering large amounts of clay, then you’ll need to look at wheels with at least ½ hp (horsepower) motors.

In addition to level of use and capacity, you may also want to consider how much space you have, whether you need a portable wheel, if you just need a “starter” wheel, and, of course, what you can afford.

Assess the WheelsSteven Branfman, in his book The Potter’s Professional Handbook, describes the features you need to consider when looking at wheels.

Power: A wheel’s power in practical terms is a func- l

tion of hp and torque. What you really want to know is whether you can apply the necessary force to the largest amount of clay you will work with and not have the wheel slow down or stop.Speed: Speed is related to power but is really a differ- l

ent performance issue. Your style of working dictates the speed or RPMs (revolutions per minute) of the wheel head you require.

When it comes to buying a wheel there’s no shortage of choices. Ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to nearly $2000, pot-

ters wheels are separated by degrees of capacity, con-struction, and accessories. While there’s nothing wrong with purchasing the wheel you used as a student, or happen to be using in a community studio, you may be missing out on an opportunity to find the ideal wheel for your needs. If you’ve limited yourself to one or two wheels, you may not know if a different brand or model would be even better, or whether those models are still in production. To find out which wheel is best for you, you must assess your needs and understand what wheels can offer.

Assess Your NeedsThe two most important things to consider when purchasing a wheel are how often you’ll use it and how much clay you realistically expect to throw at one time. If you plan on using the wheel a lot, such as in a production situation, then you’ll want to look at

motorsoverheat,thebrusheswearquickerandthiswearsoutthecommutator.

Thelargerthemotor,thegreaterthenumberofwindingsandthebetterthe

insulationbetweenthem.Larger-sizedbrushesalsoruncooler,whichallowsfor

increasedheatdissipationandcooleroperatingmotorsandhencelongermotor

life.Further,high-qualitycontinuous-ratedmotorshaveabuilt-incoolingfanon

theendoftheshafttofurtherextendthelifeofthemotor.

•Electronic speed controlsusedirectcurrent(DC)motors,andamotor

controllerchangesthehouseholdACtoDC.Onpotterswheels,theytypically

operateat90volts.Whencoupledwithafootpedalusingalinearpotentiom-

eter,thecontrollerallowsarangeofspeedswithpropertorque.

Motor controllersaresolid-stateelectronicdevicesprotectedbyafuseor

smallpushbuttonre-settablecircuitbreaker.

Therearetwotypesofelectronicmotorspeedcontrollers—SCR(siliconcon-

trolledrectification)andPWM(pulsewavemodulation).Whiletherearesubtle

differencesbetweenthesetypes,theyperformthesamefunctionsandare

ruggedlyconstructedtoprovidemanyyearsoftrouble-freeservice.

Horsepower, Motors, and Electronic Controllers


Control Sensitivity: Your sensitivity to extremely slow l

speeds and the degree of gradual increase as you ap-ply it will dictate any concerns you have in this area.

Smoothness and Vibration: Again, personal style and l

expectations will make this more or less of an issue.

Weight: If you use 30 or more pounds of clay, the l

weight and stability of the wheel could be an issue. You don’t want the wheel crawling along the floor as you apply pressure to the clay.

Wheel Head Diameter: Although you can use bats of l

almost any size, the diameter of the wheel head may be a concern. The smallest head is 12 inches, with heads going as large as 16 inches.

Miscellaneous Features: Splash l

pan, integrated seat, attached worktable, adjustable height, choice of rotation (reversing switch), construction materials and finishes, are all options you need to be aware of and assess as to their importance.

AccessoriesFor potters prone to back problems, standing at the wheel to throw may be the answer. Most wheels can be purchased with optional leg ex-tenders. Durable, stable, and easily adjustable leg extensions allow you to throw standing up, perhaps, the best thing many potters can do for their health.

RecommendationsIf there is a pottery supplier nearby with a selection of equipment, they‘re your best bet for answer-ing your questions and trying out wheels. If there’s not a nearby supplier, visit local potters, schools, and studios to see the equipment they have. Ask questions about the operation, maintenance, and repair records of the equipment that interests you. Ask to try the wheel and be sure to bring your own clay! Why? It’s both courteous to the studio and sensible to test the wheel under as close to realistic conditions as possible.

The Internet makes it possible to shop around and find bargins on some wheels. Your local supplier

not only service the wheels they sell, but they may also match an online price or order a particular model if they don’t have it in stock. Remember also that if you purchase a wheel that requires shipping, make sure you nail down all the costs for getting the wheel to its final destination.

A new potter’s wheel that fits your needs is a long-term investment you’ll certainly enjoy for many years to come. n

This article was excerpted from Steven Branfman’s The Potter’s Professional Handbook and from Jonathan Kaplan’s “As the Wheel Turns” reprinted from Pottery Making Illustrated.

http://www.spectrumglazes.com/


supply roomThrowing Ribsby Bill Jones

Even though our fingers serve as our primary throwing tools, there are times when a throw-ing rib does a better job. Ribs are a potter’s best

friend when it comes to defining profiles, wringing out water or adding decorative touches. In the beginning, actual animal ribs were used for this purpose—and hence the name—but now contemporary ribs are com-monly made from wood, metal, and plastic.

UsesThere are many functions that ribs perform, which is one of the reasons they’re so important. The most common uses for ribs are for manipulating profiles and removing throwing marks while compressing the clay and removing excess water. When throwing por-celain, it’s often best to use a rib on one side of a pot and a sponge on the other, or even to throw with two ribs. The rib provides support, especially when making large voluminous forms.

Because of the variety of shapes available, you can find a rib to suit any profile you wish to make. Using a rib for the inside profile of a bowl can assure a continu-ous line from the bottom through to the rim. And using the same profile repeatedly helps in making multiples for sets. Specialized ribs with notched profiles can also be used on the exteriors of pots to add a decorative touch or even shape and refine the foot and rim.

When throwing large forms, too much water in the clay is a problem once you have the preliminary shape completed. How many times have you tried to get that final shape only to have the form collapse? To prevent this, remove all the slurry water using a sharp-edged metal rib to ‘wring’ the excess water out. This in-creases your chances of success and prevents distorting or collapsing the form. It also provides a way to get sweeping curves on bowls and platters.

TipsGetting the most out of using a rib is simple. While you can generally get by without using a rib for small bowls, medium to larger bowls really benefit from this tool. The best way to use the rib is to have the wheel rotating at medium to low speed (the bigger the piece, the lower the speed), work the rib up from the bottom

Bamboo Toolswww.bambootools.comBamboo tools have been used in Asia for centuries. Durable, flexible, and lightweight, bamboo can be shaped with a sharp knife and will hold an edge that stands up to heavy use. Bamboo Tools offers a vari-ety of curved, straight and profile ribs.

Chinese Clay Art USAwww.chineseclayart.comChinese Clay Art produces a set of five wooden ribs with different profiles and a set of three different siz-es of rubber ribs. For the budget conscious or those looking to provide supplies in a classroom setting, these provide a perfect solution.

Kemper Tools www.kempertools.comKemper makes eight wooden rib profiles that include the basic shapes required for opening, shaping, curv-ing, smoothing, and trimming. Their flexible metal ribs are made for scraping, and a collection of rigid metal ribs can also be used as squeegees to remove excess water from pottery shapes.

