The Quinntessential Vase Also in This Issue

Mar/Apr 2013

CELEBRATING 15 YEARS

The Quinntessential Vase Also in this issue . . . Make a rhubarb baker in time for spring How to solve your sagging plate rim problem Make a teapot in 30 minutes Cone 5-6 America’s Most Trusted Glazes™ Potter’s Choice

PC-1 PC-2 PC-4 PC-12 PC-20 PC-21 PC-23 Saturation Metallic Saturation Gold Palladium Blue Midnight Blue Rutile Arctic Blue Indigo Float

PC-25 PC-27 PC-28 PC-29 PC-30 PC-32 PC-33 Textured Turquoise Tourmaline Frosted Turquoise Deep Olive Speckle Temmoku Albany Slip Brown Iron Lustre

PC-34 PC-35 PC-36 PC-37 PC-39 PC-40 PC-41 Light Sepia Oil Spot Ironstone Smoked Sienna Umber Float True Celadon Vert Lustre

PC-42 PC-43 PC-46 PC-48 PC-49 PC-50 PC-52 Seaweed Toasted Sage Lustrous Jade Art Deco Green Frosted Melon Shino Deep Sienna Speckle Potterschoice.info

PC-53 PC-55 PC-57 PC-59 PC-60 Ancient Jasper Chun Plum Smokey Merlot Deep Firebrick Salt Buff PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 1 “Some days I’m standing up, some days I’m sitting down when I throw. So being able to adjust the height of the legs in nuanced ways is a real advantage... I also love the large aluminum built- in splash pan. It gives me something very stable to lean my body into as I’m throwing. It gives me extra stability and a little extra strength.” Steven Hill powerful tough innovative ergonomic smooth value

Visit skutt.com/video/hill to see video of Steven discussing the ergonomics of throwing.

2 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Inside Mar/Apr 2013 Volume 16 Number 2

29 17 Features 12 How to Use a Spray Gun by Roger Graham Discover the ABC’s of spraying glazes. 17 Pinched Pitchers by Emily Schroeder Willis Take the pinch and coil technique to a grander scale. 23 A Quinntessential Vase by Brenda Quinn Learn how to handbuild using molded sections. 29 Ring Around the Plate by Russel Fouts Sagging rims? Get the support you need. 35 Finding the Perfect Balance by Greg Daly 35 Get started on creating your own unique glazes. 40 30-Minute Teapot by Yoko Sekino-Bové Add your personal touch to a challenging project.

In the Studio 6 Mastering Mica by Kate and Will Jacobson 8 A Fine Line by Bill Jones 23 10 Choosing a Spray Gun by Roger Graham

Inspiration 44 In the Kitchen Rhubarb Crisp Baker by Sumi von Dassow 48 Pottery Illustrated 12 African Banding Decoration by Robin Ouellette

On the Cover Brenda Quinn’s porcelain vase, handbuilt using slump-molded components and ﬁ red to cone 6. See 6 story on p. 23. Photo: Keith Renner.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 3 fired up | Commentary

Volume 16 • Number 2

Publisher Charles Spahr Changing Direction Editorial Editor Bill Jones Associate Editor Holly Goring Associate Editor Jessica Knapp Editorial Assistant Erin Pfeifer Administrative Specialist Linda Stover [email protected] Telephone: (614) 895-4213 If you do not change direction, you will end Fax: (614) 891-8960 up where you are headed. Graphic Design & Production Melissa Bury —Lao Tzu Marketing Steve Hecker Ceramics Arts Daily Managing Editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Webmaster Scott Freshour Advertising Advertising Manager Mona Thiel When I was in college, every major I considered presented Advertising Services Jan Moloney [email protected] a clear path to the future, so when I signed up for a pottery Telephone: (614) 794-5834 class as something new to try, little did I know that my di- Fax: (614) 891-8960 Subscriptions rection would change so drastically. Over the years, the one www.potterymaking.org Customer Service: (800) 340-6532 important thing I’ve discovered about clay is that there are so many directions you [email protected] can go with it that you can keep changing all you want and really enjoy the journey. Editorial & Advertising offices 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Now if you were to look back over the past 15 years of Pottery Making Illustrated, Westerville, OH 43082 USA you would notice that our focus has been on offering ways for you to change direction, www.potterymaking.org and this issue is no different. There’s probably not a potter around who’s done all the techniques we offer here—glazing with spray guns, building large pinched forms, mak- Pottery Making Illustrated (ISSN 1096-830X) is published bimonthly by The American Ceramic Society, 600 N. Cleve- ing vases from drop-molded parts, creating plate rings, making teapots in 30 minutes, land Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, OH 43082. Periodical post- experimenting with mica, developing glazes, trying out precision slip trailers, and more. age paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not But it’s weird how changing directions can occur both in and out of the studio. For necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. example, in one of my directionless forays into a used book store, I came across The Subscription rates: 6 issues (1 yr) $24.95, 12 issues (2 Clay Sleeps: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Three African Potters by Richard Krause. I yr) $39.95, 18 issues (3 yr) $59.95. In Canada: 6 issues (1 yr) US$30, 12 issues (2 yr) US$55, 18 issues (3 yr) US$80. enjoyed the way this non-potter objectively describes the entire clay process in minute International: 6 issues (1 yr) US$40, 12 issues (2 yr) US$70, 18 issues (3 yr) US$100. All payments must be in US$ and drawn detail and not assume any knowledge of clay on the part of the reader. We tend to forget on a U.S. bank. Allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. every detail about doing a technique as it becomes second nature, and it’s always inter- Change of address: Visit www.potterymaking.org to change your address, or call our Customer Service toll-free at esting to see that outsider’s perspective again. One of the cool things in the book was (800) 340-6532. Allow six weeks advance notice. Richard Krause’s detailed notes on one potter’s banding work. With his gift of scientific Back issues: When available, back issues are $6 each, plus $3 shipping/handling; $8 for expedited shipping (UPS 2-day observation he described every sequence of the decorating process and these sketches air); and $6 for shipping outside North America. Allow 4–6 serve as the basis for Robin Ouelette’s “Pottery Illustrated” feature in this issue. weeks for delivery. Call (800) 340-6532 to order. Contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are I think that one of the reasons Pottery Making Illustrated is enjoying so much popu- available on the website. Mail manuscripts and visual materi- larity (our circulation is up nearly 10% over last year!) is that our focus has always been als to the editorial offices. Photocopies: Permission to photocopy for personal or to get you to change direction. So, whether you throw, handbuild, brush, spray, dip, internal use beyond the limits of Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law is granted by The American Ceramic extrude, coil or pitfire, take your eyes off where you’re going and do something different. Society, ISSN 1096-830X, provided the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood You may just be surprised. Dr., Danvers, MA 01923; (978) 750-8400; www.copyright. com. Prior to photocopying items for educational classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, or to re- publishing items in whole or in part in any work and in any for- mat. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Ceramic Publications Company, The American Bill Jones Ceramic Society, 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Editor OH 43082. Postmaster: Send address changes to Pottery Making Illus- trated, PO Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested.

P.S. We should have our tablet version of Pottery Making Illustrated ready to launch ceramic artsdaily.org sometime in April. We’re excited about this all-new product that will contain everything the print version has to offer with a few added bells and whistles such as video clips and archival materials. Check our website in April for an update and availability.

4 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 $1559 $1679

$925 $985 $1049

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 5 in the studio | Surface

Life Aquatic, sponged and painted with copper colored “mica paint” and block printed on Mastering Mica the surface, ferric- by Kate and Will Jacobson chloride fired.

For the past year, we’ve been exploring the subtle luster and com- in one of many low- pelling color palette of mica as a glaze element. We usually teach fire techniques. The naked raku, but wanted to give our students some other low- mica gives an added fire techniques to explore. While preparing for a workshop, we luster and subtle tested the reaction of various terra sigillatas, colored porcelain sheen that emanates slips, and even acrylic paint in the ferric chloride saggar process. from within the clay. Why did we try a copper-colored acrylic paint? We discov- This application also ered the pigment in the copper color is mica coated with tita- works well with any nium and iron. We thought it would be a good source for these bare clay technique that oxides. Turns out, it was a good source of mica. fire at or under 1472°F. Mica, a mineral often used in cosmetics for it shimmery es- Making Mica Paint sence and in electronics for its insulating properties, is a very refractory mineral. It easily withstands the 1472°F (800°C), Another way to use mica is to (cone 015), temperature a lot of bare-clay firing techniques call mix your own mica paint. This for, making it ideal for using in several low-fire techniques such is particularly effective in ferric as naked raku, ferric chloride saggar, horsehair firing, clay sag- chloride, aluminum-foil saggar gar and pit-fired ceramics. Detailed explanations of these fir- firings. Mix two tablespoons of ing techniques are well covered in the book Naked Raku and matte acrylic medium (available at art supply stores) with ½ Related Bare Clay Techniques. gram of colored mica powder. Paint or sponge this mixture onto an already bisque-fired pot that has been coated with ei- Glazing with Mica ther regular OM4 terra sigillata or mica sigillata. There are several ways to use mica as a glaze element in low-fire Once dry, and wearing latex gloves and a respirator, paint or techniques. Wearing a dusk mask, mix 5 grams of mica powder pour ferric chloride on the piece. Then, wrap the piece with two into one cup of terra sigillata made from OM4 ball clay. This layers of aluminum foil, making sure you get a tight seal. Fire will give you a starting point for your color. The more mica you the piece rapidly to 1472°F, then back off the temperature to add, the more saturated the color becomes. 1382°F and hold for 10 minutes. Warning: Wear an appropri- Next, brush two coats of plain terra sigillata on a bone dry ate respirator when firing with ferric chloride as you must take piece. Then apply a topcoat of the mica sigillata. This can be extreme caution to not inhale the fumes. brushed, sponged, painted, stamped, sprayed, etc. (figures 1 and After firing and unwrapping the piece, take a soft brush and 2). When dry, burnish with a piece of plastic wrap and bisque remove some of the residual dust. In order to fix the surface, fire to 1382°F, (cone 017). Your piece is now ready to be used use a UV-resistant fixative spray to seal and protect (figure 3).

1 2 3

Applying mica paint (matte acrylic me- Brushing a top coat of Jacobson’s Super Wave, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, OM4 sigil- dium mixed with ½ gram of colored mica Copper mica sigillata on top of 2 coats of lata, copper-colored mica paint sponged on powder) with a hand-carved stamp. regular OM4 sigillata. surface, ferric chloride fired, 2012.

