DIY Network

Throwing the Colander Bill Van Gilder begins the process of making a colander by throwing the bowl shape. From "Throwing Clay" episode DTHC-110

Throwing a colander from stoneware clay is easier than you might think. Master potter Bill Van Gilder has been throwing functional and decorative clayware for more than three decades; it's his life's work and his passion.

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A colander begins with one of the most basic pottery shapes made on the wheel – a bowl. Most of the pottery shapes made on a potter's wheel begin as either a flat, bowl or cylindrical form. Bill's making this bowl form with a number of variations. It will be cut to have a tall foot, wide rim and a series of patterned holes (figure A). Holes punched in the rim create a hanging option for this handy kitchen tool (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Tools: (figure C)

4-1/2 lbs. clay
bat and bat pins
ruler
soft rubber rib
wooden rib
cut-off wire
trimming tool
hole-cutter
banding strap
sanding pad
8" leather shoelace
wax resist emulsion
glazes

Throwing the Shape

1. Bill places a 4-1/2-lb. piece of stoneware clay on a bat. The bat gives him the freedom to move the bowl off the wheel head without disturbing its shape. He centers the clay and establishes a foot that's 5"-6" wide. Next, he opens the clay, leaving the base approximately 1" thick. The base is approximately four times as thick as a normal bowl, but here it has to be thick to let Bill carve the foot (figure D).

2. He starts the bowl shape at the very center of the clay. There is no flat area to this form; the fingertips of the left hand start in the very center of the clay, gradually moving up to the rim. As they come up the walls of the bowl, they lighten their touch on the clay. Bill keeps a large amount of clay along the flat rim; it's both a design element and a useful tool for holding on to the bowl (figure E).

Figure D

Figure E

3. He continues to draw the wall upward to the rim, forming the bowl and watching the width of the bowl as he builds the wall. Size is an important part of this design. The colander needs to be approximately 10" from rim to rim (figure F.)

4. Bill flattens the rim by pressuring the clay from the bottom with his outside fingertips and from the top with fingertips inside the form, as he stretches the clay outward (figure G).

5. With a sponge, he periodically removes water from inside the bowl. The form is fairly straight-sided at this point, so he uses a soft rubber rib to put the final curve in the form. He starts in the center of the clay and moves outward and upward, working lightly with the rib, as his left hand supports the outside of the clay (figure H).

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

6. As a decorative element, he uses the tip of a wooden rib to create grooves in the rim (figure I). As before, he supports the outside of the bowl as he makes the markings. When the markings are in place, he cleans the area with a damp sponge, removing any burrs or rough areas that might be on the clay (figure J).

7. After a final cleaning inside the form, he cuts a groove at the foot of the bowl and removes it from the wheel, leaving it on the bat to dry stiff-leather hard (the consistency of hard cardboard) (figure K).

Figure I

Figure J

Figure K

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