MKM Pottery Toolswww.mkmpotterytools.comMKM makes a variety of ribs out of wood, steel, and coconut. In both the wood and steel series, there are 22 different profiles of varying sizes, each with a specific purpose or combination of uses. Their coco-nut shell ribs vary in size, shape, and thickness but are durable and comfortable to hold.

Mudtoolswww.mudtools.comDeveloped by Michael Sherrill, Mudtools are made from a silicone plastic material in six shapes and in four different hardnesses from very soft to very firm. The softest ribs can be used even on rims like a chamois and the firmest are nearly as firm as wood. Mudtools also produces six stainless steel ribs in an assortment of profiles.

Suppliers

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of the bowl, curving the clay outward a little with each pass from the bot-tom to the top. With your right hand, always follow the position of the rib with gentle sponge or finger pressure on the outside of the bowl, support-ing the clay. Continue with successive passes until the bowl takes the shape you want.

Remember, when using a rib to shape a form, always hold it at an angle to the surface so it slides smooth-ly over the clay rather than scraping or cutting into it. After trimming, you can use ribs to eliminate trim tool marks, but you’ll need to be careful to hold the rib at an angle to prevent chatter-ing and grog trails.

Metal ribs, while suitable for throw-ing, are commonly used in handbuild-ing for their ability to scrape clay and compress seams.

Getting SpecificAfter the first few weeks in pottery, you’ll want to look at having more ribs on hand than what came in the basic pottery tool kit you started with. If cost is a factor, you can find reason-ably priced wood, rubber, and metal ribs that can serve your needs.

As you advance, you’ll find that specialty ribs for bowl interiors (from small to large and wide to steep), for making large or flanged plates and platters, defining corners, creating decorative profiles, and those designed to remove slip or trimming tool marks will make your work easier and ex-pand your repertoire of forms.

A mixture of rigid and flexible ribs as well an assortment of metal, wood, and plastic ribs can also accom-modate most any situation in both throwing and handbuilding. Luck-ily, even the most expensive ribs are affordable and will last a lifetime (or until lost or borrowed). n

10-year warrantyContact us for the name of the

AMACO/Brent distributor nearest you.800.374.1600 amaco.com

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tips from the prosCustom Hardwood Ribs by Robert Balaban

I’ve always looked for ways to improve the quality of my art by fashioning customized hand tools to facilitate the shaping my vessels. In these efforts,

I’ve developed a simple system of constructing hard-wood ribs for a variety of throwing purposes. This permits creativity to extend from the clay to the tools. Many studio visitors and students have enjoyed using or creating these tools and often leave the shop with a couple of customized ribs that make a lasting impres-sion on their craft. Custom hardwood ribs are easy to create, and can be constructed in under one hour using skills that any potter can master.

Choosing the Best WoodI’ve experimented with several types of wood, from the most exotic (mpingo, purple heart, bocote, and cocobolo), to mahogany and cherry, coming my way from a woodworker’s scrap pile or from my own backyard. Maple, osage orange, black locust, and even mountain laurel also work well. Red or white oak and poplar are hard to use because they swell when wet and typically have large growth rings that make a consistent edge difficult to achieve. Usually any dense hardwood with resistance to water damage is appro-priate. The best, cheapest, and locally available wood (not from the fragile rain forest) is American black cherry. The 5/16-inch thick stock is a good starting ma-terial. Slightly thicker or thinner material can be used depending on taste or task. If you buy wood, a couple of dollars of 5/16-inch wood can generate 10 to 20 ribs.

Generating & Transferring DesignsCreating different ribs for novel shapes or tasks can be done using paper, pencil, and a French curve or other guide or pattern to help generate that perfect curve or angle. You can also use computer drawing programs, draw free hand or simply copy more familiar rib designs and modify them to your needs or hands. I use a versatile French curve-style rib for working on the inside of vases and other forms. The first step in mak-ing this type of rib is to trace the template onto paper and secure it to the piece of wood.

Making the RibThe next step is to cut the wood, using a hand coping saw, scroll saw or band saw (figure 1) and leaving the traced line on the rib to permit fine tuning later. Caution: When working with power tools, read and follow all manufacturer safety materials before use. Dust from some woods can be toxic or contain al-lergens, therefore always work in a clean ventilated area with a respirator or dust mask for the cutting and sanding stages.

With the completed rough cut shape, the next steps are to finish the outline, taper the edge that will guide the clay, and generate a true sharp edge to create a smooth finish on the clay. The best tool to quickly accomplish all of these tasks is an oscillating spindle sander. It’s a rotating cylinder of sandpaper that moves up and down with interchangeable spindles of different diameters that can be used to refine the vari-ous curves of your rib (figure 2). Alternatively, differ-ent size dowels with sandpaper wrapped around them also work, they’re just slower.

Next, true the shape of the rib blank by sanding the rough edges using an 80-grit sandpaper. If you make a rib with an arc that’s smaller than the smallest spindle available, or have a square or triangle in the rib, these will need to be hand filed. For the French curve rib, make a groove using a 5/8-inch spindle to fit your index finger at the small end (see figure 2) and to allow for leverage on the clay when pushing the larger belly end to the inside of a pot. This customizes the rib to your throwing style as well as your specific grip.

Now create a tapered edge to guide the clay using the largest diameter spindle or a sanding block. This is done by approaching the spindle at an angle with the rib blank and then sanding it down to a 45° angle. Taper all outside edges of the French curve to accom-modate all your throwing needs. The small circle on the end of the rib is also a very useful part, taper all edges here as well. Finish the taper on the larger struc-tures, then make more severe tapers around any sharp features to help guide the clay through tight areas.


Custom Hardwood Ribs

Smooth each hole then tilt the rib to mimic the marks made by your fingers.

Trim and attach the paper using double-sided tape. Cut out the rib leaving the tracing in place.

Fine tune the finger groove at the small end and custom-ize the overall shape using a spindle sander.

Sandpaper used alone, on a sanding block, or wrapped around a dowel for tight curves also works well.

Taper the edge of the rib by angling the piece as it is brought to the sander and move with long strokes.

Drill 5/8-inch finger holes where your fingers natu-rally grasp.

1 2

3 4

5 6The finished rib with customized curves and finger holes.


Then round the all of the remaining edges for a better feel (figures 3 and 4).

To customize the rib even further, add finger holes to improve grip and leverage. Hold the rib as you would while throwing and mark the area around your fingers. (Clamp the rib flat to a backing board to drill the finger holes). The back up board ensures that the drill bit will not split out the back side of the rib (fig-ure 5). Mark an outline of your finger’s grasp with a pencil then taper the hole for a customized fit. Return to the spindle sander and insert the ½-inch sanding spindle into the hole. Sand the inside of the hole and then angle the rib while it is on the spindle to generate

an oblong tapered hole that matches the angle of your fingers (figure 6).

Finally, sand the rib by hand using 200 then 400 grit sandpaper—only a couple of minutes with each grit is necessary. A good trick is to then wet the wood and dry it. This causes any wood grain that might rise with water to do so and then you can sand this off for a very smooth and resilient surface.