6 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 4 5

Applying colored mica dry rub onto a slightly dry, highly-tex- Pineapple 10 in. (25 cm) in height, Laguna Amador Clay, mica tured clay surface with a soft bristle make-up brush. dry rub, heated and smoked, 2012. We have discovered that one of the properties of mica is that it does not trap carbon. This is good news because it allows for contrast between the clay COYOTE CONE 6 and mica in a smoke firing. This technique works well with highly textured forms. We like to call this the ‘dry rub’ technique. Use a soft bristle make-up ELECTRIC GLAZES brush to scrub dry mica powder onto a not-quite-leather-hard pot (figure 4). The mica is pushed into the clay and then the excess is brushed off. Bisque fire the piece to cone 017. Now it’s ready to fire in a raku kiln followed by reduction in a smoke chamber. The result is shimmering mica embedded into the clay juxtaposed against the matte black of the carbon-infused clay (figure 5). Kate and Will Jacobson have been collaborat- ing studio artists for the past 33 years. They have exhibited their work internationally, won numerous awards, and are included in both public and private collections. They currently live on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Mica Sources n www.TKBTrading.com: TKB Trad- ing has hundreds of colors to choose from. We have tried about 50. The reds seem to change or fade. The greens hold up nicely. The blues change a little but hold up okay. The copper, gold, and the silver colors hold up the best. The ferric chloride saggar technique is the hardest on the mica and causes more fading and col- or change. The colors we recommend are Breath of Spring, Deep BRONZE Blue, Pearl Green, Emerald, Penn- sylvania Green, Swiss Chocolate, TEMMOKU and Patagonia Purple, Glitter Siena, and Gold Lam . SEAFOAM SATIN n www.EarthPigment.com: From Earth Pigments, we recommend Super Copper and Sterling Silver. coyoteclay.com bowl by ROBBIE HOPWOOD PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 7 in the studio | Tools A Fine Line by Bill Jones

Slip trailing conveniently adds color, accents, letters, and even texture to greenware or bisque. For years, though, this technique was limited for many potters because the most common slip trailers available were either the condiment dispenser, a re- cycled glue bottle or a bulb syringe, none of which are suitable for fine work. All that has changed with the availability of precision applicators. The precision applicator features a fine hollow metal tube with an opening from 14 to 22 gauge attached to a cap or connector that fits on a flexible squeeze bottle or bulb. (Note: On 16 18 gauges, the higher the number the smaller the size.) There are guage guage numerous manufacturers of precision applicators and we looked at three of them—Aardvark (makers of Falcon tools), Amaco, and Xiem. Each of these companies distributes the applicators widely through ceramic art suppliers and art supply stores. The best part about precision applicators is that they’re ideal for creating fine lines, details, and lettering. As a bonus, they can be used for applying any liquid—underglaze, glaze, stains, solu- ble salts, wax, etc., as well as non-ceramic materials around the Amaco Underglaze Applicators are available in two sizes— house like lubricants, adhesives, or paints. 16 and 18 gauge—the two needle sizes allow you to make medium or fine lines, dots, and letters. Sold separately. List $4.69. Photo courtesy of Amaco.

Xiem Precision Applicator. Xiem offers a choice between two soft rubber bulb sizes (1- and 3-ounce), eight tips (14 through 21 gauge), a suction adapter for filling the bulb, and a nickel-plated connector. Items are sold separately or you can purchase a set ($18.95) that comes with a bulb, three color-coded tips, two cleaning needles, and an adapter. Photo courtesy of Xiem Gallery.

Winter Scene by David Gamble using an 18-gauge Amaco applicator for the trees and tree line. Photo courtesy of David Gamble.

8 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Sources Aardvark Clay & Supplies www.aardvarkclay.com Amaco www.amaco.com Xiem Tools http://store.xiemclaycenter.com Falcon Applicator consists of a 2-ounce polyethylene bottle with 16-gauge opening, cap, and a stainless Mary Oligny applying lines using 3-ounce steel 1-inch-long needle for cleaning. List: $5.95. Photo Xiem Precision Applicator (20-gauge tip). courtesy of Aardvark Clay & Supplies. Photo courtesy of Xiem Gallery.

Xpress-Q-11A 6” deep, 6” wide, 6 ¼” high interior Xpress-1193 11” wide x 9” deep Caldera XL interior 7 ½” square x 9” deep interior Experiment with the look of The Falcon Precision Decorator™(made your glazes in a Paragon 120 by Aardvark) comes with two 1-ounce jars and four tips (15, 18, 20, and 22 gauge). The lids also fit some commercial volt test kiln glazes. The black cap has a long needle Test-firing a small digital Paragon Xpress-1193 and the Caldera XL are attached for cleaning. List $6.95. Photo can help you to alter certain made with 3” thick insulating fire- courtesy of Aardvark Clay & Supplies. glazes—dramatically. Achieve beauti- bricks. ful soft matt glazes without having to Tips for use The Sentry Xpress digital control- sign up for a community college just ler includes Cone-Fire and 8-segment n Always trail the slip. Moving the ap- because they have a gas kiln. Ramp-Hold modes. Experiment end- plicator forward can clog the tip with clay or glaze. Imagine the excitement of discov- lessly with digital accuracy. n Always store applicators with the ering that a muddy-brown iron glaze Visit our website for more details lid on. at a fast cool becomes rich, red-brown on these exciting Paragon test kilns n For applicators 16 gauge and higher, at a slow cool. In a digital test kiln, and for a list of authorized resellers. screen liquids through an 80 mesh you can control the heating and cool- screen if the needle is plugging up. ing rates to match that of a larger kiln. n Clean applicators with soap and Constantly finding water, flush thoroughly and store in Your Paragon test kiln will be wait- better ways to a dry place. ing for you whenever you are ready to make kilns. n Do not store applicators in water. try another test tile—you won’t have n Higher gauges are best suited for to wait until you fill your larger kiln. stains and oxides, lower gauges for 2011 South Town East Blvd. slips and underglazes. Not only experiment with achiev- Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 n If the applicator is blocked, do not ing the look of reduction, but even test 800-876-4328 / 972-288-7557 squeeze harder! Stop and unplug crystalline glazes. the needle before proceeding. Toll Free Fax 888-222-6450 n Always test applicator flow on a The Xpress-Q-11A shown above is www.paragonweb.com piece of newsprint. one of our fastest 120 volt kilns. The [email protected]

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 9 in the studio | Tools Choosing a Spray Gun by Roger Graham

1 2 3

Suction-feed spray gun, with container This high-pressure “touch-up” gun is a A (HVLP) gravity-feed spray gun with the located beneath the spray gun. Not a good gravity-feed gun, with the fluid container container on top. The lower pressure can choice for a potter. mounted above the gun. reduce the amount of overspray.

If you have decided you’d like to try spraying glazes, there are dif- spray (glaze droplets that miss the pot, and land somewhere else ferent options when choosing a spray gun. You’ll need to consider to make a mess). how many pots you usually glaze at a time, and how often you plan An advantage of a gravity-feed spray gun is the ability to mea- to switch between colors. Beyond this, you’ll also need to consider sure the amount of glaze to be applied. That’s important. Believe space requirements—room for a compressor and spray booth if me. If the pot you’re working on requires 45 mL of glaze, you your spraying will take place inside. simply measure out that amount, tip it into the gravity-feed cup, The most common kind of spray gun is called a suction-feed and spray until it’s gone. Second, you can wash out the gun and gun. It has a container or pot beneath it to hold the liquid, and change colors without wasting glaze or messing about cleaning it is intended for paint spraying, where you expect to use a pint the big pot that comes with a suction-feed spray gun. (½ liter) of paint between refills (figure 1). This is the kind often shown in the illustration in a textbook. It’s better than no gun How it Works at all, but for spraying glaze on pottery, there is a better choice, Although I highly recommend a gravity-feed spray gun, no a gravity-feed spray gun (figure 2). These are usually smaller in matter what kind of gun you have, in addition to the trigger, it’s size, intended for holding only a small quantity of liquid (about likely to have three control knobs (figure 2). 500 mL maximum), and easy to wash out. The container is lo- n Knob A controls a needle-valve in the compressed air pipe. If cated on top of the gun and fluid drains into the gun by gravity, you turn this knob all the way clockwise, the needle valve com- not pulled up by suction. For our purposes, the gravity-feed gun pletely shuts, so if you pull the trigger nothing happens. No air is the only way to go. comes out. As you turn this knob counterclockwise it opens the The two pictures here (figures 2 and 3) show different versions needle valve to let more and more air through. Most of the time, of gravity-feed guns, with the fluid container mounted up above you open this just enough to get a spray of fine droplets of glaze the gun. A traditional high-pressure touch-up gun is shown in fig- without a great blast of excess air, which can create a mist of ure 2. There can be more overspray with these due to the pressure. unwanted overspray. A more modern high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) gun is shown n Knob B covers the end of a long needle valve, which controls in figure 3. Either of the latter two will give excellent results. The the amount of fluid that escapes when you pull the trigger. If HVLP gun may cost a little more, but gives less trouble with over- you unscrew knob B all the way (counterclockwise) you will

10 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 you want more or less fluid (knob B); a cally up-and-down (when the horns are wider fan spray to cover a platter, a nar- at the left and right). row one to put a fine accent band on a Compressed Air rim (knob C); or more or less air to suit You’ll need an air compressor to use with the thickness of the glaze or the size of the spray gun, but it need not be too the droplets you desire (knob A). You’ll large. A small machine with a modest be twiddling these knobs repeatedly as storage tank is okay for a few seconds of you change from pot to pot or from glaze spraying at a time. A larger compressor to glaze. is needed for continuous spraying. Check 4 You can also rotate the end of the your local home improvement store. nozzle, the part carrying the horns, so Holes in each of the two horns on either the fan-shaped spray comes out left-and- side of the spray nozzle produce two fine For more information on how to use a spray gun jets of air that mix with the fluid sprayed right (this is when the horns are at top to glaze your work, check out Roger Graham’s from the center hole. and bottom), or to get a fan shape verti- article on page 12.

find a spring underneath it, and the end of the fluid control needle will be revealed. Pull the long needle out. It has a pointed end that goes all the way through the gun, right up to the Continental Clay small hole where the spray comes out. You may sometimes need to pull this now in Colorado. needle out when washing the gun, so you can squirt water down the little Denver location opening soon. holes where it comes from. With the needle back in place, and the spring behind it, knob B can be screwed all Continental Clay glaze, clay and the way in again. Now when you try to pull the trigger, you’ll notice that equipment is currently available it only moves a little way. The needle valve opens just a tiny bit, if at all, through Smokestack Pottery. and not much fluid comes out. If you screw knob B out a bit more, the fluid needle can travel back further when you pull the trigger so more fluid comes out. n Knob C controls yet another needle valve, this time feeding air to two tiny holes in the horns on each side of the spray nozzle (figure 4). Look closely at the spray nozzle end of the gun and you’ll see it has three little holes. In the middle one, you may see the point of the fluid needle just sticking out a bit. This is where the fluid comes out. The 119 E. LINCOLN two other little holes, in the horns of FORT COLLINS, CO 80524 the nozzle, are for air only. The horns 970.484.8183 produce two fine jets of air into the mist WWW.SMOKESTACKPOTTERY.COM of emerging droplets to spread the pattern out into a fan shape instead of a narrow circular spray. The further you open knob C, the more air comes out of the horns and the more fan-shaped the WWW.CONTINENTALCLAY.COM spray pattern becomes. 1101 STINSON BLVD NE To try out a gun, put some water in MINNEAPOLIS, MN the container and try adjusting the 55413 800.432.CLAY knobs. This is not a “set-and-forget” exercise. You’ll find there are times when

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 11 How to Use a Roger Graham’s spray-glazed platter. The gradation in tone from the center to the rim would be hard to create if the glaze was SPRAY GUN applied any other way. by Roger Graham

