Coiling - Vases Introduction to Coiling Coiled pots are constructed by gradually stacking and joining coils of clay one on top of the other. The coils can be left visible or can be smoothed away depending on your desired aesthetic end result. It is important that the coils join well during construction to avoid cracking or separation during the drying and firing process. Images sourced from online websites: https://img0.etsystatic.com/007/0/6861290/ il_fullxfull.365126604_tfhg.jpg https://www.etsy.com/listing/106719297/ ivory-colored-coil-vase?ref=related-0 Information on coiling: http://www.lakesidepottery.com/Pages/ Pottery-tips/Making-a-clay-coiled-pot- Lakeside-Pottery-Tutorial.htm suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Coiled Vase - Rough Shape VASE TOP VASE NECK PATTERNED AREA SMOOTH AREA VASE BASE OVAL BASE suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Making clay slip Step 1 Find a plastic tub that can be sealed. I have used a soup pot! This is so that you can close it up and not worry that it will dry out. Step 2 Use fresh clay out of the bag and tear off wee bits and place them into your container. Step 3 Once you have enough clay, add normal tap water. Just fill to the height of your clay. It doesn’t need to be perfect, you can add more clay later if needed. Step 4 Begin to squeeze the clay through your fingers and repeat until the clay and water reaches the consistency of single cream. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 How to build coils Step 1 Use the cheesewire to cut 2-3 inches deep into a bag of clay. Then quarter the clay using a potters knife. Step 2 Take your quarter chunk of clay and begin to shape it into a thick sausage. Do this by gently squeezing the clay in your palms. Step 3 Squeeze the clay so that it’s a couple of inches thick. Step 4 Place the clay onto the table and begin to roll from the centre outwards, applying gentle pressure as you move along. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 5 If your clay is not rolling out equally try and twist opposite ends (so it looks like a sweetie shoe lace or drill-bit!) and roll again. Step 6 Keep rolling until the width of the clay is about an inch thick. Step 7 It’s best to make quite a few before you begin to work on your pot. This is so you don’t have to keep stopping during the construction of your pot. Clay Extruders There is a clay extruder that can do the job too, but I find making the coils more organic and satisfying! The extruders can be tedious to clean - especially if someone previous has used red earthenware clay! suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Coil Vase - Method (Plastic) Part 1 Step 1 To make the OVAL BASE, cut off a large chunk of clay and roll out using a rolling pin. Roll this out to the thickness of about an inch. Step 2 Roughly draw out your oval shape using either with a pencil, then cut into using a potters knife. Remove the excess clay on the outside. The excess clay can be put back into your clay slip! Step 3 I prefer to use a potters wheel to build my pots on - this is because you can rotate it more easily when you begin to construct. Place a sheet of newpaper underneath your clay, this is so it can be moved off with ease later on. Step 4 Now score lines at an angle using the potters knife, being careful not score too deeply into the clay. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 5 Now score the clay again but now going the opposite way so the scores criss cross over each other. Step 6 Also, repeat this scoring onto one of your clay coils. Step 7 Apply your clay slip onto the criss cross scores areas on your OVAL BASE. Clay slip only needs to be applied to one side. Step 8 Place your coil onto the base, with the criss cross scores facing the base. When the coil overlaps, cut straight into using a potters knife. Remove excess pieces of clay and this should mean it sits flush as one layer/level. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 9 Score each of the edges of your coil and apply clay slip. Step 10 Push the two edges together so that they join. Step 11 Smooth off the join using your finger, so it looks like it was one continuous coil! Step 12 Apply a bit of pressure on the top to make sure that the two pieces of clay are joining. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 13 Use your finger to push part of the coil into the base on the inside of your vase. Step 14 Repeat this all around the inside. Step 15 Now use your finger to smoothen the clay inside. This method has now securely joined the two pieces of clay together. Step 16 Score into the clay the same as before and apply clay slip. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 17 Place a coil on top and remember to score your edges when you are joining ends together. Apply clay slip. Step 18 Remember to criss cross your clay coils. Smooth the inside the same as before and repeat the coiling process until you reach a desired height. Step 19 As you build higher, it can be difficult to smooth the inside. Get a small amount of clay from the bag and roll it into a mini sausage/ coil. Place this into the gaps and apply pressure, then smoothen it out using your finger. This method is great for patching up areas that are thin and also adds strength. Step 20 When you have reached the desired height, then that is as far as we’ll go with height of it! We want the bottom of the vase to harden (mid-leatherhard), so we can continue to build higher next time. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Coil Swirls Step 21 So now we are going to make our 4x Coil Swirls. These will be placed onto our vase in the following week when the bottom is mid-leatherhard. They will half go into the bottom of the pot. We will make 4 just now, so that by next week, it is mid leatherhard and will be stronger to work on top with the rest of the swirl coil pattern. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 22 Roll out your coils but this time, make them thinner than before - about a cm. Step 23 Start turning your coil and apply gentle pressure. Step 24 Once you have reached the desired size, just cut off the end at an angle and smooth off using your finger. Step 25 Repeat this process until you have 4 roughly similar swirls. Place them onto a wooden board and wrap well with cling film and plastic bags. By next week, the clay should be harder and easier to handle for the next stage! suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Coil Vase - Method (Mid-leatherhard) Part 2 Step 26 Make some new coils (see last week’s handout on how to do this). Prepare a minimum of 4 new coils and set aside. Step 27 Get fresh clay from the bag and make very small mini coils (or I call them sausages!). Step 28 Push hard the soft clay sausages into the gaps between the coils on the outer of your vase. Pushing hard will stop the air being trapped inside the two layers of clay. Step 29 Then smoothen the clay using your finger. Repeat this process until all of the gaps are filled and smoothed off. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 30 Your vase should be leather hard enough to turn upside down and still hold it’s shape. It is easier to finish off the sausages on the bottom when it is upside down. Step 31 Once your vase has been smoothened all over, use a metal kidney and begin gently scraping away the clay on the outside. Take your time! Step 32 You can also use the metal kidney to level out the edges on the base and then smoothen over with your finger. Step 33 It took me 20 minutes to achieve this! So please take your time to do this. Don’t be too hard with the kidney or you’ll dig a hole into the clay or remove too much! Just repeat over the same area again and again. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 34 Take one of your swirls that you have made last week. This should be leatherhard now. Place it onto the central front part of your vase. Take the needle tool and gently score into the clay around the swirl. Step 35 This will give you a rough idea of where to cut the clay. Step 36 Use a potters knife to cut inside the score. Remove the excess piece of clay. Step 37 Now carefully cut the clay until it reaches the score. Place your swirl back in to see if you need to shave more off. suew/ceramicart_eveclass/coilvase/notes15 Step 38 Once you have reached the desired size, smooth off the edges using your fingers. Step 39 Only score 2/3 onto the surface of the area where the swirl will sit in. Step 40 Score your swirl too and apply your clay slip to both scored surfaces. Step 41 Place your swirl in and apply pressure to make sure it joins - push both pieces of clay together.