Making an oval pot - a potter tale retold

[pjkatich]

thanks for doing this Paul.
It seems we have quite a few potters on this forum and all this talk has sparked my interest in bonsai pottery.
I may even look into doing a pottery course myself

kektutg,

Your are most welcome.

Best of luck with your pottery course.

Well, this is good....I can forget about viewing rights at BN now!!

Please carry on Paul,....don't mind me in the back bleachers; you'll get your report card at the end!

Pat,

I hope you will do more than just sit in the back and watch.

I look forward to getting constructive feedback from you as this thread progresses.

Paul, you know what it's like - always keen to see how another potter tackles a job.
Penny.

Penny,

I could not agree with you more.

I have always enjoy watching other potters work and I have learned a lot by doing this on a regular basis.

Stephen Heywood, the gentleman that instructed my first attempts at wheel throwing would bring visiting artists into his classroom on a regular basis. These were individuals that had instructed him during his early years or people that he had gone to school with. These visiting artists travel from many different parts of the US to demonstrate for him. Each visiting artist would bring along his or her personal bag of tricks and there is always something new to learn during these sessions. In fact, I attended one of Stephen's visiting artists sessions last month and learned a few new tricks.

Cheers,
Paul

[pjkatich]

The remaining two 4 pound lumps of clay are processed in the same manner. The following photo shows the three rim rings set side by side.

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Next, I will take the 1.5 pound lumps of clay and process them in the same manner as the 4 pound lumps. However, I will not pull the clay up once I get it out to the edge of the bat. These rings of clay now become the foot rings. The following photo shows the three foot rings along with the three rim rings.

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The next step is to take the 5 pound lumps of clay and process them into flat slabs. These slabs will become the bottoms of the pots. I begin over at the wedging table. After wedging the clay, I will work each lump into an oval shape with the heal of my hand. I will turn the clay over several times during this part of the process. This is illustrated in the next three photos.

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I will then continue to work the slab using the flop method, once again, turning the slab each time I flop it down on the table. I will do this until I get the approximate size that I need for the pots. This is illustrated in the next three photos.

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Each slab is then placed on a ware board and we are ready to move on to the next step.

Time for a short break.

Any questions?

Stay tuned - more to come.

Paul

[anttal63]

paul you da best i am looking forward to the rest. not too long or i'll pee me pants. thanks heaps for sharing this.

[pjkatich]

paul you da best i am looking forward to the rest. not too long or i'll pee me pants. thanks heaps for sharing this.

Thanks Antonio, I appreciate the positive feedback.

This thread is like your favorite soap opera, it will come at you a little at a time. I'll try to keep things as interesting as I can.

Cheers,
Paul

[Pup]

Sorry Paul but my tree has died waiting for its new pot. Pat had gone fishing and Dale has gone walkabout.
Looks like I will have to wait for Soltan, to start up.
Please feel free to admonish me for being to brash.
By the way I do like what you are doing, but at my age time is of the essence so please feel free to continue any time soon. Pup

[Boondock]

I learn so much from threads like this. It's truly inspirational. Pat's gone fishing? I guess that's good, but if he's a flyfisherman, then we'll talk....

[pjkatich]

Sorry Paul but my tree has died waiting for its new pot. Pat had gone fishing and Dale has gone walkabout.
Looks like I will have to wait for Soltan, to start up.
Please feel free to admonish me for being to brash.
By the way I do like what you are doing, but at my age time is of the essence so please feel free to continue any time soon. Pup

G-day Pup,

I appreciate the positive feedback.

Hopefully, one day I'll be a professional like Pat and maybe then I can find the time to go fishing.

Meanwhile, I'll do my best to keep this thread moving along at a slow but even pace.

I learn so much from threads like this. It's truly inspirational. Pat's gone fishing? I guess that's good, but if he's a flyfisherman, then we'll talk....

Hi Boondock,

Thanks for joining in the fun. Your input is always welcome.

Cheers,
Paul

[pjkatich]

Now that the slabs have been roughed out, it's time to move on to the slab roller to finish them off. The following photo shows the slab roller primed and ready for action.

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The first slab is placed on the bed of the slab roller and positioned between two pieces of canvas as shown in the next photo.

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Then, by turning the large wheel, the slab is rolled as shown in the next photo.

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After this first pass, the slab is turned 90 degrees, another layer of canvas is added, and the slab is rolled again. This process is repeated a minimum of four times or until the slab is processed to the correct size and thickness. This is illustrated is the following photos.

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After each slab has been rolled out, it is transfered to a ware board as shown in the next photo.

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The next photo shows all three of the processed slabs waiting for the next step.

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I see by the clock that it is break time again.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Have a great day.

Paul

[kitoi]

paul,
Rolled out a 60cm slab manually last night to make another oval pot using your techniques, slab roller would have made easy work out of that task. I'm attempting a finished oval size of 46cm x 25cm.

[Lynette]

Hi Paul,
It is great to see a potter so willing to share information. Not all are so happy to do so.
The step by step information is so detailed anybody should be able to use the information. thank you,
Lynette

[mudlarkpottery]

Those of us who don't have a slab roller(I wish), use a rolling pin and two flat pieces of wood the same thickness. Collect several different pieces of timber with different thicknesses so you can make a variety of slab sizes. Just make sure you turn the slab each time you roll.
Penny.

[pjkatich]

paul,
Rolled out a 60cm slab manually last night to make another oval pot using your techniques, slab roller would have made easy work out of that task. I'm attempting a finished oval size of 46cm x 25cm.

ketoi,

Excellent, I look forward to seeing the results.

Hi Paul,
It is great to see a potter so willing to share information. Not all are so happy to do so.
The step by step information is so detailed anybody should be able to use the information. thank you,
Lynette

Hi Lynette,

You are very welcome.

I am glad that you find the information helpful.

Those of us who don't have a slab roller(I wish), use a rolling pin and two flat pieces of wood the same thickness. Collect several different pieces of timber with different thicknesses so you can make a variety of slab sizes. Just make sure you turn the slab each time you roll.
Penny.

Thanks for adding this Penny.

That is valid and useful information.

As everyone can see, there is more than one way to accomplish some of the steps I will be covering in this tutorial.

Cheers,
Paul

[mudlarkpottery]

A slab roller is in my wish-list.
Penny.

[anttal63]

all of the above is in my wish list

[pjkatich]

Now that all the parts and pieces have been made, it's time to give them a rest.

At this point, I will bag all the parts for a single pot together as follows:

First, I will cover a ware board with some plastic. Then I will place a layer of dry news paper on top of that and then place the slab on top of the news paper as shown in the following photo.

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Next, I will place another layer of dry news paper and the rim ring as shown:

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Then, I will place the foot ring on top of that.

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Then, I will add another layer of dry news paper.

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Then, I will cover this with more plastic.

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The goal is to even out the moisture content of all the individual parts associated with the same pot. The news paper and plastic helps to accomplish this in a controlled manner.

Once all three pots are bagged up it's time to put them on the shelf for a few days of rest and relaxation.

The following photo shows the pots bagged, tagged and placed on the shelf waiting for the next step.

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That ends the work for day one of this saga.

Any questions?

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Have a great day,
Paul