Visitors to our pottery look at the fi nished pieces and often say inches or a bit more (see “Choosing a Spray Gun” on page “Wow. That’s a nice effect. How did you do that?” And our an- 10 for information on adjusting your spray gun’s settings). swer usually turns to talk about spray guns. While a lot of pot- In general, for a bigger pot, increase the distance, use a wider tery textbooks discuss glaze spraying, coverage is often sparse, spray pattern, more air, and more fl uid. but spray glaze application has a lot going for it if you do it n For a smaller, 6-inch wide pot, you would use less air, less right. Spraying glazes allows you to save on material costs, as glaze, and spray from a shorter distance. you can even glaze large forms with a small amount of glaze. Since you can mix smaller quantities of glaze, you’ll have room n To add a highlight of a different glaze around the rim of a in your studio to store (and therefore experiment with) a wider pot, close-up, throttle the gun back to a minimum amount of variety of glazes. Once you are familiar with the thickness of the glaze in a narrow spray pattern, and hold it about two inches sprayed glaze that gives you the result you want, you’ll be able from the rim, perhaps even less, as you rotate the pot. to repeat the results easily, and calculate how much glaze you’ll When spraying a pot, you slowly spin the turntable supporting need to use for any standard forms you make. the pot fi rst, then pull the trigger to start glazing. If you want a thick, dense coat of glaze making a narrow band around a rim, Checking the Spray Pattern but feathering out rapidly on either side, hold the gun much clos- You’ll need to check the spray pattern every time you adjust the er to the pot. No set distance suits all operations. knobs. Tip: Keep a rectangular piece of fi ber board inside your spray booth where you can give a quick spray and see what pat- Cleaning the Spray Gun tern it leaves. To change from one glaze to another, you’ll need to wash out Most of the time, you’ll want a gentle spray of fi nely divided the gun with a plastic trigger-spray bottle, the kind that can be droplets carried by just enough air to give a smooth even coat. If adjusted to make a narrow stream or a wide spray. the air control knob is open too far, you’ll get a blast of excess air If there’s any glaze left in the cup, tip it back into the glaze con- that makes the droplets smaller, but also carries many of them tainer. Point the gun into the container and pull the trigger long beyond the pot as overspray. At the other extreme, too little air enough to release last few drops of glaze. Give the glaze cup a quick results in a coarsely-divided spatter of slow-moving larger drop- squirt with the spray bottle, and spray the tiny amount of washing lets, which may be exactly what you want for some effects. water back into the glaze container too. That gets rid of nearly all of the fi rst glaze, without wasting any. Next, spray in more water, Spraying Distance but spray it out of the gun down into the sink this time. Open the Spraying glaze on a pot is not the same as spraying paint. You’ll air control (see page 10, fi gure 2, knob A) a bit when you do this, have to experiment for yourself, but here are some guidelines. to give it a good vigorous fl ush. Sometimes there’s a residue of n To spray a fl at tile or a platter, holding the spray gun a dis- sediment partly fi lling the small pipe where the gravity-feed cup tance of 6–8 inches away from the surface would be okay, screws onto the gun. Unscrew the cup and have a look. A quick with the spray pattern adjusted to a suitable width, say 3 squirt with the spray bottle will clean out this pipe too.

12 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 When it seems that how heavy the glaze is compared with pure water. For measur- glaze doesn’t come out ing the specific gravity of the glaze, use a hydrometer. Try this as fast as it should and re- link to find instructions on making a hydrometer from a plastic peated pulling of the trig- drinking straw http://members.optusnet.com.au/rogergraham/ ger clears the blockage only floating_straw_hydrometer.pdf. for a while, it’s time for more Every bucket of glaze in our workshop has the name of the dismantling. There should be glaze and the specific gravity clearly marked on the label, (usually a wrench supplied with the spray 1.35 or 1.4). Glazes get thicker with time, by evaporation, so from gun just for this purpose. Unscrew the time to time stir up the bucket, float the hydrometer, and add knurled ring that holds the horned spray water if necessary. What matters is not so much what the specific nozzle and give it a quick squirt of water to gravity is, but that it stays the same every time you use it so you clean it up. The trouble is further down, inside the get consistent results. pointed nozzle, where the end of the fluid control needle sticks out. You’ll find the special wrench has a central hole with Spraying Your Work a square bit cut out that fits over the squared end of the nozzle. You’ll need some kind of turntable or banding wheel to support The nozzle may be tight, but it does unscrew. Wash or scrape out the pot while you spray it. The idea is to slowly rotate the pot as any residue. This cleaning takes all of two minutes. you spray, and to access all sides. As you work, you need to be able to start and stop the wheel spinning, turn it slowly or not at Preparing and Storing Glazes all, by one hand alone. It’s better to set this up in a spray booth We normally sieve all our glazes with a 100-mesh sieve. An 80- but if you’re just getting started at this, do your spraying outside. mesh sieve also works to remove any particles that could clog In either case, wear the appropriate NIOSH-rated and -approved the spray gun. respirator when spraying glazes. For glazes intended to be applied by spraying, two-liter plastic Glazing different forms requires different strategies. The ex- bottles are just the thing for storage. You can shake the bottle amples here cover glazing a bowl and a platter, but can be adapt- vigorously to mix it all up, and pour out as much as you need. ed for other forms. And it’s easy to transfer any leftover glaze back into the same container, straight from the gun, with just a little rinse out from Glazing a Mixing Bowl a trigger-spray bottle. Even if the glaze is one you store in bigger This bowl will have a white glaze inside, pale talc blue outside, quantities, keep a liter or two set aside in a bottle, to save all that then a touch of a darker blue on the rim (see figure 4). Start with stirring and dipping and washing out. the inside. Evenly spray the inside to the desired thickness while rotating the bowl on the turntable (figure 1). Notice the distance Glaze Thickness between spray gun and pot. The emerging fan of spray is about If you’re spraying the glaze on, how do you know when you’ve 3 inches wide when it reaches the pot. To spray the outside of a applied enough? If the glaze is brown, do you stop when the pot cylinder-shaped pot, it’s easy to get a uniform coat of glaze all the looks brown all over? It’s easy to stop too soon, and get a glaze way down the wall, so the bottom gets as much glaze as the top. coat that is too thin and starved. But when the pot tapers outward from a narrow base to a wider For best results, it pays to measure the density or specific grav- shoulder, things get more complex. One rotation of the turntable ity of the glaze when you mix it. What you’re really measuring is while spraying the wide shoulder gives a thinner coating of glaze

1 2 3

Spraying bowl interior: use less air, less When spraying the outside of a bowl, work To add a highlight, work close to the sur- glaze, and spray from a shorter distance. with the form supported upside down. face and use a narrow spray pattern.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 13 4 5

Finished, spray-glazed bowl with a white glaze sprayed on the Diagram showing how to spray glaze onto a platter. Starting at inside and a blue glaze sprayed on the outside. A, move in an arc across the platter to point B, then from C to D.

to the shoulder than one rotation at the same speed while spray- turntable still. Apply a slow sweeping band of spray from A to B as ing the narrow base. This becomes a matter of judgment, so you shown in the diagram. Then make a quicker, lighter return stroke spray a bit longer where the pot is a bit fatter. A common mistake straight across the middle from C to D. Now rotate the turntable is to spray too little glaze right down at the bottom, next to the about a quarter of a turn and repeat. Continue this process all the foot of the pot, so you get a starved area down low. This is espe- way around. It still depends on your judgment to try and get a cially so if the pot curves away underneath, so the gun can’t spray uniform coat, but it’s easier to avoid that puddle-in-the-middle directly onto the pot from below. Spray the pot upside down, defect. When the measured amount of glaze is all gone, give the supported on a tall pedestal (fi gure ).2 cup a quick squirt of water from a spray bottle to rinse it out. Spray Next, apply a narrow band of glaze on the rim, with just a little this rinse water onto the platter, too. overspray thinning out rapidly on either side. You can do this while the bowl is still upside down to avoid getting the darker Handles and Knobs glaze inside the bowl (fi gure ),3 or you can spray from above, but It’s not easy to spray into concealed places underneath of knobs you’ll need to be careful. Hold the gun close to the rim this time on lids or handles on pots. Before you spray the main body of the and adjust the controls to give just a narrow spray, not much pot, dip a fl oppy brush with long soft bristles into the required fl uid, not much air. The darker blue glaze isn’t really a blue color glaze, and fl ood it smoothly into the diffi cult places. Feather the until it’s fi red. It relies for color on 2% cobalt carbonate, and it’s brushed glaze out at the edges so it blends in smoothly when you just faintly pink at fi rst. To make it visible while spraying, we add spray the rest. For those little crevices where a lug meets the body, a few drops of cyan printer ink to the mix. just be sure to fl ood in some glaze the same way as it would go if you dipped the pot instead of spraying. Spraying a Large Platter If you don’t do this little brush-dabbing preparation, expect to To spray a large platter, like the one on page 12, start with the un- fi nd starved areas where the spray couldn’t get in. derside. It makes sense to wax the base, and select a bat of suitable size to cover the waxed area. Shake up the glaze bottle, and transfer A Final Word glaze into the cup on the gun. This diagram (fi gure 5) gives a good Is it really worth all this trouble? Yes indeed. As your pots get example of how to approach spraying glaze onto a platter. With the bigger, the stakes get higher. If you want to glaze a big platter platter face down on the turntable, spray it evenly all around the by dipping, then you’ll need at least a couple of gallons of glaze. rim. Clean up any overspray that crept under the bat. To glaze it by pouring, maybe a quart or two. But to glaze it by Now turn the platter right-side-up, measure out the glaze once spraying, you’ll need maybe a cup at most. On this count alone, more, and do it all again. If you’ve not done this before, beware of a you can afford to experiment with a dozen glazes mixed in half beginner’s mistake here. You have this platter carefully centered on gallon (or 2-liter) batches for about the same cost as a single 2- the turntable, and as it rotates you hold the gun a suitable distance or 3-gallon batch in a bucket. And if you make notes as you go, you’ll be able to repeat your successes with confi dence so long as from the plate as it spins around. If you gradually move the gun you have a record of how much glaze was applied to a given area. from the outside of the plate toward the center, the middle of the plate will acquire a thicker pool of glaze than the rest. Five seconds Roger Graham is a potter who, along with his wife, has operated The of spray on the rotating outer part of the plate gives a medium Pottery at Old Toolijooa School in Gerringong, New South Wales, coat. The same time spent nearer the center gives a much thicker Australia, for the past 25 years. To see more of their work, visit coat. This is where you’ll have to use some judgment. Keep the http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rogergraham/index.html.

14 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 America’s Most Trusted Glazes™

Cone 05-10

“AMACO® Underglazes cover the best in the fewest coats, even over terra cotta clay.” Carol Gouthro

Portal #2 Enticement Photo: Robert Schreiber www.velvets.info

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 15 If you can’t stand the heat...get a Vent-A-Kiln! “It’s not only important to exhaust fumes from kilns. I need to remove the excess heat that rises and escapes from kilns to keep my studio comfortable without wasting money cranking up the air conditioner.” “I installed Vent-A-Kiln over 5 years ago because a downdraft system does not remove excess heat effectively like Vent- A-Kiln does. Now my studio is comfortable and free of fumes. Also, I’ve found that Vent-A-Kiln helps my kilns reach the right temperature faster with more even firing – another money s av e r.” New Report on Kiln Ventilation Facts & Figures Get your FREE copy of the test results.

Greg Link, Owner of Cone Five Pottery, Buffalo, NY, on why he uses the OSHA-compliant Vent-A-Kiln 877-876-8368 • [email protected] canopy-hood system instead of a downdraft system to remove heat, fumes and odors. Visit us at www.ventakiln.com

16 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Pinched Pitchers by Emily Schroeder Willis

The ceramic art- a significant differ- ist Greg Payce ence in the ease with once said to me, which I could create “If you can’t draw them. The simple gesture it, you can’t make it.” If of putting pencil on paper I had heard this as a student, several times to get a form right I would have scoffed and kept on made an immense impact, solidify- working as I had been, which was ing how my hands needed to move to to simply imagine the work I wanted create that element in my work when it to make in my head and struggle through trial and was time to actually build it in clay. The other reason error to execute my mental image. Now, however, as someone who I now see the importance of sketching is that my hands and builds pots primarily by pinching clay, I’ve come to see how im- fingertips need to be in tune with the physical and/or men- portant and true this statement actually is. tal image I’m creating. I use very few tools to shape my work In many ways, making pots is drawing three dimensionally; (figure 1). My fingers and my lap are my biggest tools and I creating a handle, a spout, or a profile of a pot, is like creating sometimes even use the slack of my apron in my lap to help a line in space. Drawing on paper trains your eye to see more shape larger slabs that I’m pinching into a form. So, I always thoughtfully and be more critical of your work. I found that start with a drawing of the form, and I always have that image after sketching things like spouts and handles repeatedly, I saw present when I’m making objects.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 17 process | Pinch Pitcher | Emily Schroeder Willis Process photos: Darcy Demmel Process photos:

1 22

To build a pinch and coil pot, you’ll need a few knife blades, a Press your thumb into the plum-sized ball of clay and rotate the needle tool, wooden modeling tools, scoring tools, and ribs. ball as you thin the walls.

