DIY Network

Creating a Second Box Creating a Second Box From "Throwing Clay" episode DTHC-107

Figure A

Master potter Bill Van Gilder is making lidded boxes. So far, he has thrown a practice cylinder and demonstrated how to collar and close it off to make a sealed form (figure A).

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Next, he threw a wide cylinder, approximately 6" tall, from a 2-1/2-lb. block of clay. He closed it and shaped it to make the first box; he cut a groove, or gallery, in the side for the lid; he made a small hole in the gallery so the air can escape as the box dries to leather hard. Now he's ready to throw a second box from a 2-lb. block of clay.

1. Because the shape is low and wide, he starts the collaring process as he throws the cylinder. Collaring at this stage of creating the bowl is easier for the potter (figure B).

2. The top is too tall; before he closes it off, he lowers it by pressuring lightly with his outside fingertips, countering them on the inside with his middle finger (figure C).

Figure B

Figure C

3. He closes the form off completely (figure D). He's left with a tiny hole at the top, which he can push down, forming a closed space (figure E). He must be very careful when closing the space this way: pushing down too hard can cause the box to collapse.

Figure D

Figure E

4. Next, Bill smoothes the outside with the stiff edge of an old credit card and gives the box its final shape (figure F).

5. With the form finished, he cuts the gallery. Using a medium wheel speed, he very slowly pressures the end of the needle tool approximately 1/4" into the form. There is a tendency at this point to want to remove the burrs and rough edges that form as the gallery is being cut, but they aren't cleaned up until the leather-hard stage (figure G).

Figure F

Figure G

6. He cuts the box loose from the wheel head with the cutting tool, sets it on the ware board and pierces the gallery, creating an air-release hole. The form is left to dry stiff-leather hard, like hard cardboard. When the boxes are dry, the lids will be separated from the boxes (figure H), the bases (feet) will be trimmed, alcoves will be cut in the feet and knobs will be added as needed (figure I).

Figure H

Figure I

7. To trim the boxes, Bill throws a chuck on the wheel head. The chuck has to be level, sturdy and approximately 1" thick. It also has to have a very dry top surface (figure J).

8. He sets the first bowl upside down on the chuck and trims the foot of the first pot with a light, angled cut, creating a beveled edge. He smoothes the edge with a damp sponge and burnishes it with a soft rubber rib (figure K).

Figure J

Figure K

9. To create the alcoves, Bill uses one of his unique cutting tools, a cheese cutter, which has had the straight wire replaced with a wiggle wire, a type of wire he makes in his studio (figure L). He first marks the beginning and end of each cut, approximately 2" in length, with his fingernail, then cuts the alcove with the cheese cutter. He softens the sharp edges of the cuts with his fingertips (figure M).

Figure L

Figure M

10. Boxes often dome outward as they dry, creating a wobbly base. Bill counters this possibility by pushing down slightly on the base of the box (figure N).

11. Next, he turns the box right side up and centers it on the chuck so he can cut the lid from the base. To make sure the box is properly supported during this step, he presses down lightly on the top of the box with a dry hand (figure O).

Figure N

Figure O

12. Using the needle tool, he places it at an angle at the top of the beveled cut, and as the wheel turns, he lets the tool score around the box top, using light pressure. He lets the tool score the clay until the lid releases from the box, then lifts it off and sets it aside (figure P).

13. He cleans the rim of the box with the trimming tool, then carefully trims the walls so the lid will make a perfect fit. He trims carefully, removing small sections of the wall clay as he works, testing the fit of the lid as he trims, until the fit of the lid matches the rim of the box (figure Q) (figure R).

Figure P

Figure Q

Figure R

RESOURCES :

Kilns
L & L Kilns
Website: www.hotkilns.com

Clay
Highwater Clays
Website: www.highwaterclays.com

Extruders
American Art Clay Co. Inc. (AMACO)
Website: www.amaco.com