DIY Network

Garlic Jar Lid Bill Van Gilder has finished throwing the jar; now he makes the lid. From "Throwing Clay" episode DTHC-206

Master potter Bill Van Gilder is making a garlic jar, composed of three parts.

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Figure A

First, he threw a cylinder from 1-1/2 pounds of clay, keeping the rim thick. He then split the rim in half by pressing down with his thumb as he supported the outside with his fingers. Next, he shaped the cylinder into a rounded form before adjusting the neck to measure 3-1/2" across from inside rim to inside rim. He removed excess water from inside the jar and cleaned up the edges with a sponge. Bill is now ready to throw the lid off of a hump of clay (figure A).

1. He centers a 1-pound lump of clay and, tucking his right hand underneath the rim, creates a doughnut shape in the top of the clay. Next, he pressures down in the center and pulls the clay out in a bowl shape.

2. He measures the bowl and adjusts it outward, approximately 1/4" (figure B). Keeping his movements small to the point of being incremental, with his outside fingers tucked up underneath the lid just slightly, he compresses his fingers in the bowl and pulls the clay outward (figure C). When the lid is correctly sized to fit the jar, it should be just slightly less thick than the 1/4"-thick walls of the pot (figure D).

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

3. The rim is also kept rather sturdy: because it is the part that comes in contact with the jar, it needs to be strong.

4. Bill uses the point of the undercutting tool to create a groove underneath the lid. The cut-off wire fits in the groove and strikes, or separates, the lid from the lump of clay. Bill wets his fingertips, slides them underneath the lid and sets it aside with the cylinder to dry until stiff-leather hard (figure E).

5. When the pieces are hard, Bill uses a looped trimming tool to trim and soften along the base of the jar (figure F). He trims the pieces on a clay slab (figure G), trimmed round and marked with centering guidelines (figure H).

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

6. After trimming the surface, he uses a damp sponge to smooth the clay surface before a rubber rib burnishes the clay (figure I).

7. Bill cuts a keyhole in the clay pad and places the lid on the pad. The keyhole gives him an edge by which he can lift the lid off the pad when he's finished trimming. He trims the lid, not flat, but with a slight arch; he's trying to copy the inside shape of the lid, which is domed. Because the trimming tool raises the aggregate in the clay, after trimming, Bill smoothes the clay with a fingertip (figure J).

8. Next, using the point of the undercutting tool, he creates a small scoring mark on the top of the lid. The scored area will make it easier for the wet clay knob to grip the bone-dry clay lid (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