3 4

Slowly work your thumbs to the outer edges of the pinch pot, Lay a coil on top of the inverted pinch pot after scoring the until each are uniform in thickness. attachment area and adding slip.

Beginnings ing to rolling the clay into a thick log shape about 3 inches in diameter. From there, pick up the log, squeezing and twisting it To begin the form, I pinch out a small curved disk to use as the into a slightly thinner log, roughly 2 inches in diameter, which bottom to create a foot. I enjoy surprising users when they pick also helps to compress the clay further. Make sure it’s uniform up my pots and find that the bottom is convex rather than flat. in thickness, then slowly start to roll out the coil, using your To pinch a curved disk, start with a round ball of clay about the entire hand, held flat, rather than just your palms. size of a plum, pushing your thumb into the middle of it, leav- Gently but firmly apply even pressure onto the surface of the ing about half of an inch of clay between your thumb and the coil, keeping your hands as flat as possible, yet relaxed, gliding outer wall (figure 2). Then, create the proper thickness by press- them over the surface, starting in the middle and working your ing a thumb into the clay, proceeding to rotate the ball in small, way out to the ends. If at any time the coil starts to become ½-inch, counterclockwise increments, slowly working to the uneven, simply pick it up, reshape it, and squeeze it into shape. outside edges until each area is uniform in thickness (figure 3). Be careful not to let your coils get too thin—coils should always Creating Coils be thicker than the wall thickness you want on your work. This It would be difficult to create an entire form by simply pinch- is the biggest misconception in creating coils. Some clay will ing, so I add thick coils to help shape and add height to the be removed in the processes of attaching the coil and creating work. To make coils nice and round, start shaping the coil while height. So, to achieve a wall that’s ¼ inch thick and roughly 1½ wedging the clay. Begin wedging and slowly shift from wedg- inches high, use a coil that is approximately 1 inch thick.

18 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 5 6

Cut the coil at an angle, join, then use a wooden modeling tool Use your thumbs on the exterior and your index fingers on the to connect the coil to the pinch pot along the interior seam. interior to pinch the coil up, thinning the walls and adding height.

7 8

Level and score the surface, then place another coil on top. Join After joining the inside and outside of the coil, use thumbs and it to the pot using a criss-cross motion with your thumb. index fingers to pinch the coil up, turning the pot as you work.

Attachments Next, work on attaching the coil to the exterior using the same Place the pinched base onto a banding wheel. Heavily score X motion on the exterior. After the coil is fully attached, flip the the base (I use a tool made from needles stuck into a wine piece over and push out the bottom, which usually loses some cork, see figure 1), put a layer of slip on top of the base, and of its shape when attaching the coil on the inside. Lastly, pinch rescore the slip-coated area. Take a coil, lay it on top of the the coil into its final shape so it fits the profile you want. I set slip and cut each end at a 45° angle, pushing the ends together my work on a taller banding wheel so I can see the profile of the and smoothing them over (figure 4). Then use a round- or vessel more easily. Place your hands in front of you with both straight-edged wooden modeling tool to attach the clay on the thumbs on the exterior of the vessel and both index fingers on interior of the vessel, slowly rotating the vessel with one hand the interior of the vessel. You’ll use both your thumbs and index and using your other hand as your working hand (figure 5). fingers together to dictate the shape of the wall (figure 6). Pinch Using an X, or criss-cross, motion with your left thumb, push up, almost creating a subtle vertical or diagonal spine shape on the clay down, starting at the top right, pushing down to the the vessel every 4 inches around the circumference, which you bottom left, and then lifting your thumb and pushing from can later smooth over with your fingers. If you want the shape the top left down to the bottom right (see figure 7). Repeat to roll outward, use more pressure on both index fingers and al- this motion around the entire vessel. Once the coil is properly most roll your thumbs backwards to create an arc in the form. If attached, redefine the interior space with the wooden model- you want the form to curve in, your thumbs become more domi- ing tool. nant and push the clay over both index fingers (see figure 10).

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 19 9 10

Trim the top edge of the pot with a knife before you add each coil Taper the pot in. With your thumbs on the outside, press in to remove the driest clay and to keep the walls an even height. against your fingers as you pinch the coil up into shape.

11 12 13

Create a handle by rolling out a coil to the Begin creating a spout by rolling out a Gently shape an arch to the lip as you appropriate diameter, then pinch up along short, tapered coil, scoring the rim of the pinch the coil up to create the spout. the length to flatten and create a spine. pot, and adding the coil.

Adding Layers, Creating Form The most important element in making pinched work is patience. rib creates a finer scored area. Placing the coil on top, continue to It takes several days to create larger forms, so it’s best to work on attach the coil as in the first layer using the X motion with your multiple pieces at once. To add another coil of clay, the work must thumb (figure 7), then pinching up to gain height. When you are be sufficiently dry, but slightly softer than leather hard. This can ready to add another coil, level of the pot using an X-Acto knife take anywhere from three hours to a whole day depending on (figure 9) and then repeat the process. the humidity/temperature/sunlight/air circulation in your work Tip: Once the base of the vessel has been established, I find it space. If you try adding a coil too early, it will be difficult to con- easier to shape a vessel that is going to flare out by attaching the trol the shape because the bottom can’t support the weight and the exterior of the added coil first, that way while I’m smoothing out pressure of the new coil. If you wait too long, the clay will be too the interior coil, I can begin to push the shape out. As long as I dry to manipulate into shape. Make sure that everything is as close work with soft clay, I don’t have problems with cracking. If I want to the same level of dampness before adding more coils. the vessel to curve in, I instead attach the added coil on the interior Before adding on more coils, trim off a thin layer of clay, leveling first and pinch up while applying more pressure with my thumbs off the pot (see figure 9). This removes the area that is usually drier on the exterior (figure 10). By doing this, when smoothing out the than the rest of the vessel, creating a slightly more malleable area exterior coil, I can begin to push the vessel in and not worry about to add a coil to. Additionally, it allows the vessel’s height to increase ruining what I have just shaped. To dramatically bring something at the same rate all around. Add a layer of slip on the exposed edge in, I really compress the clay as I’m pinching, almost as if I’m trying and score it with a serrated rib. I use a serrated rib rather than the to squeeze it together. I find that if I overcompensate on flaring or cork needle tool because the coil’s edge is thin, and the serrated constricting the form, it usually ends up spot on.

20 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 14 15

After you fi nish pinching and shaping the spout, cut the lip Cut the coil handle to length, thicken the ends, score and slip down to the desired height and shape with an X-Acto knife. the attachment points, then join the handle to the pitcher body.

CHOOSING A CLAYBODY I prefer to work with porcelain, ﬁ nding the smooth- ness excellent for capturing each mark my ﬁ ngertips impress into the clay. I love the fresh bright palette I achieve through glazing when I use porcelain. I now use Porcelain For The People by Matt and Dave’s Clays (www.mattanddavesclays.com) because it’s a great color and they can ship 30 pounds of clay in USPS Ex- press boxes, so I sometimes can get the clay delivered to my door within three days of placing an order.

Creating a Spout To create a spout, roll out a short coil that is tapered on each end. Score and slip the area where it will be attached and place the coil on the slipped area (fi gure 12). When attaching the coil, gently shape an arch into the lip imme- The fi nished, fi red pitcher with multiple layers of glaze decora- diately (fi gure 13). Using a X-Acto knife, cut the lip down to the tion and resist decoration, ready to be put to use. desired height (fi gure 14), and shape and smooth it over with your fi ngers, creating a gradual and soft curve. Making a Handle Finishing Up Making a handle is very similar to making a coil. The thickness Attach the handle by fi rst placing a ruler across the top of the of the coil depends on the size of the object it will be attached pitcher so that one edge bisects the spout and rests on the opposite to. Cups and pitchers require handles of different thicknesses. rim. Mark the rim of the pitcher where the handle should be at- For a tall or medium-sized pitcher, make the coil about 1 inch tached, then score and slip the top and bottom attachment points. in diameter. Start at the bottom of the coil and pinch up, creat- Attach the top part of the handle fi rst, then, making sure that the ing a spine up the middle of the coil (fi gure 11). Then, place the arc of the handle and its length are appropriate, recut the bottom coil between your thumb and forefi nger, fl attening out the coil of the handle and proceed to attach it (fi gure 15). a bit more. Cut the ends of the coil at a 45° angle, tapping the Once fi nished, let the piece dry under plastic for at least three ends to thicken them, making them easier to attach later. Hold days and slowly open the plastic up over a series of days until it’s the handle up to the vessel, checking the proportions and cut- completely dry. ting it down to size. Then, bend it into the desired curve and Emily Schroeder Willis is an artist and instructor living in Chicago, Illinois. lay it on the table to dry suffi ciently so you can attach it later To see more of her work, visit www.emilyschroeder.com. Darcy Demmel is a without ruining the shape. photographer living and working in Chicago: www.darcydemmel.com.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 21 Unique, one-of-a-kind kilns – just like YOU! Custom-designed kilns for your unique, custom-designed ware.

Olympic designed Matt’s front-loading kiln inside dimensions of 16” wide x 16” deep x 20” high with a Bartlett Matt Ellison, artist and Instruments digital controller (V6-CF), designer of the 3-zone control and maximum firing GurglePot™ uses his range cone 10/2350°F. Olympic custom front loader to fire The kiln provides ample space to fire prototypes of new designs and glazes. larger items yet can set on a tabletop To learn more about surface. Matt and his work, email See what Olympic Kilns can do for you! [email protected].

www.greatkilns.com (800) 241-4400 • (770) 967-4009 fax (770) 967-1196 email [email protected] or [email protected]

Cone 6 Oxidation Glazes ... how did we do that ?

Teapot Mugs & photo by Sharon Greenwood

Visit our website for details. www.georgies.com

22 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 A QuinntessentiAl VAse

by Brenda Quinn

Developing forms that have a utilitarian function and a dynam- The designs for my work come out of a number of prac- ic design is like trying to solve an evolving equation with an tices. I begin with sketches of forms and patterns, and often elusive answer. For me, this equation becomes more complicat- pull ideas from various historical sources. My current body of ed with the addition of an ever-expanding range of functions, work started with an assignment I had given to my students, techniques, and glazes to my working vocabulary. The chase for challenging them to combine handbuilding and wheel throw- a solution is engaging; so much so that I’m often interjecting ing with consideration for the unique visual qualities each of more variables into my process in order to keep the chase go- those techniques carry with them. This idea evolved as I being. This is why I love learning new techniques and processes. gan incorporating a slumping process into my work using an It’s like building an inventory of possibilities in my mind. I ap- octagonal mold to create a vase. The mold was originally used preciate how making the same form using different techniques to make a platter. After creating the platter, it was easy to see yields distinctly different results. the potential in the form to become other vessels.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 23 process | A Quinntessential Vase | Brenda Quinn All photos: Keith Renner Keith All photos:

1 2

Cut out an octagonal template. With the template supported, Cut away excess clay, leaving only an inch of overlap. Tap the drape a slab onto the mold. clay, mold, and support on the table causing the clay to slump.