Finishing WorkThe finish you use can vary. Using bare, untreated ribs is fine if they are made with a strongly water resistant wood like teak. Alternately, different oils and several different waterproof varnishes can be used to seal the surface. I have found that the oil-based Minwax Clear Shield finish or marine varnish is very strong and the clay slips nicely along this surface. Follow the oil manufacturer’s directions on application and ap-propriate drying times. Finishes will still wear off and need to be reapplied.

Using these techniques, you can make a rib, try it out on the wheel the same day, make adjustments, finish/dry it overnight, and have it ready for the next day. n

Robert Balaban is a functional potter and teaches classes in his studio. He not only creates ribs from dead trees found in the woods, but he also specializes in creating safe glazes from the natural products in his gold producing backyard in Maryland.

“Custom hardwood ribs

are easy to create; they can

be constructed in under

one hour using skills that

any potter can master.”

R E G I S T E R T O D AY

P O R C E L A I N I I

www.potterscouncil.orgwww.ceramicartsdaily.org/education

• Decoration techniques from stamp-making and stamping to slip-trailing and resists • Altering and darting wheel-thrown forms • How to create pots that have a generous sense of volume and fluidity of line, with wheel-thrown and altered porcelain • Altering pots on and off the wheel • Slip inlay surface treatment • The step-by-step instruction–from throwing to decorating–of making a porcelain water-ing can • Discover the technique of dry-throwing porcelain • Hand carving forms in the leather-hard stage • Discuss the concept of

strength vs plasticity in the porcelain as it moves through the working stages • And so much more…

Potters Council Regional ConferenceSan Diego, California | October 22–24, 2010

Featured Artists: Erin Furimsky, Kristen Kieffer, Jennifer McCurdy and Lorna Meaden

Erin Furimsky Kristen Kieffer Lorna Meaden

Space is limited800.424.8698

Host: Clay Artists of San Diego www.clayartistsofsandiego.com

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LOW-FIRING & BURNISHINGBY SUmI vON DaSSOWThis book covers techniques of firing and finishing at low temperature eliminating the need for costly kilns or lengthy waits between making and finishing your work. Low-firing and Burnishing provides step-by-step practical information focusing on various approaches to low firing and methods of natural finishes.

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People tell me all the time that I’m crazy for making these pots. The time, effort, and staggering loss rate involved with my work make it per-

haps a risky business idea, but I think it’s a worthy artis-tic endeavor nonethe-less. The idea rattled around in my head for years before I actually found the courage to make it a reality. I’ve found that the things that seem almost im-possible to make can provide the most richly rewarding ex-perience to the mak-er and viewer alike.

Decorating through a process of dis-secting and imme-diately reassembling my pots, I make con-nections between struc-ture, process, surface, and form. More than simple incising, my decoration con-sists of lines and the architec-tonic plates between them. Small wanderings in the alignment subtly point out the complexity of process, while the continu-ity of throwing lines and trim marks allow us to see these

vessels with the comfortable familiarity of the simple thrown pot. I share this process in hopes that it inspires others to try their own seemingly insane ideas and find that

in fact they are possible, and worth pursuing.

Prep WorkThe process starts

with a leather-hard, thrown and trimmed bottomless form made from cone 6 porce-lain. The form is ready to be worked on when the clay is firm to the touch, i.e. pressure from my fingertip doesn’t leave a mark, but my fingernail will easily leave one. At

this stage, the clay is rigid but not brittle.

This is important be-cause I don’t want the

clay to lose its shape in the process, and as accuracy

and clean lines are important, the clay can’t be so hard that a

knife crumbles the edges as it cuts through the form.

I mark the pot with some dots to guide my cutting (fig-ure 1). I use an MKM Deco-

by Jeff Campana

More than meets the eye—the lines on Jeff Campana’s pots go beyond

just scratching the surface.

Decorating ThroughDisassembly


rating Disc for the radial divisions, and a compass without its pencil to measure height. Alternating high and low marks, eight in total, result in a finished form that looks like it has four sections or is divided into quadrants.

Disassembly RequiredI flip the pot upside down on the Decorating Disc to begin cutting. Using a box cutter, I carefully cut an arching pattern, connecting the dots (figure 2). I do this freehand, and it did take some practice to get this right although I don’t always hit the dots exactly. Once this is done, the top portion is set aside and work begins on the bottom (figure 3).

Two vertical cuts on opposite sides divide the bottom part in half (figure 4). I gently sponge the sharp edges to soften them. Using a finely serrated rib, I score the edges, then brush a special joining slip (see page 20 for recipe) into the grooves and sponge off any excess. I quickly press the two halves back together, mak-ing sure there is a continuous con-nection along both seams (figure 5). The bottom portion is set aside to allow the slip to set up and I switch back to focusing on the upper half.

Using the Decorating Disc once again, and working with the piece

Make reference marks using a Deco-rating Disc and a compass.

Connect the dots with curved cuts made using a box cutter.

Separate the bottom of the pot from the top after making the cuts.

Cutting the bottom in half at the low-est point of the arches.

Coat the walls with joining slip and reassemble the parts.

Place the top on the disc upside down, make four vertical cuts.

“For me personally,

the things that seem

almost impossible to

make can provide the

most richly rewarding

experience to the mak-

er and viewer alike.” 1 2

3 4

5 6


upside down, I make four vertical cuts, one at the top of each arch (figure 6). For a more dynamic lip line, I carve some of the clay from the middle of the rim on each part and carefully sponge it until no line is visible (figure 7). Each piece is put back in its place so that parts don’t get jumbled. Once all four parts of the top section are prepped for assembly, I set them aside and move on to finishing the bottom (figure 8).

Two cuts are made on the bottom section, just like before but on the oth-er corners (at a 90° angle from the first cuts), then the edges and topsides are sponged and scored.

For each pot, there is a separately thrown and trimmed clay disc that floats freely in a groove trimmed into the inside wall of the foot ring (the groove is visible in figures 4 and 5). I do this because it results in a very unique, interesting termination for the lines carved into the pot. In the final assem-bly of the bottom portion, I carefully select the best fitting disc from a stock-pile of various sizes I have on hand, kept in the perfect leather hard state in a damp box (figure 9). If one does not fit, I narrow the diameter of a disc by spinning it in my hand and going over the edge with a damp sponge.

I insert the disc into the groove and check that it fits snugly and that

Carve down the lip in the middle to create a curve.

All four parts of the top, with rims fac-ing the middle, are ready to be joined.

A stockpile of various bottom discs with differing diameters.

Insert the disc into the trimmed groove to check the fit.

An exterior view after assembling the bottom two halves.

Here, top sections are placed one at a time. The rim’s curve is visible.

“Decorating through

a process of dissect-

ing and immediately

reassembling my pots,

I make connections

between structure,

process, surface,

and form.”

7 8

9 10

11 12


the two halves can go back together nicely with the disc in place (figure 10). Joining slip is applied to the two seams and the excess is sponged off, being careful to keep slip out of the groove. After everything is carefully lined up, I squeeze the seam together, again checking that the seam is well joined (figure 11).

Now it’s time to begin attaching the top segments one by one. I score and slip each side and carefully at-tach (figure 12). The placement is crucial. If the part is placed too far out in relation to the bottom wall, the pieces will not meet up when I get to the last connection. The angle needs to be perfect as well so that the seams connect from the top to the bottom. Before slipping the piece together, I dry fit the parts, getting a feel for their exact position.

