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Making a Bead Tree for the Kiln
My newest ceramic project has been making pendants using lace imprints. While I only glaze one side of star ornaments, pendants, I felt should be glazed all the way around. After all, whenever I wear jewelry, it always manages to flop around to the wrong side. Therefore, I needed bead tree, but after spending hours trying to find the most affordable option that also made sense for pendants, I came up empty. Amazon has two available — Small Bead Rack w 4p 6″wire and 12 Piece Bead Tree Rack. Even the sturdy replacement wires for the commercial bead trees were costly to purchase. This is my original bead tree design. Please don’t reproduce…
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Making spoons from a mold (Pictorial)
How to make and use a spoon mold 1. Pick some spoon you like, roll out a slab, and press the spooninto the clay. If you are using a spoon with a slick surface, spray oncooking oil first. I didn’t coat my wood spoons, and they didn’t stick. 2. Trim the excess clay and clean up the edges. 3. The spoons should pop out fairly easily once the clay starts to firm. 4. Bisque the molds. See how my big one has a lip at the top? Don’tcompress your clay back around the spoon when you first press it intothe clay to avoid creating this. It will save you a…
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Hand Building Projects
After two cycles of predominantly wheel-thrown pieces, I’ve returned to hand building. Since I can do it at the kitchen table, it is perfect for these days when the garage is too cold. Later this month, I’m helping throw a birthday party for a friend, and we are making spoon rests. To prepare, I’ve been practicing and looking for good textures to use … and gluing the letters back on my rubber stamps. Yesterday, I went to the flea market in search of crocheted doilies and landed this lovely one. The thread is a stiff and not too absorbent, so it is working great with the clay. Dessert…
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Throwing Cake Stands on the Wheel (Update)
Last week I posted “Throwing Ruffle-Edged Cake Stands“. I attempted to fire too quickly, and the one from the demo blew up in the kiln. Upon inspection, I could see where the ball used for the pedestal connected to the plate. If it had been bone dry, there wouldn’t have been an issue, but it still led me to throwing as one solid piece another to prevent any weak spots. Right as I was starting back at the process, my hair dryer bit the dust. It may have even melted out the outlet on the power strip. I suppose clay and electronics do not mix well. I ended up picking…
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Throwing Ruffle-edged Cake Stands
I’ve been on a quest to develop a simple, elegant process for throwing cake stands on the pottery wheel. They are not difficult to throw as one piece, but I was encountering several problems as they dried. First, the edge was curling up, meaning when the plate was turned right-side-up, the top slightly slumped boding immanent disaster for buckeye balls or round fruit. The other issue was that the compression under the cylinder was slightly different, leading to a ring or two rather than a smooth surface. I was able to correct the slumping by righting the plate while still somewhat still wet, securing the base and attempting to throw…