3 4

Using the mold board as a support, fl ip the leather-hard slab Trim the clay to the line left by the board. Draw and cut a line over and remove mold board. across the middle of the piece.

5 6

Use a rasp to create a 45° bevel on the edges of the two pieces. Attach a 2-inch-wide slab to the piece while it’s supported by Score and slip the edges of the piece. foam. Pinch the slab to shape and refi ne the form.

7 8

Score and slip the pinched slab and connect the other half of Flip the piece so that the opened side is facing down. Add a coil the slumped slab. to the base to create a foot.

24 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 9 10

Turn the piece over and add coils to the rim of the opening. Cut the rim into a scalloped edge or desired pattern, and pinch Pinch to combine the coils and add texture. the edges to refi ne them.

11 12

Create and attach four small handles and four small petal forms. Use your fi nger or a brush to dab underglaze to the sides. Glaze Attach two to each side by scoring and slipping. the sides, let dry, and wax the glazed area.

13 14

Draw a pattern onto the glaze with a pencil. Brush wax over the Pour glaze over the belly and let dry. Continue the pattern onto glaze then remove excess glaze from other parts of the piece. the belly. Brush wax over the glaze and drawing and let dry.

15 16

Carve away the wax and glaze on the drawn lines. Use a brush Brush diluted underglaze into the carved lines. Use a sponge to to remove wax burrs and glaze dust, then clean with a sponge. lift off excess underglaze, let the piece fully dry, and fi re it.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 25 Start with Slumping Since we want an even, symmetrical, concave curve, tap it a few To create this slab- and coil-built vase, you fi rst need to cut an more times, then rotate the mold and tap it again. Repeat rotat- octagon out of paper to use as a slump-mold template. A va- ing and tapping until you reach a desired depth. The thickness of the slab you use, the plasticity of the clay, and the shape of the riety of rigid materials can be used to make the mold, includ- cutout determines the depth (fi gure 2). ing cardboard, foam board, or wood. I often make molds out Once the slumped slab reaches leather hard, put a bat on top of cardboard and if I want to repeat a form numerous times, I of it and fl ip it over (fi gure 3). Cut away the extra clay and draw a use foam core, which is sturdier and holds up longer to the clay line to use as a guide to cut the piece in half (fi gure 4). and multiple uses. When choosing what material to use for your mold, take into consideration the size of the cutout—the larger Adding Handbuilt and Pinched Elements the cutout is, the sturdier the material should be. The forms I’m Use a rasp to make 45° angles on the edges of the forms (fi g - making are no bigger than twelve inches, and I often retire a ure 5). Score and slip along the edge of the pieces, lay one of shape after a few uses, making it unnecessary to use a more per- the pieces with the concave side facing up on a piece of foam manent material. to support it and add a two-inch-wide slab of clay to the en- Next, trace the paper template onto your mold board, and allow tire slipped and scored edge, except the longest edge. Pinch- at least an extra two inches of board around the cutout to provide ing the slab ensures a strong connection and creates texture to support during the slumping process. Using a sharp knife, cut the contrast the smooth surfaces of the slumped slab or you can shape out and mark the side of the board that you cut from—en- make a seamless connection and a smooth surface if desired. suring you use the side providing you with a more accurate shape. Use your fi ngers to form a corner at each of the octagon’s points Find a bucket or box with an opening slightly larger than the size (fi gure 6). Score, slip, and lay the other half of the octagon on of your cutout, to support the edge of the mold as you work. top of the slab and repeat this same process (fi gure ).7 Allow the Make a slab that is at least fi ve inches larger than the cutout. entire form to stiffen under plastic. This helps to even out the Tip: At this point you can texture your slab or to make it smooth. moisture content and prevent the joints from cracking apart. Carefully lift the slab and place it with the fi nished side facing Next, turn the piece so it sits with the open side down. Score, down in the mold (fi gure ).1 Trim away some of the excess clay, slip, and add a coil to build the foot (fi gure 8). Make sure the but leave an even ledge of clay about one inch wide around the foot is sturdy enough to physically and aesthetically support the edge of the cutout. This even lip helps the clay to slump evenly in weight of the piece. the mold. If you leave too narrow a strip of clay, the clay may shift After the foot stiffens, fl ip the vase over. Score and slip around and fall into the opening during the next step. the rim and add a thick coil. Pinch the coil to connect it to the Firmly grab the mold, slab, and support under it, lift them up, base and to thin it out, moving the clay up. Continue adding coils and tap it onto the table to force the clay further into the mold. and pinching until the piece reaches the desired height (fi gure ).9

Brenda Quinn’s slump-molded and handbuilt vase, porcelain, underglaze and glaze, fi red in oxidation to cone 6.

26 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Brenda Quinn’s slump-molded and handbuilt vase, porcelain, underglaze and glaze, fi red in oxidation to cone 6.

Consider the Details From Start to Finish or light-colored liner glaze into the vase and over the outside of the top portion. Remove excess glaze on the slab area of the vase. Using a ruler, level out the top. Finish the top edge in a number Using a pencil, draw the pattern you want on the glaze sur- of ways, such as the scalloped edge shown here (fi gure 10). I often consider the two-dimensional design on the surface when face, then protect the area with wax (fi gure 13). Repeat these steps making choices about the three-dimensional aspects of a form. on the belly of the vase, drawing a pattern after glazing with a Knowing that I’ll be drawing a pattern that has a leaf image semi-matte, darker glaze (fi gure 14), then covering it with wax. with a ruffl ed edge led me to choose a more organic edge for The glaze and wax need to dry for at least an hour—the longer it’s the top. Looking for ways to tie three-dimensional and two- allowed to dry, the less fragile the wax will be. Use a mini-ribbon dimensional aspects of a piece together can help bring unity tool to carve away the wax and the glaze over the drawn lines (fi g - to a piece. ure 15). This creates dust so wear a mask. Use a stiff-bristle brush Lastly, make and attach four small handles to the sides of the to gently knock away wax burrs and glaze dust in the carved lines, piece. Using small pieces of clay, I model four petals that are at- and a damp sponge to blot the piece and pick up excess dust. tached to the bases of each handle (fi gure 11). I like the way ap- Water down a darker underglaze and inlay it with a brush into pendages add visual movement to a piece and also provide a place the carved lines (fi gure 16). Use a damp sponge to blot away ex- for an accent color when glazing. After these pieces are attached, cess underglaze. I choose not to put glaze on top of the under- allow the vase to dry slowly under plastic then bisque fi re it. glaze as this leaves the underglaze somewhat raised and a little rough, creating a nice contrast to the smooth glazes. Surface Enhancements This multi-technique process can be used to create an endless After cleaning the bisque-fi red surface with a clean damp number of forms. A great way to expand on your own designs is sponge, use your fi ngertip or a brush to dab on dots of a light- to make numerous slump molds of various shapes and use those colored underglaze, covering the ends of the piece (fi gure 12). parts as building blocks for new forms. By taking a slumped slab, Pour a colored transparent glaze over the dotted sides. Once looking at it from all angles, and thinking of cutting it into small- the glaze is dry, cover the glaze with wax to protect it from any er pieces or adding coiled sections, you will be able to visualize additional glaze layers. Remove any excess glaze from the sur- how versatile these pieces can be. rounding areas by scraping it off and then sponging it clean. Next, dab on more dots of a light-colored underglaze to the top Brenda Quinn teaches ceramics and visual arts at The Fieldston School in the Bronx, New York. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and in- portion of the vase, both inside and out. Tip: Hold the vase at a ternationally. She currently maintains a studio in her home in Mt. Vernon, slight angle so the dots pool to one side, creating an interesting ef- New York with her husband, two daughters, three cats, and two guinea fect and bringing depth to the fi nished glaze surface. Pour a clear pigs. You can see more of her work at www.brendaquinn.com.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 27 Distributed by: Manufactured by:

The Folk School changes you.

engaging hands and hearts since 1925. come enjoy making crafts and good friends on 300 natural, scenic acres in western north carolina.

John C. Campbell Folk SChool folkschool.org 1-800-Folk-Sch BraSSTown norTh carolina

28 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Pasta plate, 14 in. (36 cm) in diameter, earthenware with white majolica glaze over black glaze, 2012. RING AROUND THE PLATE by Russel Fouts

Making handbuilt plates can be diffi cult, because low, wide forms (fi gure 6). Following the edge of the bat, use a cheese cutter to are prone to warping. To prevent this from happening, you can trim off the rounded outside edge fl ush with the bat (fi gure 7). make bisque-fi red ring forms to support your plates while work- Finishing the Ring ing on them. Here is a variation on a technique demonstrated by Canadian potter Walter Ostrom. To gauge the width of the plate ring, the angle of the horizontal rim surface, and the height, you’ll need to create a profi le tem- Getting Started plate out of an old credit card (fi gure 8). The template works To make a 12-inch ring, start with about six pounds of wedged better and faster than calipers do. The short vertical cut is the clay and roll it into a thick coil. Toss it on the table several times height of the inside rim of the ring. The longer vertical cut is on each side to widen it out, then roll it back into a coil close the height of the outside rim and the longest horizontal cut to the diameter you want for making the initial ring (fi gure 1). is the width that will support the wide rim of the plate. Go The size of the ring you make depends on how deep you want around the circumference of the ring to mark a line, then go the plate to be and how wide the rim will be. Tip: It’s important over it again with a pin tool to make the cut (fi gure 9). Remove to have the coil a fairly even thickness so the ring is more likely the clay and the ring is essentially fi nished. The ring is 14 inches to be even when you fl atten it out later. (35 cm) in diameter on the outside and 10 inches (26 cm) in Place the coil on a 12–inch bat and then put it on a banding diameter on the inside after drying and fi ring. This will make a wheel (fi gure 2). The coil should overhang the edge of the bat by deep dinner plate with a wide rim. a few millimeters. Overlap the ends and cut diagonally through After the ring is leather hard, clean the edges and round them them both to remove the extra clay and provide a good surface off so they are less likely to chip. Keep the outside edge as square as for joining. Slightly wet one side, rub it a bit to work up some possible so it doesn’t trap clay during drying and cause it to crack. slip, then join the two pieces together (fi gure 3). Now, put the The inside edge should be rounded to make a nice transition from ring and bat on a wheel and refi ne the shape. the bowl of the plate to the rim. Use the template to check the 1 For the next step, create a tool by wrapping a ⁄4 piece of brick angle and the height of the leather-hard ring (fi gure 10). I’m not in a chamois (fi gure 4). Press the brick in a regular motion go- worried about accuracy or repeatability here—the template is just ing around the ring to fl atten the coil down at a slight angle a rough guide. The rim rises as it dries and drops again when it’s toward the center of the ring. Do this quickly and in three or fi red so the ring are never be exactly the same even if they’re ini- four passes (fi gure 5). I like to leave the paddled texture on tially made the same. My main concern is that they don’t warp. the surface, although it can be removed. Any texture here will Before the plate ring dries, make an undercut around the bot- end up on the underside of your plate rim. Note the angle of tom of it with a pin tool and then wire it off. Keep the plate on the surface that supports and forms the wide rim of the plate the bat until it’s dry enough to be handled without deforming.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 29 process | Ring Around the Plate | Russel Fouts

1 2

Roll a coil for the initial ring depending on how deep you want Overlap the two ends, cut diagonally through them both, and the plate and how wide you want the rim. remove extra clay.

3 4

Slip the ends and join them. Put the ring and bat on a wheel Create a tool by wrapping a chamois around a small chunk of and throw it to fi nish the shape. brick or wood.