The lid is thrown at the same time as the body of the pot, allowed to reach leather hard, and assembled the same way as the body, but in this case, the disc that fits into the center opening on the lid has a knob thrown onto it. I cut the lid in half one way (figure 13), clean it up,

I bisect a prepared lid form. The cen-ter opening has a trimmed groove for a knob/disc combination.

I rejoin the two sections, bisect it in the other direction and insert the disc end of the knob into the groove.

Campana Mid-range PorcelainCone 6-7

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Joining Slip for any Clay BodyI make joining slip by deflocculating my clay throw-ing scraps . Deflocculation is basically changing the ionic pull of the water . This causes the particles to repel each other, allowing a liquid consistency with much less water than it would otherwise take .

Deflocculating the slip has a number of advantages:

• It reduces the shrinkage of the slip, which reduces the chance of cracks in the drying .

• It gives the slip a flowing quality that helps it fill the tiny score marks completely .

• It makes the slip very tacky, so parts joined together have an immediate bond .

I take the big chunks from my splash pan right after throwing . Basically, it should be a little bit wetter than plastic clay . Add a few drops of Darvan #7 to a pint of it . Blend the mixture with a hand-held mixer until smooth . You should notice that it immediately loosens the mixture to a runny liquid . It should be the consistency of honey . If it is too thin or runny, add some more clay . If it is too thick, add a few drops of water . A batch of this should last months .

score it, and reassemble it. While the slip sets up, I move to the other lid. I learned early on that it’s always a good idea to make at least two lids for every pot, just in case something happens to one of the lids in the dry-ing and firing. If both turn out, I can pick the one with the best fit, or the one that looks the best.

Returning to the first lid, I cut it in half at a 90° angle to the first cut, clean it up, and test fit the knobs (fig-ure 14). I keep a stockpile of knobs on hand just like I do with the discs. I slip the two parts and attach them firmly. After finishing the second lid, the drying process begins.

When working with porcelain that’s been assembled from various parts, careful drying is essential to the survival of the piece. I keep the jar and its lids loosely covered, dry-ing to bone dry over the course of at least five days. n

Jeff Campana received his MFA from Indiana University in Bloomington, In-diana, and is currently a visiting artist at the University of Louisville, in Louisville, Kentucky. To see more of his work visit www.jeffcampana.com.

“I share this process

now in hopes that it

can inspire others to try

their own seemingly in-

sane ideas and find that

in fact they are possible,

and worth pursuing.”13 14

http://www.jeffcampana.com


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Ceramic Jewelryby Joy Bosworth

Although ceramic beads have been

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by Mike Jabbur

Sipping ServiceM

aking a set is always a complicated, chal-lenging task. You must consider the re-lationships among various elements of a single pot, relationships between pots, the

finished presentation, and the processes and materials that best convey the idea of the set. I enjoy this task; it allows me to orchestrate function and consider my pots in a sculptural sense. While every pot has a sculptural presence, working with multiple components challenges me in a unique way that often leads to less obvious compositional solutions.

Throwing the PourerWhen centering clay on the wheel, I always cone the clay to allow for even water distribution and a more centered ball of clay—centering throughout the entire ball of clay, rather than just centering the outside of the clay. Pots that will have a trimmed foot are always opened with a bowl-shaped bottom, creating an inverted arch that pro-vides support for the finished piece during the firing pro-cess. After opening the clay, push the thick wall and rim into a cone shape, preemptively countering the centrifu-

gal force that occurs when throwing on the wheel. With each pull, raise the clay, straightening the walls. Because I stretch my forms from the inside, I prefer making the basic shape (prior to altering) more of a cooling tower form rather than a straight-walled cylinder.

After pulling the cylinder, rib the wall, first with a wood-en rib, then with two different ribs. I do one pass with a rubber rib on the inside and a flexible steel rib on the out-side, and then one or two more passes with one rubber rib on the inside and one on the outside. This process allows me to compress any throwing rings and to create a tight, skin-like surface on the outside of the form, a surface that I find ideal for dramatic stretching.

Once you have a smooth surface, create a band at the bot-tom of the form, then use a soft rib to make a severe spiral that will gradually become subtler through the stretching process (figure 1). I find that throwing lines and rib marks on the same piece often compete with one another, and I generally prefer one or the other (and in the case of my work, I prefer the mark of the rib). As you stretch from the inside, follow the pattern of the rib mark while remaining

Liquor Service, 12 in. (30 cm) in length, porcelain and earthenware, porcelain bisque fired to cone 06 and glaze fired to cone 9/10 in reduction, earthenware single fired to cone 04.

Phot

os c

opyr

ight

Pen

ina

Mei

sels


Potters must consider the relation-ships among the various elements of a single pot, relation-ships from pot to pot, the finished presenta-tion, and the processes and materi-als that will best convey the idea of the set.

pouring

ves

sel

pro

cess

Compress and smooth the cylinder then make a spiral on the bottom half.

Stretch the form from the inside until it is near the point of collapse.

Cut the rim with an up-and-down mo-tion using a cheese slicer.

Small trimming tools help create crisp, clean lines and transitions.

Score the inside of the pot, attach a coil of clay to create a flange.

Stretch a slab top into a shallow bowl shape and add it to the flange.

1 2

3 4

5 6


Attach one end of the handle to the top, pull and attach the other end.

Stretch the back of the spout using a blunt tool.

Cut the spout from the hump at an angle with a wire tool.

Score the clay and carefully attach the spout to the pourer.

Score the knob and the inside bottom of the stopper then attach.

Add a small lug to the back of the stopper to lock it in place during use.

Notch the back of the hole to accom-modate the lug.

Apply two slip dots to visually key the pourer and stopper together.

7 8

10 11

13 14

9

12

While every pot has a

sculptural presence,

working with multiple

components challenges

me in a unique way

that often leads to

less obvious composi-

tional solutions.


aware of the overall composition and gesture of the form (figure 2). For this pourer, cut the rim with a cheese slicer to create a dramatic, meandering line (figure 3), then soften and round the cut with a sponge and chamois.

Trimming and AssemblingTrim the pot once it’s leather hard (figure 4). I trim nearly every pot I make on a bisque-fired chuck with a leather-hard coil of clay on the top rim. After centering and se-curing the chuck and pot, apply downward pressure while trimming to keep the pot sealed to the chuck. Because I always leave a section of the pot unglazed, I create clean lines when trimming, which gives me crisp edges to follow when waxing and glazing.

After articulating the foot ring and matching the curve of the inside of the foot ring to the outside wall to assure even wall thickness, I cut three pieces from the foot to echo the gesture and movement of the rest of the pot. The three cuts create a tripod of sorts, providing movement at the bottom of the pot while maintaining stability. Flatten the foot slightly with the edge of a fettling knife, then pol-ish with a soft rib.

Next, I compress and blend a coil to the inside of the clay wall, (figure 5). This addition allows me to add a bowl-shaped slab top, creating an enclosed form (figure 6).

Tip: Good scoring and a little bit of Magic Water (3 grams soda ash, 9½ grams sodium silicate, 1 gallon water), applied with a dropper, are ideal for making all attachments with porcelain.

Use a slightly moist sponge to compress and blend the seam between the slab top and the pourer. Excess water at this point encourages cracking as the pot dries.

