DIY Network

Covered Butter Dish: Throwing the Dish and Lid Creating a ceramic covered butter-dish, Part 1 of 4 From "Throwing Clay" episode DTHC-208

Creating a covered butter dish can be both complex and rewarding. Master potter Bill Van Gilder has thrown more than 250,000 pots during his career. One of his favorite groups of pottery is kitchenware, which he designs and throws with both function and flare (figure A).

His covered butter dish is made from two shallow bowls. The base has a wide rim, which has been split to hold the lid in place. The first dish has a lid with a thrown knob; a second dish will have a sculpted knob (figure B).

Figure A

Figure B

advertisement

	Figure C
	Figure D

Tools:

20 oz. (1-1/4 lb.) ball of clay
2 1-lb. balls of clay
8 oz. very soft clay
two small bats
ruler
undercutting rib
soft rubber rib
trimming tool
cut-off wire
wax-resist emulsion
two glazes

1. The base of the dish, which is the larger of the two bowl forms, is made first. Each piece will be made on a bat.

2. Using his fingertips to push the clay horizontal to the wheel head, he makes several passes, creating a very flat base by running his fingers toward the center of the clay and back to the edge. By compressing the clay, it keeps the base flat and prevents it from possibly doming up later in the throwing cycle (figure C).

3. Bill pulls up the wall of the base, leaving the rim thick and heavy. He does this by capturing the top of the rim with his thumb with his fingertips on the inside and the outside of the clay (figure D).

4. To form the fitting that holds the lid, he'll split the rim, creating a ledge on the inside. As he works, he keeps his fingers on the outside rim while he pushes down, squeezing the clay before pulling it outward, creating a neck that will keep the lid in place (figures E and F).

5. Bill takes his first measurement of the neck, which, when complete, has to be 5" in diameter.

6. He uses a handmade undercutting tool to define the shape of the split rim. An undercutting rib could also be used to define the rim (figure G).

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

Page  1 | 2