5 6

Beat the coil at a slight angle, toward the center, in a regular A view from the side showing the angle of the surface that will motion around the ring. Do this quickly in 3–4 passes. support and form the wide plate rim.

30 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 process | Ring Around the Plate | Russel Fouts

7 8

Use a cheese cutter or a sharp knife to trim off the rounded, Cut a template shaped and angled to the size you want the outside edge. plate ring to fi nally be. Use it to mark a trimming line.

9 10

Cut and remove excess clay from the plate ring’s interior circum- Use the template to check the angle and height of the ring. ference. This will form the base of the plate. Round the inside edge to smooth the sharp corner.

11 12

Wire under the ring, dry it, remove it from the bat, then bisque fi re Put the ring on a bat, then on a banding wheel. Roll out a slab it ﬂ at. Finished rings can be used separately or stacked together. and place it over the ring. Form the base using a soft sponge.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 31 13 14

Cut off the extra clay around the edges using a sharp knife or a Add texture and create a frame by angling a roller slightly for- cheese cutter. ward and very slightly inward while turning the banding wheel.

or fl exible rib (fi gure 12), being careful not to make marks. You can make the well of the plate any shape you want here; either straight or angled walls. After the well is formed, pat the rest of the slab onto the rim. Once the plate is formed on the ring, cut off the extra clay around the edge (fi gure 13). Creating a Textured Rim One benefi t of this method is that you can add texture to the rim with stamps, a roulette, sprigs, or whatever you want to use. I make the rims without any curves so they are fl at and I can use my roulettes on them (see Russel Fouts’ article in PMI, Nov/Dec 2012, p.9). You can also add texture to the slab before you put it on the plate ring, but it’s easier to texture it with the added sup- 15 port and to maintain the detail of the texture. I’ve gone around Pat the rolled edge down. When the plate is a hard leather hard, the rim with the roulette, trying to keep even pressure. Note: put it face down on foam and trim the underside. Flip it to dry. It’s a little tricky to use a cylindrical roulette on a circular form Test the plate ring at the leather-hard or the greenware stage since you have to make incremental turns as you roll it. by making plates on it to see if it’s what you want—sometimes When you roll the roulette, the pressure causes some of the they may need a slight modifi cation. Fire them fl at and slowly. clay to squeeze out over the edge of the ring, and creates a raised One great thing about this method is that using one ring makes edge where the rim ends and the well begins. This edge defi nes a deep plate but if you stack two rings, you can get a deep pasta and frames the texture, so use a small roller to smooth it out. plate (see fi gure 11). When stacked, you can really play around Angle the roller slightly forward and inward and keep it in this with the shape of the well—straight sides, angled, curved, wide position while you slowly turn the banding wheel. As you turn bottom narrow bottom, whatever. the banding wheel, the clay is forced against the roller and, because of the angle, it rises to form a very thin lip. It only takes Using Plate Rings a few turns and not much pressure. Repeat this process on the Start with a good amount of wedged clay and roll out a slab large outside edge (fi gure 14). Pat the rolled edge down and over so enough to overhang the ring. If you want to make a plate that’s they look alike (fi gure 15). deeper, stack rings on top of one another (fi gure 11). When cut- When the plate is leather hard, place it face down on foam and ting a slab to use with the ring, leave the diameter a little wider so trim the underside edge where the plate rested on the plate ring. there’s a slight overhang onto the plate ring. This accommodates Flip the plate back over onto a bat and put another bat on top of the movement of the clay that is pressed down into the well in the the fi nished plate to slow the drying and to keep the rim from ring. Put the ring on a bat on a banding wheel. The bat supports rising too much as it dries. Leave the bat on top until the plate the bottom of the plate if you have to move it around during the is dry. The bat is very light and doesn’t mar the face of the plate. drying. If you’re worried about the bottom of the plate sticking Russel Fouts is a potter in Brussels, Belgium. He specializes in a technique to the bat, put a piece of newspaper between the ring and the of smoke fi ring in his electric kiln and is founder of Pot Fondlers Anony- bat. Carefully place the slab over the plate ring. Form the well mous. He is also available for workshops. For more information visit of the plate by patting the center of the slab with a soft sponge www.mypots.com. He can be contacted at [email protected].

32 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 ou throw doe y sn’ IG you throw d t m B ch oe a w u s… tt o m e r. H ow H

T h y e t n o ra nl ar y w w he ear el with a 10 y

(800) 374-1600 • www.brentwheels.com

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 33 No other kiln can match a Cone Art feature for feature. 32% less HEAT LOSS The original true cone 10 kiln since 1982

2.5” brick plus 1” insulation Double Wall Construction

WEEKEND, ONE-WEEK AND TWO-WEEK WORKSHOPS Patented Lid Lifter System 2013 INSTRUCTORS: LINDA ARBUCKLE • Lift the lid with one finger on CURTIS BENZLE • NICHOLAS BIVINS • 10 sided models and larger MARGARET BOHLS & SUZE LINDSAY • SUNSHINE COBB • ANDRÉA KEYS Angled control panel CONNELL • SUSAN FILLEY & LEAH for easy viewing LEITSON • DEBRA FRITTS • MEAGAN 3 Zone Control at no extra CHANEY GUMPERT • JASON HESS • charge NAN JACOBSOHN • SARAH JAEGER • Sectional Design KATHY KING • JENNY MENDES • BRIAN Floor element for more NETTLES • RONAN KYLE PETERSON • even firings ANGELICA POZO • JUSTIN ROTHSHANK • PAUL ANDREW WANDLESS For your next kiln make the responsible decision! www.coneartkilns.com GATLINBURG, TN • 865.436.5860 Contact us for the dealer near you. www.tuckerspottery.com Dealer inquires welcome. Cone Art Kilns Inc,. WWW.ARROWMONT.ORG Tel: 905.889.7705 Toll free: 1.800.304.6185 Email: [email protected]

34 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Cone art kiln ad.indd 1 19/01/12 4:01 PM by Greg Daly

A glaze (a thin layer of glass that has been fused onto a ceramic surface) is SiO composed of three parts: 2 Flux Al2O3 1. Silica (SiO2 melts at 3110°F (1710°C)), forms a glass when melted. Stone- ware glazes typically melt at 2336–2372°F (1280–1300°C) and earthenware typically at 1940–2012°F (1060–1100°C). 2. A fl ux is used to lower the melting temperature of the silica. Without the A balanced glaze addition of fl ux in a glaze, silica would remain an unmelted powder at these temperatures. Flux SiO2 3. Alumina (Al2O3), is used to increase the viscosity of the glaze and give it Al2O3 SiO stability on the pot (i.e. to stop the glaze running). This allows the glaze 2 to have a broader fi ring range. Consider a glaze that melts to a clear, shiny surface. (Temperature is unim- portant for this exercise, but think of a stoneware glaze for this example.) The Satin glaze materials that make up this glaze perform a balancing act; if one is out of balance then the glaze will no longer be clear and shiny, but milky, opaque, or even Flux matte. Imagine the three components of the glaze: silica, alumina, and fl ux— SiO2 when combined to create this clear glaze they are in balance, with the right SiO2 Al2O3 proportion of fl ux to melt the silica and alumina; but if we introduce more of either of these materials, we upset this balance and the glaze is no longer clear. If the fl ux is increased, there will be insuffi cient silica to combine with the Matte glaze extra fl ux and thus it is not taken into the solution. As the fl ux increases the glaze becomes fi rst opaque then matte. The same applies for silica and alu- SiO2 Flux Al2O3 mina: increase the silica or clay (silica/alumina) content of a glaze and the Flux same effect will be created. It may be likened to dissolving salt in water: you reach a point where the water can absorb no more salt and the salt remains as undissolved particles; whereas if you warm the water, more salt will be taken Satin ﬂ ux glaze e.g. dolomite glaze into solution. It is the same for a glaze: increase the fi ring temperature and you will again have a clear glaze. Imagine the beam balance in the diagram SiO2 (fi gure 1) with silica and alumina on one side and fl ux/fl uxes (a glaze can and Al O 2 3 Flux usually does have more than one fl ux) on the other side. Add more silica and Flux an imbalance occurs; increase the fl ux and it tips the scales the other way, up- setting the melt of the glaze again. Matte glaze e.g. dry barium matte (80% barium) Excerpted and adapted from Developing Glazes by Greg Daly. © Greg Daly 2013. Co- published by Bloomsbury Publishing, Great Britain and The American Ceramic Society, 1. A balanced, clear glaze being unbalanced Westerville, Ohio, http://ceramicartsdaily.org/bookstore. by the addition of silica and ﬂ ux.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 35 Simple Additions to a Base Glaze Once we have a base glaze, we want to know what colors it MID-FIRE GLAZE (LEFT) will produce with various metal oxides. There are two ways Nepheline Syenite ...... 25 % to gain this information for use in developing your glazes. Whiting ...... 12 The first is to take your base glaze, apply it to a test tile, then Calcium Frit ...... 38 brush an oxide solution over the glaze. This will show you Kaolin ...... 6 the color response from the oxide and show you also if the Silica ...... 19 glaze will be good for brushwork. Some glazes will give a 100 % blurred result, others a clean crisp line. Tip: To gauge the strength of the solution, use newsprint paper to test your MID-FIRE GLAZE (RIGHT) brushstrokes—if you can’t see the print through the stroke, Nepheline Syenite ...... 60 % the solution is strong; if you can see the print through the Barium Carbonate ...... 30 stroke, it is medium; and when you can clearly see the print Lithium Carbonate ...... 5 and just the tone of the oxide, it is weak. Note that all oxides Kaolin ...... 5 have different strengths. Do a test of the different oxides and 100 % their strengths on a glaze, record notes of the print strokes Additions to both glazes from top to bottom: for future reference. Iron Oxide ...... 3 % The second way to test your base glaze with oxides is as Iron Oxide ...... 10 % follows. Start with a dry mix of the base glaze, then add the Cobalt Carbonate ...... 1 % different oxides to the base. In figure 2, iron, cobalt carbon- Copper Carbonate ...... 4 % ate, copper carbonate, nickel oxide, and rutile are used as Nickel Oxide ...... 3 % additions to the 100g base. Other oxides or glaze stains can Rutile ...... 10 % be added or substituted in the test to see the color response. Further tests can be done using greater or lesser amounts, but these are average amounts to get you started. 2. Average amounts of metal oxides When the results come out, you can mix up larger amounts added to two different mid-fire glazes and fired in oxidation. or use a line blend system (see p. 38), to further explore an oxide test response that looks promising. You will save time this way, and testing goes quicker.

A B Square Blends Square blends are a system for developing glazes that use either four raw materials, four glazes, or a combination. In each corner tile—A, B, C, and D—there is 100g of the chosen material or glaze. The rest of the tiles show combinations of these ingredients. Square blends can test four raw materials (figure 3) or four different glazes (figure 4–5) or four of the same glaze with different colorants in each. A square blend with a mix of four raw materials will give you numerous base glazes from which to develop color. In blending four materials together, the different proportions in each test give a unique mix and glaze character and make it possible to obtain a complete range of base glazes with surfaces that are shiny, satin, satin to matte, matte, and dry (figure 3). Suggested combinations for four corners of a stoneware glaze square blend include: A: feldspar; B: flux; C: clay; D: silica. In one corner, any base glaze may be used while another may have a base glaze from a different temperature. A majority of tests from this one square blend will often give you base glazes that can be used without further development. C D 3. Square blend of four raw materials: A: nepheline syenite, B: lithium carbonate, C: barium carbonate, and D: 50/50 silica/kaolin. Fired to 2336°F (1280°C). in reduction.