I usually pull handles directly from the pot (figure 7). With this technique, I can visualize the proportions better than when pulling the handle first, then attaching it. Score the top and bottom points of attachment to make sure there is a strong connection that will resist separation due to the porcelain’s high shrinkage rate.

Next, throw and attach the spout. I like to attach spouts when they are still fairly wet so I can shape them to match the contour of the pot. Use a rib to shape and compress, then make a small dent with the edge of a wooden rib and stretch from the inside with a blunt tool on the opposing side to create a gesture in the spout that relates to the rest of the pot (figure 8). Push the spout back in the middle (on the dented side). Then, supporting the middle, push the top of the spout forward to create an S-curve that you find both visually and functionally successful. Use a make-up type sponge to remove fingerprints and to shape the clay without otherwise denting or distorting it.

After cutting a hole in the pot for the liquid to pass through, wire the spout off at an angle (figure 9) and remove extra clay from the inside. Clean the cut edge with a fettling knife and then use a soft rib to roll and smooth the edge. Hold the spout up to the pourer, trace the edge with a needle

tool, and cut away excess clay from the hole to about 1/4 inch inside the traced line. After scoring both surfaces and applying some Magic Water, attach the spout (figure 10).

To make the stopper, throw a small, steep-sided bowl shape off the hump. Cut the rim then smooth it in the same manner as the rim of the pourer. Shape the outside with a soft rib before cutting the stopper off the hump us-ing a needle tool.

Alter a coil for the knob using the edge of your thumb, and cut the top at an angle with a sharp knife. Score the end of the knob and the interior of the stopper then attach them together (figure 11). Bend the knob into an S-curve. Add a small lug of clay to the back of the stopper to prevent it from falling out when pouring (figure 12). Cut a hole in the top of pourer to accept the stopper, soften the edge us-ing a little water, and cut a notch from the back of the hole to make room for the lug (figure 13). Apply a couple of strategically placed slip dots to visually key the two parts together (figure 14).

When throwing the shot glasses for this set, I always use small, individual balls of clay rather than throwing off the hump, to prevent S cracks.

Firing the VesselsI bisque fire my porcelain to cone 06 and glaze fire to a flattened cone 9/soft cone 10 in a reduction atmosphere. I leave some surfaces—such as the spout, knob, and han-dle—unglazed. I sand these unglazed surfaces at the bisque stage with drywall and fine-grit sandpaper, then again after the glaze firing with wet/dry sandpaper.

Designing the DisplayPresentation is important and I create customized displays for my porcelain sets out of a contrasting earthenware. I begin by making a poster-board full-scale model of the pedestal, or cabinet for the pouring set, using the already high-fired porcelain pieces for my measurements. A flexible curve helps create graceful and perfect mirror image curves (figure 15). The poster board templates are carefully cut out, as they will later be traced onto clay slabs. Since I build the pedestal using earthenware, I find that I don’t really have to account for shrinkage (but I build just a little larger than my measurements to be safe and to ensure a comfort-able fit). The maquette is useful for visualizing the finished piece (figure 16), and once I disassemble it, the parts are used as the templates for the earthenware slabs (figure 17).

Roll out a large slab from groggy earthenware, and trace templates onto the slab with a sharp knife. As I trace, I score halfway through the slab, then tear the rest of the way through the clay to create a ragged edge that contrasts the smooth, refined edges of the porcelain pieces. Center the slab for the base of the cabinet on a drywall board be-fore cutting it out. From this point, the base is not moved until the finished piece is leather hard. For the other parts, lifting the cut slabs and poster board templates from the drywall together reduces stretching and distortion of the


slab. Assembling this cabinet on drywall helps with the dry-ing of the piece; the absorption of the drywall aids in even drying from top to bottom (figure 18).

Having already made the maquette to scale, I simply re-assemble the original design using clay slabs (figure 19). Slabs are put into place, traced, removed, then scored for attachment. Using a ruler helps maintain even spacing—a slight error in spacing can become a major problem later. The slabs are still very soft at this point, so it helps to build the form in a sequence that supports the vertical walls. The attachment of all slabs is done with a slight back-and-forth motion to work the scored areas together. The top front edges of the cabinet are stretched upward so the cups fit in and out easier, as well as to break up the static horizontal line. The back column becomes a closed form. A small hole

Add a small dome to the top of the column. Cut a hole to prevent trapping air between the two slabs.

Display Piece Process

Measure and lay out the templates for the cabinet us-ing already high-fired pieces and a flexible curve.

Construct a maquette from the templates to help visual-ize the finished clay piece, then disassemble it.

Cut all the pieces for building the cabinet using the templates before assembly begins.

The top slabs should be stiff enough not to slump into the empty spaces, but soft enough to manipulate later.

pierced into the bottom once the piece reaches a stiff leather hard to allow air to escape during the firing.

Finally, the porcelain pieces are put in their places as a last chance to make sure everything fits correctly. Dry the cabinet slowly over several days. Cracking is less of a con-cern with a groggy earthenware body, however slow drying is still important and helps dramatically with any warping issues that often occur with flat-slabbed pieces.

After the cabinet is single fired to cone 04, the set is ready for presentation. n

Mike Jabbur received his BA in graphic design from Virginia Tech University, was a resident artist at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, Missouri, and received his MFA in ceramics from Ohio University. He is currently the Studio Director at Santa Fe Clay in Santa Fe, New Mexico. To see more of his work, visit www.mikejabburceramics.com.

15 16

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Salt and Pepper Shakersby Keith Phillips

here are many benefits to being actively involved with social media. Beyond the obvious of sharing recipes, techniques, and as a marketing platform, inter-acting with other potters online has helped push me to try new

things and put new spins on old forms. A few years ago, I was involved in an

online discussion on the Etsy Mud Team thread about salt and pepper shakers, and someone brought up the stopperless vari-ety. I’d seen these before from other pot-ters, both at crafts shows and in their shop, but never really tried throwing them. A few drawings were passed around, showing how they work and how to make them and the next day I put it on my list to throw. Funny thing was, so did a few other members of the group, and within a few days we were checking out each other’s endless variations on the form.

Stopperless salt and pepper shakers are made with an inner funnel. They are filled upside down, pouring salt into the fun-nel. When turned right side up, the salt is trapped inside. To dispense, they are shaken over your food to allow the salt to bounce off the top and make its way back through the funnel (see diagram at right).

They are made like a double-walled ves-sel, but instead of joining the inner and out-er walls, the inner wall is closed in on itself to form the funnel. And the other wall is brought up higher and closed above the in-ner to create the space that holds the salt.

T


Keith Phillips creates stopperless salt and pepper shakers from double-walled vessels. Save your corks for another project.

To fill this type of shaker, turn it upside down and pour salt or pepper into the fun-

nel. Once it’s turned right side up, the salt is safely stored in the area around the funnel.

To use it, shake vertically to release salt over the top of the funnel form.

To Fill Stored

Shaken


the way down until you reach the bat. You want the opening to be about an inch or so in diameter.

