Making an oval pot - a potter tale retold
Posted: April 2nd, 2009, 6:41 am
I received a special request asking if I would consider sharing the following photo tutorial with the good folks here at ausbonsai.
So, in the spirit of goodwill and international detente I present the following information on how to make an oval pot for your viewing pleasure.
Constructive input is welcome and please feel free to ask questions if you have any.
This project was started on February 26th and is currently in progress.
The object of this project was to document the making of a 14 inch (35.5 cm) oval pot. However, the number one rule of ceramics is that if you want one great pot you need to make at least three. This process has a great many variables and partial or total failure is never that far away. Consequently, this tutorial will document the progress of three different pots.
So, lets get this show on the road.
Day one - installment #1
The first thing to consider is the clay body. For this project I have selected a commercially available clay body made of 50% porcelain and 50% buff gray stoneware. It comes in 25 pound (10 kg) bags as shown in this photo:
I glaze all my pots and this particular clay body was selected because of the way it shows blue and green glazes.
Next, you will need a good scale to weigh out the clay as shown in the following photo.
I always weigh out my clay. This is important for a number of reasons, consistency being the major factor for using a scale. I have determined through trial and error that to make a 14 inch (35.5 cm) pot I will need three lumps of clay. One weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) for the slab (bottom of the pot), one weighing 4 pounds (1.8 kg) for the rim of the pot, and one weighing 1.5 pounds (.7 kg) for the feet of the pot. This is shown in the following photo.
The clay is weighed out for the remaining two pots then it's on to the wedging table.
On the wedging table, the clay is processed using a wedging motion. This is done to homogenize the lump of clay and to aid in the removal of any trapped air. The following photo shows the 4 pound lumps of clay after the wedging process.
The remaining lumps of clay are processed in the same manner then it's on to next step.
The following photo shows some of the tools of the trade:
We have an electric potters wheel, a stool, a bat, a bucket of water, some throwing sponges, and a variety of throwing tools.
Time to take a short break.
Are there any questions?
Stay tuned - More to come.
Cheers,
Paul
So, in the spirit of goodwill and international detente I present the following information on how to make an oval pot for your viewing pleasure.
Constructive input is welcome and please feel free to ask questions if you have any.
This project was started on February 26th and is currently in progress.
The object of this project was to document the making of a 14 inch (35.5 cm) oval pot. However, the number one rule of ceramics is that if you want one great pot you need to make at least three. This process has a great many variables and partial or total failure is never that far away. Consequently, this tutorial will document the progress of three different pots.
So, lets get this show on the road.
Day one - installment #1
The first thing to consider is the clay body. For this project I have selected a commercially available clay body made of 50% porcelain and 50% buff gray stoneware. It comes in 25 pound (10 kg) bags as shown in this photo:
I glaze all my pots and this particular clay body was selected because of the way it shows blue and green glazes.
Next, you will need a good scale to weigh out the clay as shown in the following photo.
I always weigh out my clay. This is important for a number of reasons, consistency being the major factor for using a scale. I have determined through trial and error that to make a 14 inch (35.5 cm) pot I will need three lumps of clay. One weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) for the slab (bottom of the pot), one weighing 4 pounds (1.8 kg) for the rim of the pot, and one weighing 1.5 pounds (.7 kg) for the feet of the pot. This is shown in the following photo.
The clay is weighed out for the remaining two pots then it's on to the wedging table.
On the wedging table, the clay is processed using a wedging motion. This is done to homogenize the lump of clay and to aid in the removal of any trapped air. The following photo shows the 4 pound lumps of clay after the wedging process.
The remaining lumps of clay are processed in the same manner then it's on to next step.
The following photo shows some of the tools of the trade:
We have an electric potters wheel, a stool, a bat, a bucket of water, some throwing sponges, and a variety of throwing tools.
Time to take a short break.
Are there any questions?
Stay tuned - More to come.
Cheers,
Paul