36 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Square blends with a mix a four different glazes (you can apply making an enlarged square blend of 121 tests using smaller in- this blend to any temperature) will yield changes in colors and crements of materials, which will give a more complete picture tones, especially if you do two sets of tests, one for an oxidation of the changes in the blend. firing and one for a reduction firing (figures 4-5). After all, the The ingredient amounts for the square blend chart (figure 6) glazes are already made up; another set doesn’t take long to do were determined by a calculating a series of line blends that run and will give you double the feedback. both horizontally and vertically. This chart was used in mixing From a simple square blend of only 25 tests, expanding a sec- the small glaze and ingredient batches for the square blends in tion that looks particularly promising is the next step, or perhaps figures 3, 4, and 5.

A B A B

C D C D 4. Square blend of four glazes. Fired to 2336°F (1280°C) 5. Square blend of four glazes, fired to 2336°F (1280°C), fired reduced from 1562°F (850°C). in oxidation.

A B GLAZE A GLAZE B 1 2 3 4 5 Nepheline Syenite ...... 38 .00 % Soda Feldspar ...... 36 .0 % A 100 A 75 A 50 A 25 B 100 B 25 B 50 B 75 Whiting ...... 9 .00 Whiting ...... 17 .0 Barium Carbonate ...... 9 .00 Frit ...... 13 .0 6 7 8 9 10 Frit ...... 9 .00 Kaolin ...... 8 .0 A 75 A 56 A 37.5 A 19 B 75 Kaolin ...... 5 .00 Silica ...... 26 .0 C 25 B 19 B 37.5 B 56 D 25 Silica ...... 30 .00 100 .0 % C 19 C 12.5 C 6 D 6 D 12.5 D 19 100 .00 % Add: Copper Carbonate . . . . . 0 .5 % 11 12 13 14 15 Add: Chrome ...... 0 .25 % Tin Oxide ...... 2 .0 % A 50 A 37.5 A 25 A 12.5 B 50 C 50 B 12.5 B 25 B 37.5 D 50 C 37.5 C 25 C 12.5 GLAZE C GLAZE D D 12.5 D 25 D 37.5 Soda Feldspar ...... 36 % Nepheline Syenite ...... 40 % 16 17 18 19 20 Whiting ...... 17 Whiting ...... 20 A 25 A 19 A 12.5 A 6 B 25 Frit ...... 13 Kaolin ...... 10 C 75 B 6 B 12.5 B 19 D 75 Kaolin ...... 8 Silica ...... 30 C 56 C 37.5 C 19 Silica ...... 26 100 % D 19 D 37.5 D 56 100 % Add: Iron Oxide ...... 2 % 21 22 23 24 25 Add: Cobalt Carbonate ...... 1 % C 100 C 75 C 50 C 25 D 100 D 25 D 50 D 75 C D 6. Standard 25-tile square blend. A,B,C, and D can refer to any four materials or glazes.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 37 Line blends Line blends are one of the most useful methods by which to blend two materials together, such as an oxide or stain into a glaze base, or even two glazes together. Within these variations there is more flexibility in how they can be used to give quick and easy responses. A number of variations will show how you 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Potash feldspar can use this method for blending. This is probably the most 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 Barium carbonate valuable system for finding out simply and quickly what the 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 8 9 10 11 response is between two materials. Potash feldspar 30 20 10 0 Barium carbonate The first line blend (figure )7 is a mix of a potash feldspar and 70 80 90 100 barium carbonate with a copper brushstroke on the left edge. The eleven tiles in this group show a variety of surface finishes. The copper brushstroke changes in color as the barium increases. Several test tiles would be worth examining in an expanded line blend, as there is a radical change between the two surfaces. The second line blend (figure 8) examines the effect of basalt line-blended into a stoneware base glaze, (potash feldspar 40, whiting 20, kaolin 10, silica 30). Notice on the third tile from the 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Base glaze left that the change to 5g basalt (similar to a slip clay) and 9g base 100 95 90 85 80 75 70 Basalt glaze gives a delicate iron green (celadon). 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Base glaze 55 45 35 25 15 5 0 Above right: 7. Line blending potash feldspar and barium car- Basalt bonate. Right: 8. Line blending basalt and a base glaze. 45 55 65 75 85 95 100

Further Development: Grid Test A grid test is a method of further testing your glazes for responses with other glazes. It is a simple and easy test that will demon- strate a glaze’s response under and over another glaze—essential information when working with glaze-on-glaze decoration. First you need to choose the glazes you would like to test. A combination of gloss, satin, and matte can give surprising results. Line up the several glazes and mark the back of the tile, listing the glazes in order (figure ).9 Indicate which glazes are applied under and which over by use of an arrow and ‘U’ or ‘O’ marks, as well as whether it is reduced or oxidized. The glazes are applied across the tile in lines; divide up the tile first using a pencil, as this will help keep the lines the same width and make easier to distinguish 3 1 later. Apply the glaze ⁄4–1 ⁄4 inches wide.

Final grid glaze tests done in an under and over brush pattern. When you are done, turn the tile 90° and repeat the application, using the same order of glazes. A thicker application can be applied in the very center, again giving important information on glaze thickness. The tiles can be any size from 4 inches square to 12 inches square. Fire the tiles to the recommended glaze temperature and record your results. A useful technique to enable you to better see the colors and surface effects from the grid tests is to look at the test through a hole in a piece of paper. The paper acts as a frame and allows you to see only a small area of the tile. You will see colors and effects that may well have been overlooked when viewing the whole surface pattern and color. This approach will allow you to see the results more clearly, while imagining what the small area would 9. The application of a grid test. look like over a larger area on a pot.

38 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Spectrum Glazes A Fresh Focus For Familiar Fired Finishes

A new ridged tile design shows how our textured glazes break over uneven surfaces. Below are new tiles for our entire Cone 4/6 1100 Series Glazes. For full-size images of the tiles see: http://www.spectrumglazes/whatsnew.html

1100 1102 1103 1104 1106 1107 1108 1109 1110

1111 1113 1115 1117 1118 1120 1121 1122 1123

1124 1126 1127 1129 1131 1132 1134 1135 1136

1137 1138 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146

1147 1148 1149 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156

1157 1158 1159 1161 1162 1164 1165 1166 1167

1168 1169 1170 1171 1172 1173 1176 1177 1180

1181 1182 1183 1184 1185 1186 1187 1188 1191

1192 1193 1194 1195 1196 1197 1198 1199 SPECTRUM GLAZES INC. ● CONCORD, ONT. ● PH: (800) 970-1970 FAX: (905) 695-8354 www.spectrumglazes.com ● [email protected]

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 39 30-Minute

Teapotby Yoko Sekino-Bové

Making a teapot is considered a milestone for many people learning pottery, and it’s often presented as an intellectual challenge. While some get intimidated and struggle to complete their first one, making a teapot becomes easier and more fun the more you make. Teapots are an exercise in designing a three-dimensional structure as well as studying function, proportion, and surface decoration. This 30-minute teapot project offers an opportunity for instructors to talk about teapot mechanics, while al- lowing students to experiment with design elements. It seems easier for my students to make their first teapot with handbuilding techniques because they have more control over the forms and sizes. I consider this a good exercise before proceeding to more complicated, time- intensive projects. Construction of this soft-slab project is finished in one class session without coming back to trim or

40 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 1 2 3

Elevate a bisque mold onto a support, Fold or dart the slap so it conforms to the Attach a knob to the teapot body, then cut then drape a slab over the mold. mold, then cut excess from the bottom. out the lid.

4 5 6

Poke strainer holes into the body. Attach a Attach handle, score teapot bottom and Smooth the join area with your finger tube of clay for the spout. base slab, and place body onto the slab. then use a fettling knife to clean the edge.

clean. The teapots will be ready for bisque firing a day or two 2. Roll out a slab. Make the slab big enough for the body, after construction, so it’s entirely possible for students to com- bottom, handle, and spout of your teapot, depending on plete the whole project within a week. the size of mold. Since the teapot will be built using soft 10 Steps to a 30-Minute Teapot slabs, the slab should be approximately ¼ inch thick. Save the leftover clay for a knob, supports for propping up the 1. Gather tools and materials. You’ll need clay; a fettling handle and spout if needed, and decorations. knife; a rolling pin or a slab roller; a dry sponge; a rubber or metal rib; a scoring tool; chopsticks; as well as paint- 3. Create the body. Cut out a section of the slab roughly brushes, stamps, and other decorating tools. To form the large enough to cover your mold. Drape the slab over the slab teapot, you’ll need a bisqued or plaster dome-shaped elevated mold (figure 1). To make the flat sheet fit to the hump mold, and a container to put the mold on. Lastly, it mold, either tuck and fold the excess clay or cut darts from is helpful to have a piece of cardboard to support the bot- the edges and reattach the edges, adding a thin coil to rein- tom of the teapot on to make moving it around easier. force and patch up the join. Cut excess off the bottom using

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 41 A variety of teapots can be made quickly using the same basic bisque mold. These can be finished pieces, and can also be made as a brainstorming exercise to quickly sketch out an idea in three dimensions. Teapots shown were made during a teapot workshop at California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania. Participants were members of the Art Education Club. Top row from left to right: Johnathyn Simpson, Caitlin Sowers, Andrea Alvarado. Bottom row from left to right: Megan McAlpine, Maria Lopresti, Jim Bové and Yoko Sekino-Bové.

the rim of the mold as a guide (figure 2). When pressing the don’t need to use slip or water to attach it, the clay gets too clay against the mold to make it conform to the shape, do soggy and starts collapsing. Later, you will have a chance not push the clay down with your fingers; use a dry sponge, to insert a support under the spout if the angle is a con- a rib, or the palm of your hand to pat gently instead. This cern (figure 4). helps keep the slab thickness even. 7. Make a handle and attach. It’s safer to attach the handle 4. Make the spout. With brush handle or chopstick, roll while the body is supported by a mold if possible, to mini- up a thinner sheet of clay into a tube. Rock the spout gently mize distortion. If the handle is a tube structure, make sure on a flat surface to make it look even and round. Make a few there is a hole to release the air. Once the handle is added, spouts to choose from. it’s safe to remove the body from the mold. 5. Attach the knob, cut out lid. The knob can be any 8. Attach the bottom. Place the bottom on cardboard, style you choose (figure 3). Use a fettling knife to make the score around the edge where the body sits, and add slip to lid cut and make the cut on an angle so that the lid has sup- the scored edge. Score the bottom edge of the body, remove port and sits on the body. Cutting the lid on an angle like it from the mold and attach it to the bottom (figure 5). this removes the need for a gallery to be added to the body. Clean up the seams after joining (figure 6). The lid can be an organic shape to indicate the direction, 9. Finish the details. Place supports under the spout and or you can put little matching marks on the lid and body to handle if needed. Place a piece of paper in between the sup- line it up. After removing the lid, drape a little strip or two port and the handle or spout so that it does not stick. Make of newspaper on the body to prevent the lid sticking to the a small air hole on the lid to allow liquids to pour more body (see image 5). smoothly. Attach a stopper on the bottom of the lid to pre- 6. Attach the spout. Hold the spout up to the body, vent the lid from falling off when the teapot is tilted. and mark an outline around it where it will attach. Set the 10. Dry. Sometimes the lid will not fit if it was separated during spout aside, then make several small strainer holes within the drying process due to warping. It is safer to let the whole the outlined area. Small holes maintain the wall strength teapot dry and go through the bisque firing as one piece. better than one big hole, minimizing the chance that the form could warp or crack. Score the marked areas on the Yoko Sekino-Bové is an artist and instructor living in Washington, Penn- body and the spout before attaching. Push the spout firm- sylvania. In addition to contributing to PMI, she has written for Ceramics ly onto the body and make sure there is a good seal. You Monthly magazine. To see more of her work, visit http://yokosekinobove.com.