Create a stair step in the ring by lifting your finger to about halfway up on the inside of the ring and press-ing outward toward the side wall, which will open the sides more (figure 1). Leave about a ½-inch thickness of

ProcessDepending on the size of your hands, the amount of clay will vary between 3/4 to 11/4 lbs. I don’t have overly large hands, but when throwing these with less than a pound, it’s difficult to get my fingers where I want them to go. However, if the forms are too large, they are dif-ficult to use. Center the clay and press your finger all


Open a hole to the bat, then create a stair step—lift your finger halfway up and press out toward the side wall.

Press down on the step, leaving enough clay in the center for the inside funnel.

Pull up, then collar in the interior funnel. Keep collaring until just the tip of the funnel closes off.

Leave plenty of room between the top of the form and the top of the funnel as you pull up the outer walls.

When the outer wall is tall enough to clear the funnel, sponge out any water, collar in, and close the form.

Once the form is closed, air is trapped inside, and the ves-sel begins to act like a balloon when altered or ribbed.

1 2

3 4

5 6


clay between your finger and the outer edge of the ring (maybe even more). Now, press down on the step, leav-ing enough clay to pull up your inside funnel (figure 2). You are essentially making a double-walled vessel, but the inner wall is actually a closed cone form. You will find you really don’t need much clay to create this inner funnel. It’s all about using your fingertips and pinches to pull the walls up. Try to pull it up to about 2–3 inches in height.

Once you have the funnel high enough, collar it in and close it off. Try to just close off the top, you want the funnel hollow, not solid, because later you will want to drill your hole and you don’t want to have to drill forever (figure 3).

I also flatten the top of the funnel slightly. I think this helps catch more salt when shaken. Take a sponge and mop up and extra water in the recesses.

Now pull your outer walls up. You want this wall to easily clear the height of the funnel, and you want

plenty of room between the top of the form and the top of the funnel or else salt won’t be able to travel in and out (figure 4).

At this point you have an opportunity to play with the form and make it your own. I tend to like the architec-tural feel of these little towers, but I’ve seen fruit, balls, squares, and every shape in between (see page 32).

Once you’ve raised the outer wall enough that it clears the inner funnel, sponge out any water and collar in and close the form at the top (figure 5). Once the form is closed, air is trapped inside and the vessel begins to act like a balloon when altered or ribbed (figure 6).

After you have the shape you want, smooth the sur-face and add finishing touches with a rib (figure 7). At this point, pulling it off the bat is essential for me. In-evitably I either forgot to and/or can’t reach a sponge into the center to mop up any extra water that has collected inside the funnel. Removing it from the bat allows excess water to evaporate through the bottom.


I use a combination of the Griffin Grip and a chuck to trim a shaker with a pointed top like this.

Once you have the shape you want, smooth the surface and add finishing touches with the rib.

Try not to let any shavings from trimming fall into the fun-nel as you work.

Drill a hole into the top of the funnel from the bottom of the form.

7 8

9 10


At the same time, throw a small chuck about the same diameter as the shoulder of your vessel. It should dry alongside your shaker.

When both are leather hard, I use a combination of the Griffin Grip and a chuck to trim a shaker with a pointed top like this (figure 8). If your shaker is flat at the top or just slightly rounded, a chuck is probably un-necessary. If you don’t have a Giffin Grip, simply cen-ter, then attach your piece (or your chuck) to the wheel head using four balls of clay, or place slightly rounded forms onto a small ring or coil of clay. When using a chuck, remember to check that your piece is level using a bubble (torpedo) level before starting to trim.

Define the width of your foot ring and trim the bot-tom. Trim both the outside edge and the area leading into the funnel to remove excess clay and refine the shape, but try not to let any shavings fall into the fun-nel as you work (figure 9).

Drill a hole into the top of the funnel from the bottom (figure 10). I’ve found an 1/8 inch drill bit is just about the


Eleanor Hendriks’ Fruit Collection salt and pepper shakers (2008) show another interpretation of the stopperless idea.

perfect size. This lets a fair amount of salt in easily, without dumping too much when you are dispensing.

Glazing is pretty simple, just make sure no glaze gets inside the funnel or closes the hole. If you dip, just hold it upright and dip it into the glaze, the air trapped inside will keep the glaze from entering the funnel.

After glaze firing, fill the funnel with salt or pepper. You may have to give it a gentle shake to help the salt travel down. Once it’s full, flip it right side up. The salt will fill into the vessel.

To dispense, simply give it a little shake over your food and salt or pepper will find its way to the hole and sprinkle out.

Tip: Do NOT place stopperless shakers in a dish-washer. If water gets inside the shaker, it is nearly im-possible to dry out. Just wash the outside with a damp rag and soap. n

Keith Phillips is a full-time artist and potter in Fletcher, North Carolina. To see more of his work, go to khphillips.etsy.com or visit his blog at blog.mudstuffing.com.


http://www.giffingrip.com/

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Potters Council 2011 Exhibition: The Shoulders We Stand On

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Call for EntriEs: BEgins May 1, 2010

DEaDlinE to suBMit: sEptEMBEr 1, 2010

Go here for a submission form www.potterscouncil.org

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Half and Halfby David Hendley

I t often makes sense to combine throwing with other forming methods to efficiently produce a desired form. I first started experi-

menting with making tall, thin tumblers because I wanted a good cup for iced tea. The perfect sized cup can hold a full serving of tea and still have room for plenty of ice. It also needs to be small enough in diameter to be easily picked up with one hand. If form follows func-tion, that means the tumbler ends up be-ing tall and skinny. It could be made en-tirely on the potter’s wheel, but I could create them faster and better by starting with extruded shapes and altering or adding to them on the wheel.

My hexagonal oil pourers also com-bine extruder and wheel made parts, but this time to create a transition between round and angular forms. Both require about equal parts extruder/handbuilding work and wheel work, and both require making some simple tools to efficiently speed production and consistency.

Often, when I demonstrate my extrud-ed/thrown tumblers at workshops, an at-tendee will come up during a break and excitedly tell me that this is just the tech-nique they’ve been looking for: a way to throw clay on the wheel without having to learn to center and pull a cylinder. Unfor-tunately it doesn’t work that way. Work-ing on the wheel with an extruded cylin-der is actually more difficult than simply throwing a cylinder for two reasons. First, no matter how accurately an extruder die is made and aligned, there will always be slight inconsistencies, causing variations in the thickness of the cylinder wall. This makes it very difficult to thin or throw the

Finishing off extruded forms on the wheel provides an opportunity to work with unconventional forms like these oil dispensers.

wall and keep the piece centered. Second, there is no substitute for centering clay on the wheel, because it serves to evenly and consis-tently align the clay particles, resulting in even and consistent cylin-ders. This technique only makes sense in special situations, such as when the desired form is too tall and narrow to easily and straight forwardly throw.


Drinking TumblersTo make tall and skinny cylinders, extrude a round hol-low shape approximately nine inches long (this size pro-vides extra length for cleaning and trimming) (figure 1). Guide the clay as it exits the extruder to keep it as straight as possible. Trim one end flush—try to make a square cut. Cut a ¼-inch-thick bottom from a slab of clay. The base should be the same diameter as the outside edge of the extruded tubes. Compress and slightly expand the round slab on the wheel head then add spiral throwing marks to complement the throwing rings which will be added later to the body (figure 2).

