| Assembly of the Cup and Stem |
| Now that the cups and stems are leather hard, Bill Van Gilder is ready to combine them. |
From "Throwing Clay"
episode DTHC-112 |
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Master potter Bill Van Gilder is making wine goblets. So far, he's thrown a small rounded cup from 12 ounces of clay. He used a pointer tool to help ensure the cups are all the same size (figure A). Next, he threw a stem from another 12 ounces of clay. Starting with a wide base, he pulled a very narrow, tapered shape, with a flared rim. Using a notched wooden rib, he cut decorative grooves in the base to give shape to the stem. He threw a second set of goblet pieces to match the first set, before setting everything aside to dry leather hard. Now that the pieces are dry, he's ready to combine them into goblets (figure B).
1. First, he dips the rim of the stem in water to soften it while he trims the cup. He then trims and shapes the cup, after inverting it on the wheel and securing it in place with three small coils of clay.2. He trims and smoothes the cup base with a trimming tool before using the serrated edge of a rib to add texture to the base (figure C). The texture will help bond the two pieces of the goblet together (figure D).
3. Next, Bill stops the wheel and places the stem on the cup. With the wheel turning very slowly, he gently taps the stem into place, making sure it is both level and centered.4. When the stem is centered on the cup, Bill smoothes the rough edges where the pieces meet with a soft rubber rib (figure E). He also burnishes the side of the cup where it was trimmed and smoothed (figure F).
5. The rim of the foot is next trimmed and smoothed before being burnished with a rubber rib (figure G).6. The stem was made hollow, with closed ends. If the stem were left hollow during firing, the clay stem would shrink and crack at the point where it joins the cup. To prevent cracking, Bill cuts a hole in the center of the foot with a needle tool, then softens the edge with his fingertips (figure H).
7. He smoothes out any rough spots on the goblet with the trimming tool, gives a final burnish to the surface and adds his signature stamp, or chop, to the goblet. 8. Bill removes the coils and uses a potato peeler to create straight, flat facets in the stem. He holds the goblet with his middle finger directly over the stem and places the peeler at the top of the stem before pulling it firmly and rapidly down the clay, faceting the clay in a rhythmic fashion, trying not to stop until faceting is complete (figure I). 9. After faceting the stem, Bill uses a fingernail to help define the bottom of the facets (figure J).
10. Finally, he uses a sponge to smooth any rough surfaces and clean the rims and sets the goblets aside until the set is bone dry (figure K). 11. When the goblets are bone dry, he loads them into the kiln for the bisque firing. The kiln will fire for 10 to 12 hours and cool for at least 24 hours before the goblets can be unloaded and glazed (figure L).
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
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