42 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 43 the potters kitchen | Food and Clay Rhubarb Crisp Baker by Sumi von Dassow

1 2 3

After throwing a ring of clay, use a Once the ring has stiffened, use your Cut a slab to fit the bottom, score, slip, needle tool to cut about ½ inch inside hands to shape the ring into a square and join both inside and outside and the base to create a small foot or rectangle. add handles.

By springtime my green thumb gets really itchy. I’ve gotten my circumference is pi (3.14) × diameter—so a circle with a 10-inch seeds and maybe I’ve been able to dig beds. There will be nothing diameter has a circumference of 31.4 inches. An 8-inch square, to harvest yet for weeks, but green things are starting to come up. with four 8 inch walls, requires 32 inches total—pretty close to One of the earliest edible plants to produce a usable crop is rhu- the circumference of a 10-inch circle. A typical stoneware clay 1 barb, and by March we may even see it pushing little pink fists shrinks 12½%, which is ⁄8th the total. So an 8-inch fired pot is through the earth and unfurling crumpled leaves. Time to start 12.5% smaller than the original. To find the original size, divide thinking about making a baking dish for rhubarb pies and crisps! 8 by .875 to get 9.13. If you begin this project as soon as you see the rhubarb starting to emerge, you can have it fired and glazed in plenty of time to Roll the Bottom try ceramic artist Sarah Jaeger’s rhubarb crisp recipe. After you make your clay ring, set it aside to stiffen up while Every cook needs a square or rectangular baking dish, which you make a slab. I like to throw my slab on the wheel using a is perfect for lasagna and brownies since you can make square couple pounds of clay—a table or a slab roller with work just as servings. Crisps and crumbles are scooped out of the dish with a well. I roughly center the clay, then flatten it across the bat with spoon, so they don’t really need to be baked in a square dish, but the heel of my hand. it’s fun to make a square dish anyway. For this baking dish, you Assemble the Baker can use glazed porcelain, stoneware, or earthenware clay. Once both the ring and the slab are dry enough to handle, Throw and Alter the Ring lift the ring from the bat and shape it with your hands into a Make a squared baker out of two parts—a ring and a slab. Start square or rectangle (figure 2). If you really want it exact, use a with about two pounds of clay and throw a short, wide cylinder dividing web (you can buy one or make one from directions with no bottom. Tip: You don’t need to be scrupulously careful on Ceramic Arts Daily, http://bit.ly/dividingweb), but I do it about making sure this ring has no bottom. If you try too hard by eye. Place the reshaped ring on your slab and draw around to pull all the clay across the bat, you could pull it completely the outside with a needle tool, remove it, and cut out the off the bat! The ring should be 2½ to 3 inches high, though shape with a sharp blade. Doing this avoids marking the re- exact height is not critical. When you’re done, use a needle tool shaped ring with your cutting tool. Besides, you need to score to cut a groove ½ inch or so inside the base to separate it from and slip both the top of the slab and the bottom of the ring the excess clay in the center of the bat (figure 1). This creates a to join them. Or even better, scrub both pieces with a tooth- foot inside the ring that will be used to join it to the slab that brush dipped in Magic Water, making sure to work up a good forms the bottom. amount of slip. (Make Magic Water by mixing one gallon of If you want to aim for a specific size, say 8-inches square, you water with 3 tablespoons sodium silicate and 1½ teaspoons need to do a bit of math. To turn a circle into a square, start by of soda ash). Place the squared-off ring back on the slab and figuring out the circumference of your circle. The formula for smooth the two pieces together by working the foot you left

44 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Bake a Crisp

Sarah Jaeger’S rhubarb CriSp

Fruit Topping 3 8–10 cups diced rhubarb (or combine with ⁄4 cup unsalted butter 4 strawberries, huckleberries, apple, etc.) 2 cups flour Sumi’s glazed rhubarb baker with Sarah 1 cup sugar (more or less, to taste) 1 cup rolled oats Jaeger’s rhubarb crisp. 3 Grated zest of one orange ⁄4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon cinnamon inside the ring into the slab (figure 3). Use 1 1 ⁄3 cup cognac ⁄3 cup nuts (slivered almonds) fingers and a rib to smooth the two parts to- pinch of salt gether on the outside. It’s a good idea at this 1 egg point to add some kind of handle; whether it is pulled, extruded, or cut from a slab is up to you. Handles will make it much easier to Mix the fruit, orange zest, and sugar. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cognac remove the baker from the oven. Allow the and add it to the fruit. baker to fully dry, bisque fire it, fully cover it In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the with food-safe glazes, and finally fire it to the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed (pea size). Add the rolled recommended clay and glaze temperature. oats and almonds. Break the egg into a small bowl, beat it lightly, then add Check out the link under this article’s title at it to the dry mixture to bind it loosely. http://bit.ly/ovenware for more info on mak- Place the fruit in oven-safe baker, then spread the topping over the fruit. ing ovenware. Bake at 350°F for approximately 50 minutes. Sumi von Dassow is an artist, instructor, and frequent contributor to PMI. She lives in Golden, Colorado.

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 45

BAT LIFTER $ 95 5 EACH 626.794.5833

Gives you the power to remove any sticky bat or heavy wheel throwing work off the wheel head with confidence! PORTABLE WEDGING BOARDS

THOUSANDS ARE SOLD. GET YOUR TODAY! STARTS AT: $54 95 Check out the digitalCheck edition of this issue at potterymaking.org Available at your local ceramic supply store or visit us online at xiemstudiotools.com

 tM MKM stAMps4CLAY  HANDBUILT

September 20-22, 2013 Create amazing Pots      Demonstration   Inspiration Conversation

A Down to Earth Event to Benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund Demonstrators    Lana Wilson  Vince Pitelka Chandra DeBuse MKM sTs-T1 Mitch Lyons Sandi Pierantozzi Also Featuring: MKM sTs-07 MKM sTs-R2 • Exhibition “Philadelphia Clay” •Techniques, tips & advice Each stamp has two designs, one at each end.  •Tools, community, new friendships  Booths 113, 115 at NCECA in Houston  Montgomery County Community  College in suburban Philadelphia Online shopping  Now Available!    Organized by Sandi Pierantozzi 920-205-2701  MKMpotterytools.com  [email protected]  Phone:  920.205.2701 Information and Registration:  E-mail: [email protected] Email: [email protected] www.sandiandneil.com

46 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 InDEx to ADvERTISERS Aardvark Clay ...... 45 Amaco and Brent . . . . Cover 2, 15, 33 Arrowmont School ...... 34 Atlantic Pottery ...... 47 Bailey Pottery ...... 1 Bennett Pottery ...... 5 Bracker’s ...... 16 Carolina Clay ...... 47 Chinese Clay Art ...... 46 Clay Art Ctr/Scott Creek ...... 34 Continental Clay ...... 11 Coyote Clay ...... 7 Dolan Tools ...... 47 Evenheat Kiln ...... 43 Georgies ...... 22 Great Lakes Clay ...... 47 Handbuilt/Pierantozzi ...... 46 Custom Ceramic Molds – For nearly 20 years, Herring Designs/SlabMat ...... 47 Petro Mold Company has been designing molds for some of the world’s most renowned Highwater Clays ...... 43 ceramic artists and potters. Our innovative J .C . Campbell Folk School ...... 28 molds will help you improve productivity with your popular designs. We set the highest K-12 Natl Ceramic Fdn ...... 28 American quality standards with our sculpt- Kiln Doctor ...... 47 ing, mold manufacturing and design services. L & L Kiln Mfg ...... Cover 4 Visit us today at www.custommolds.net or (800) 404-5521. Larkin Refractory ...... 43 Master Kiln Builders ...... 47 Great New Handbuilding Templates! Devel- oped by Sandi Pierantozzi. A set of 24 du- Mayco ...... Cover 3 rable, flexible, laminated templates to create MKM Pottery Tools ...... 46 Circular & Conical Forms. Perfect for Potters or Teachers! www.CircleMatic.com. Mudtools ...... 22 Olympic Kilns ...... 22 WiziWig Profile Ribs shape consistent profiles into your clay. Throw a cylinder, use a Wiz- Paragon ...... 9 iWig Rib, and “instantly” have a mug, beer Peter Pugger ...... 16 stein, wine goblet and more! Great for sets! Potters Council ...... 45 www.WiziWigTools.com. Randolph Arts Guild ...... 45 WiziWig Cavity Sticks go into unimaginable Sheffield Pottery ...... 43 places at many different angles. WiziWig Sticks provide tools with small points and Skutt ...... 2 unique shapes. WiziWig Sticks allow pot- Smith-Sharpe ...... 28 ters to get into the “nooks and crannies” and shape the clay where their fingers can’t reach. Spectrum Glazes ...... 39 www.WiziWigTools.com. Touchstone Ctr ...... 46 Atlantic Tucker’s Pottery ...... 34 Pottery Supply Inc. van Gilder Pottery ...... 47 www.potterymaking.org Vent-A-Kiln ...... 16 www.atlanticpotterysupply.com Xiem Gallery ...... 46

PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 47 (1) trail lines around (2) start drawing (3) complete the (4) draw a trailed bounding the shoulder crosshatch lines crosshatch lines line below the crosshatch

(5) add a single zigzag line (6) create a second zigzag line (7) add parallel diagonal above the crosshatch above the crosshatch lines below the zigzags

(8) add a second double zigzag line below the crosshatch

Banding decoration designed by South African (9) add shading lines (10) add solid color to potter Mutshekwa Litshira. Adapted from The Clay or color to the design finish the design Sleeps: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Three African Potters, Richard A. Krause, 1985, © The University of Alabama Press. African Banding Decoration

48 PotteryMaking Illustrated | March/April 2013 Cone 5-6 America’s Most Trusted Glazes™ Potter’s Choice

PC-1 PC-2 PC-4 PC-12 PC-20 PC-21 PC-23 Saturation Metallic Saturation Gold Palladium Blue Midnight Blue Rutile Arctic Blue Indigo Float

PC-25 PC-27 PC-28 PC-29 PC-30 PC-32 PC-33 Textured Turquoise Tourmaline Frosted Turquoise Deep Olive Speckle Temmoku Albany Slip Brown Iron Lustre

PC-34 PC-35 PC-36 PC-37 PC-39 PC-40 PC-41 Light Sepia Oil Spot Ironstone Smoked Sienna Umber Float True Celadon Vert Lustre

PC-42 PC-43 PC-46 PC-48 PC-49 PC-50 PC-52 Seaweed Toasted Sage Lustrous Jade Art Deco Green Frosted Melon Shino Deep Sienna Speckle Potterschoice.info

PC-53 PC-55 PC-57 PC-59 PC-60 Ancient Jasper Chun Plum Smokey Merlot Deep Firebrick Salt Buff Valuable Features

Mercury-Free Contactors Door Gasket for superior door seal Hercules. The Hercules is the potter’s dream come true. When you look at the many built-in durability and performance features you will appreciate its true value.

Safety Door Switch Door Elements for Even Heating Arched roof made of K25 extra-strong firebrick, 5” of multi-layered insulation, Door Elements, Hard Ceramic element Holders, DynaTrol with Dynamic Zone Control, Door Safety Switch, Integrated Stand, Thick (1/8”) Welded Steel Powder-Coated Case, Three-Year Limited Warranty, and much more... hotkilns.com/hercules-kilns

Thick Welded Steel Case 4-1/2” K25 Full Arch

L&L Kiln’s patented hard ceramic element 505 Sharptown Rd, Swedesboro NJ 08085 holders protect your kiln. Toll Free: 888.684.3232 Fax: 856.294.0070 [email protected]