Now put the extruded tube on the wheel (figure 3), cen-ter it, and gently “throw” the outside to soften the severe, vertical, machined look. While this is not really throw-ing, but rather smoothing the outside with a sponge or chamois, it serves to soften the form and even out any ec-centricities. Because of the pressure applied when securing the slab bottom/cylinder to the wheel head, the bottom will now be slightly wider than the tube. Use a wet sponge to throw this extra clay up and around the tube, ensuring a good join. Scoring and slipping is not necessary.

Use a profile tool to remove excess clay and form a bead around the bottom of the form. Trim your tumbler to the desired height by making a clean mark around the cir-cumference using a tall board that has a nail protruding from it. Use a small wire bow cutter (modified cheese cut-ter) to cut the top while the wheel is turning (figure 4).

A wire cutter causes less drag than a needle tool, making for cleaner cuts and less chance that the resistance will pull the cylinder off-center.

Finally, gently throw the top part of the form by start-ing as far down as your fingers will reach and work to-ward the top. At this point, add a bit of dimension to the straight sides, including the throwing rings. With the throwing stick on the inside and a wet sponge on the outside, slowly turn the wheel to create a spiral effect (figure 5).

Extrude and cut off a straight, long tube of clay.

Throw and compress a slab bottom. Form

a spiral to comple-ment the throwing

rings on the body of the piece.

Center the tube on the thrown slab bottom.

Use a small wire bow cutter to cut the top while the

wheel is spinning.

Use a throwing stick and a wet sponge to produce a spiral effect.

Finished tumblers, 7 in. tall (18cm) in height, cracking reticulated volcanic ash glaze over brown slip, wood fired to cone 10.

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2

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5


Pouring BottlesThis technique requires a transition from the hexagonal-shaped cylinder to a round bottle neck, to accommodate the metal and rubber pourer. The transition is best formed on the wheel, suggesting another half-and-half process.

To make tall oil bottles with stainless steel pouring stoppers, start with a faceted extruded shape. Make a homemade hex-holder to quickly center and attach the extruded body to the wheel, so the neck can be thrown (see Homemade Tools sidebar). Using the extruder die as a guide for size, make the holder out of scraps of two-by-fours. Center it on a bat and attach it securely.

Throw a thick doughnut, which will be used as a neck on the bottle. The diameter of the doughnut bottom should match the widest point of the hexagon’s diam-eter. These rings should be used within 15 or 20 minutes of throwing. Next, center and attach the hex holder on the wheel and fit an extruded blank into the bat. It is not necessary to insert the blank all the way down to the bat surface; just far enough to insure a firm grasp. It is crucial to make sure that the blank is plumb (vertically straight) by inspecting it as the wheel spins.

If needed, cut the top of the hexagonal extruded tube lev-el with a small wire bow cutter. Set and center the thrown doughnut/neck on top of the lightly scored and slipped tube (figure 6). Thin and throw the ring to create a curved tran-sition from the body to the bottle’s shoulder and neck.

After some failures (including customers returning bottles they had bought!) I discovered I needed a way to accurately size the openings of the bottles, so the pour-ing spouts fit perfectly and firmly stay in place. What seems like a good tight fit right out of the kiln can end up being loose when the stopper is in use with an oil or a detergent.

To determine the optimum neck size, run tests by throwing four bottle necks. Set your calipers to the diameter of the pouring spout plus an extra 10-15% for shrinkage. This measurement is good for approxi-mating the opening diameter, to get “in the ballpark.” Only the necks, not whole bottles, need to be quickly thrown, and the openings need to be slightly under-sized, so when the sizing tool is inserted it will expand the openings to exactly the desired diameter.

Traditional potter’s calipers often produce inconsis-tent or inaccurate results. The bottle opening is very narrow and it needs to be tapered between the rim and the neck to match the stopper measurements that are hard to gauge with the calipers. Use a tapered dowel as a sizing tool (a tapered aluminum reaming tool or a tapered coil of clay, fired to maturity, work as well.) Next make four marks, ¼ inch apart, on the dowel or other sizing tool—try one that matches your ballpark diameter, then make one above it, (which will give you

Cut away excess clay using the wire cutter.

Set then center a thrown donut on top of the hexago-nal extruded tube.

Size the opening of the rim using

a tapered dowel.

Add grooves to the neck with the homemade grooving tool.

The fins on the rubber stopper

lock into the grooves inside of the glazed neck.

6

7

8

9

10


Finished greenware bottles, showing the grooves inside the necks which hold the pouring spouts in place.

an opening that is slightly bigger) and two below it, result-ing in openings that are slightly smaller.

Insert the sizing tool into each neck until the desired mark is even with the top of the neck. Label the marks 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the tool and label the necks correspondingly. Since the dowel is tapered, each neck will have a different opening di-ameter. To properly size the opening diameter without bind-ing, dip the dowel in water and insert it into the neck opening while the bottle is spinning. After glazing and firing the test necks, it can be determined which neck gives the best fit. Be sure to pour a little vegetable oil on the pouring spouts before inserting them in the test necks. The corresponding mark on the dowel for the best-fitting neck can then be permanently etched into the dowel and the other marks erased.

After creating the right diameter opening for fitting the rubber stopper (figure 7), use a “grooving tool” made from a scrap piece of Plexiglas on the inside of the necks after (figure 8). This small tool, which has four small protrud-ing teeth, makes grooves on the inside surface of the bottle neck. After the glaze firing, the fins on the rubber stoppers of the pouring spout grip the grooves to insure a tight, no-slip fit (figure 9).

Cut away excess clay between the neck and the hexago-nal body with a wire cutter (figure 10). Use a sideways, not up and down motion, and gently rest the wire on the flat facets of the bottle to create a smooth even transition from the extruded base to the thrown neck. This detail shows the openings of the oil pourers after sizing and making grooves on the inside of the rim (figure 11).

Finally, finish the bottom with a decorative base —possibly cutting in to the tube to create a scalloped or bev-eled edge then attaching a slab—or, if you prefer, make a simple, flat bottom by attaching a slab directly to the bottom of the tube. Other finishing touches to make your form unique include slip or underglaze decoration, carving and, after the bisque firing, glaze and resist patterns. n

David Hendley operates Old Farmhouse Pottery in Maydelle, Texas. To see more of his work, visit his website, www.farmpots.com or contact him at [email protected].

11

Clockwise from top left: Homemade hex-holder bat, banding wheel, metal or wooden reamer/sizing tools, homemade small Plexiglas grooving tool, wire bow cutting tool (modified cheese cutter).

Clockwise from left: Height measuring board with a sharpened nail in its side, pine throwing stick for pots with small open-ings, extruder die for three-inch diameter tubes, profile tool for forming a bead on the surface, small wire bow cutter (modi-fied cheese cutter).

Homemade Tools for the Tumbler

Tools for the Oil Bottles

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Ceramic Projects: Forming Techniques

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instructors fileMaking a Clay Rulerby Paul Andrew Wandless

There are several ways to learn about clay shrinkage, but making a clay ruler is the

simplest by far. Any age or level of experience will find this to be a fun and easy way to understand how much clay shrinks at the greenware, bone dry, and bisqueware stages. A standard clay bar test will give a measurable percentage for clay body shrinkage. A clay ruler gives a simple and obvious visual example in inches.

