Denise Aspinall shows us how she works with clay to create beautiful, practical pottery.
If you are enjoying reading this blog,Share it on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz or Reddit.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
How to Pull a Handle Step by Step
The Pulling Blank
Pulling may take some practice to master, but the results are worth the patience required. Start by filling a large slop bucket halfway with water. Set this way will it be directly below where you work. I prefer to shoot sitting with the bucket between my knees.
Corner of two to three pounds of the same lump of clay pot that the handle will be attached is made from. To successfully pull the clay, it must be perfectly uniform in stiffness. After the clay is completely stuck, he types in a form of carrot. The carrot is the draft of traction.
If you are enjoying reading this blog,Share it on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz or Reddit.
Pulling may take some practice to master, but the results are worth the patience required. Start by filling a large slop bucket halfway with water. Set this way will it be directly below where you work. I prefer to shoot sitting with the bucket between my knees.
Corner of two to three pounds of the same lump of clay pot that the handle will be attached is made from. To successfully pull the clay, it must be perfectly uniform in stiffness. After the clay is completely stuck, he types in a form of carrot. The carrot is the draft of traction.
Begin Pulling the Clay for the Handle
Grasp the top of the draw in a white hand. (I use my right.) Wet the bottom of the blank by hand that will work with clay.
Keep your own work wet, take the middle portion of the blank, leaving enough clay above the hand working for a firm grip on the white top. As you enter the clay, your fingers should be on one side, with the thumb on the opposite side. Fingers and thumb should be flattened as if you were making a duck shadow puppet.
With light pressure, run down in a steady and continuous. The shape of the virgin core begin to grow. Continue stretching the clay with a series of pull stroke until the clay has reached the desired thickness and at least the minimum length of your handle or strap.
Tip: It is good to pull the strap a little longer than you think you might need, especially if you're new to the handles. The arc of a handle can take more length than you think. In addition, if you want to do decorative attachments, the extra length may be useful.
Dry the Pulled Handle Strap
Once you've pulled the clay so that the strap is the right thickness and long enough for your handle, discard the blank pulling the edge of a table or the bat of the pot handle is designed, which allows the strap to hang to the side. This allows air to circulate around the strap, which allows the clay dry evenly.
Press the heavier upper handle down from the surface so that it will comply with the table or bats. Cut the main part of the pull away empty. Continue pulling the handles as needed.
Allow the handle to stiffen enough that it can take a curve without falling when gently bent.
Trim and Cut the Pulled Handle from the Pulling Blank
Once the clay has hardened sufficiently to maintain once bowed to handle, cut the ends to length. Good for cutting tools that are your needle potter, a deburring knife or similar tool.
You can either wear the belt of clay on a solid surface, as you see in the picture, or you can cut the clay as it crashes, the support of the clay with your other hand as you cut. Do not use a cutting tool that can cut you if you cut your dough in this way.
Attach the Pulled Handle to Your Pot
The handles should be in place when the pot is leather semi-hard and the handle is just stiff enough to hold its curve is fixed.Determine where the handle as a whole should be placed. Make sure the handle is directly in front of the beak, if present.
The thickest part (if any) of the handle should usually be the upper end of the handle. The top of the handle should be placed on or near the top of the pot as possible. It is both aesthetic and also gives the best balance of the pot when it is used.
Score and slip the pot into which you want the upper end of the handle to secure. Be sure the bottom end will be directly under the upper part, the score where you want to join the lower end. Verify that the line between the two areas are marked perpendicular to the surface of the table.
Attach the upper end of the handle, pressing firmly on the handle and the support of the wall of the pot inside. You can usually weld the handle of the region marked and slid the pot simply by firm pressure, but you can also strengthen the weld by the addition of a roll of film of clay around the solder joint and both the handle and the pot.
Bow handle in a pleasant curve. Remember that the clay will shrink up to 15% before leaving the glaze firing. Be sure to give the handle a lot of length for a hand to grasp the handle comfortably when finished. Attach the lower end of the strap handle and weld the joint if necessary or desired. Leave the pot to dry slowly processed.
Grasp the top of the draw in a white hand. (I use my right.) Wet the bottom of the blank by hand that will work with clay.
Keep your own work wet, take the middle portion of the blank, leaving enough clay above the hand working for a firm grip on the white top. As you enter the clay, your fingers should be on one side, with the thumb on the opposite side. Fingers and thumb should be flattened as if you were making a duck shadow puppet.
With light pressure, run down in a steady and continuous. The shape of the virgin core begin to grow. Continue stretching the clay with a series of pull stroke until the clay has reached the desired thickness and at least the minimum length of your handle or strap.
Tip: It is good to pull the strap a little longer than you think you might need, especially if you're new to the handles. The arc of a handle can take more length than you think. In addition, if you want to do decorative attachments, the extra length may be useful.
Dry the Pulled Handle Strap
Once you've pulled the clay so that the strap is the right thickness and long enough for your handle, discard the blank pulling the edge of a table or the bat of the pot handle is designed, which allows the strap to hang to the side. This allows air to circulate around the strap, which allows the clay dry evenly.Press the heavier upper handle down from the surface so that it will comply with the table or bats. Cut the main part of the pull away empty. Continue pulling the handles as needed.
Allow the handle to stiffen enough that it can take a curve without falling when gently bent.
Trim and Cut the Pulled Handle from the Pulling Blank
Once the clay has hardened sufficiently to maintain once bowed to handle, cut the ends to length. Good for cutting tools that are your needle potter, a deburring knife or similar tool.You can either wear the belt of clay on a solid surface, as you see in the picture, or you can cut the clay as it crashes, the support of the clay with your other hand as you cut. Do not use a cutting tool that can cut you if you cut your dough in this way.
Attach the Pulled Handle to Your Pot
The handles should be in place when the pot is leather semi-hard and the handle is just stiff enough to hold its curve is fixed.Determine where the handle as a whole should be placed. Make sure the handle is directly in front of the beak, if present.The thickest part (if any) of the handle should usually be the upper end of the handle. The top of the handle should be placed on or near the top of the pot as possible. It is both aesthetic and also gives the best balance of the pot when it is used.
Score and slip the pot into which you want the upper end of the handle to secure. Be sure the bottom end will be directly under the upper part, the score where you want to join the lower end. Verify that the line between the two areas are marked perpendicular to the surface of the table.
Attach the upper end of the handle, pressing firmly on the handle and the support of the wall of the pot inside. You can usually weld the handle of the region marked and slid the pot simply by firm pressure, but you can also strengthen the weld by the addition of a roll of film of clay around the solder joint and both the handle and the pot.
Bow handle in a pleasant curve. Remember that the clay will shrink up to 15% before leaving the glaze firing. Be sure to give the handle a lot of length for a hand to grasp the handle comfortably when finished. Attach the lower end of the strap handle and weld the joint if necessary or desired. Leave the pot to dry slowly processed.
