| Pitcher Spout and Handle |
| Bill Van Gilder adds the spout and the handle to the pitcher. |
From "Throwing Clay"
episode DTHC-109 |
|
|
Master potter Bill Van Gilder is making a pitcher. So far, he's used 2-1/4 lbs. of clay to throw a tall cylinder. With a very light touch, he bowed out the sides and created a firm rim. Newspaper placed over the damp rim helps trap air inside the form, which in turn helps preserve its shape as it is set aside to begin drying.
Now Bill is ready to add the spout and handle.1. He dips a finger in water and rubs his finger back and forth over the rim where he'll stretch out the rim thickness (figure A), then smoothes out the area with a sponge. He uses a dry left hand and a wet right-hand index finger as he holds the rim and stretches the thinned clay downward to the shape of the spout (figure B).
2. To give the liquids that will pour through the spout more direction, Bill stretches the clay out on both sides (figure C).3. The top of the pitcher has become oval shaped. Bill pushes it back into a slightly round shape, which borders on a slight triangular shape and redefines the edge of the spout (figure D).
4. The throat of the pitcher, under the spout, has to have a gentle curve. Bill creates the curve with an index finger, gently shaping the throat from the inside of the lip (figure E).5. After the pitcher dries stiff-leather hard, Bill throws a level 3/4" clay pad from a pound of clay; the pad will support and protect the top of the pitcher as he trims the base. He dries the pad with the stiff edge of an old credit card; if the pad stays wet, the pitcher will slide off the pad's surface (figure F).
6. Before putting the top of the pitcher on the pad, Bill has to compensate for the high ridges at the lip. To do this, he cuts away a section of the pad. He can now place the high points of the spout in the blank space on the pad while the base stays level, keeping the trim level and even (figure G).7. He uses the trimming tool to gently shave the extra clay from the base of the pitcher and shape the foot, before beveling and rounding the edges (figure H).
8. A damp sponge is used to add water to the surface of the pitcher (figure I), before the surface is burnished with a rubber rib (figure J). Wherever Bill touched the surface with the trimming tool, he created roughness; he uses the rib as a smoothing tool to smooth the trim marks.
9. Bill cleans the wheel with a towel before starting on the handle, which is made from a pound of clay. He shapes the clay into a fat coil, dips one end in water and pulls the end downward, stretching it lengthwise. Next, he tears off a piece of the elongated clay and places it on the wheel, which he has again wiped clean (figure K).10. The handle will be located directly across from the spout. Bill makes two small guide marks at the rim to indicate where the handle will fit. He wets the area around the marks and where the bottom portion of the handle will fit (figure L).
11. With dry hands, he picks up the handle, holding it over the index finger and supporting it with his thumb (figure M). With his left thumb and fingers, he pulls off the roughness from the end, wets the end surface of the handle, creating a tacky surface on the end of the handle. Using the guide marks as a reference and pressure from his thumb, Bill attaches the handle and, using his fingertips, gently blends the edges of the handle into the pitcher surface (figure N).
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
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