The process is simple. Make a 12-inch clay ruler complete with inch lines using the clay body of your choice. Once bone dry, measure to see how much shrinkage occurred from the green stage and record this measurement. Include the clay ruler in your next bisque firing and measure it again after the firing to see how much shrinkage occurred from the bone dry measurement. Now you’ll have a general sense of how your work will shrink at each of these stages based on your clay ruler.

Prepping the SlabRoll out a slab of clay of your choice and smooth out the surface. I like to use a combination of a clear graph ruler and a carpenter’s square to measure and cut. Position the carpen-ter’s square to cut a straight bottom and side at a 90° angle. Next use the carpenter’s square and clear graph ruler to measure and cut the slab to 12 inches tall. The graph ruler is used to assure the parallel lines are as square as possible (figure 1).

Making the RulerA graph ruler is 2 inches wide so I just use that as the width for the clay rulers. Use a dull pencil to emboss

vertical lines to make as many clay rulers as you can from the smoothed out slab (figure 2). When the ruler lines are done, mark the surface with horizontal lines spaced 1 inch apart to finish creating the 12-inch ruler (figures 3 and 4). Use a fettling knife to cut out the clay rulers.

During the drying and firing processes, a ruler can always warp, crack, or break so having extras is always a good idea. I tend to make four or five at a time which also aides in assuring consistency. If I measure and cut correctly, all the rulers should have the same measure-ments once fired. This is an excellent way to assure your stats are correct. Dry the rulers sandwiched between drywall and place newspaper in-between the individual rulers. A little weight can be placed on top to help keep them flat while drying.

Measuring the ResultsThe fun part is measuring the ruler at the different stages of drying and firing to actually see how your clay shrinks. I always measure the ruler when it’s bone dry and again after the bisque firing. I also fire the ruler to a higher temperature to measure the shrinkage at a variety of tempera-tures. This is where having multiple clay rulers around is handy. You’ll find most of the shrinkage occurs from greenware to bone dry.

For this article, I used Amaco’s Brownstone Earthenware. The results were: greenware measured 12 inches, bone dry measured 111/2 inches, and bisque fired to 1940° F measured 113/8 inches (figure 5).

Some potters use a bisque ruler to measure bisque vessels to make

1

2

Cut perpendicular lines using a car-penter’s square, then lay a graph ruler on top to create a parallel cut at the far end of the slab.

Use the graph ruler with one end lined up with the straight edges of the slab to cut out multiple rulers.


replacement lids. The bisque measurement gives you the approximate size of what the lid should be when in the green stage. While not an exact match, it’s better than just guessing without a frame of reference for how much your clay shrinks. This is also a great exercise for students to visually see how much a clay body shrinks in a format that everyone can recognize and understand. My six-year-old son makes these all the time with great suc-cess and learns to measure and cut at the same time. I make clay rulers for all the bodies I use to get a sense of their general shrinkage. Clay rulers shouldn’t replace the clay bar shrink-age test (see Getting to Know Your Clay in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of PMI, also available at www.ceramicartsdaily.org/education) but should be seen as an additional test to further understand your clay body and have a little fun at the same time. n

Paul Andrew Wandless is a studio artist, workshop presenter, educator, and Vice President of the Potters Council. He authored the book Image Transfer On Clay and co-authored Alternative Kilns and Firing Techniques: Raku, Saggar, Pit & Barrel. His website is www.studio3artcompany.com and he can be emailed at [email protected].

3 4

5

Make marks that are spaced 1 inch apart on each ruler.

Join the 1 inch marks across all of the rulers, making sure to keep the drawn lines parallel to each other (and perpendicular to the lines separating each ruler).

A greenware ruler, a bone dry ruler, and a bisque fired ruler lined up to show the rate of shrinkage at each stage.

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is kept as simple as possible. Reason doesn’t make the mis-take of cluttering the text with too many explanations, hints and warnings, which could prove daunting to the reader. A few useful tips are sprin-kled throughout in easy-to-see sidebars that don’t distract from the basic instructions. “Gallery” pages following each chapter offer beautiful and inspira-tional examples of contemporary work.

One very helpful and interesting 21st century feature of this book is a nod to the value of video in teaching pottery, and the ubiquity of Internet access. The reader can go to www.larkbooks.com/crafts and scroll down the page to see three 5-minute videos of Reason demon-strating the key techniques of centering and throwing a bowl, trimming, and pulling a handle. The videos are easy to find on the website, and they are very profes-sionally produced and easy to follow. Indeed they will be of enormous help to a true beginner who doesn’t have access to hands-on instruction. The videos are also on YouTube on the Lark Craft Channel.

Finishing up the book are “A Brief Overview of Fir-ing” and “Glaze Fundamentals.” Curiously, the author describes how to fire an electric kiln using a cone pack or using a built-in pyrometer, but doesn’t mention the Dawson Kiln Sitter that is installed in most non-auto-matic electric kilns. She does recommend learning to fire from an experienced potter, which is a good idea. In the Glaze Fundamentals chapter, Reason describes what glazes are but recommends using powdered commercial glazes. Following instructions for various methods of applying glaze, Reason does include a few glaze recipes along with basic instruction in mixing glazes, for when you get adventurous.

This book will be helpful to a determined beginning potter with access to equipment but not direct instruc-tion, and it could be even more useful as a supplement to a beginning pottery class. When trying to master a difficult skill, it never hurts to have numerous sources of instruction. n

off the shelfWheel Throwingby Sumi von Dassow

T hrowing a pot on the wheel has to be one of the most difficult skills to learn from reading a book. I would compare it to trying to learn to

ride a bike from a manual. Unlike a craft such as build-ing a bookcase, throwing a pot requires not just follow-ing directions but getting a feel for the material. Lots of practice, under the eye of an experienced teacher, is the best way to gain proficiency in this skill.

However, a well-written and illustrated book can be useful for a determined and self-motivated aspiring pot-ter. Emily Reason has written and copiously illustrated this book designed to model a beginning pottery course. Though it is called “Wheel Throwing” it begins with some very basic information about what clay is, the various states of clay, how to prepare clay for throwing and how to reclaim scraps, and what tools and equip-ment you will need; and it ends with information about glazing and firing. The author also mentions safety issues in the pottery studio.

The process of throwing is covered through lessons in individual techniques followed by simple projects using those techniques. The first section includes centering, throwing a cylinder, pulling a handle, and three projects based on the cylinder. The next section covers throwing a bowl and trimming. Later techniques include throwing off the hump, making lids, and several slip-decorating tech-niques such as sgraffito, slip trailing, and inlay. Each proj-ect and technique is illustrated with numerous step-by-step photos with clear, concise captions. None of the projects is terribly complicated—even the teapot towards the end

Ceramics for Beginners: Wheel Throwing By Emily Reason Lark Books, New York/London 2010 www.larkbooks.com

Emily Reason alters the rim and sides of a wheel-thrown baking dish.

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Robin Hopper’s books are now available from www.CeramicArtsDaily.org/bookstore

The Robin Hopper TrilogyThe Robin Hopper Trilogy covers every important aspect of creating ceramic art. The

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the measure of all thingsIllustrations above show the general proportions that work best for teapots, pitchers, mugs, goblets, covered dishes, and soup tureens.

Source: Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose by Robin Hopper, published by The American Ceramic Society

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sipping service · by robert balaban 41} instructors file making a clay ruler by paul andrew...

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