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by Delia Robinson
To illustrate the instructions for a Puzzle mug, Vermont potter Jennifer Boyer made a stripped down and slightly exaggerated version so the mechanics are more easily revealed.

The mug is thrown and the rim is split, creating a Y.
The two top edges are brought up and closed together, forming a hollow tube running around the rim of the mug.



After the mug is leather hard, trim the bottom, if needed.
Cut a hole in the tubular rim of the mug where you plan to attach the handle.

Set the mug aside while you prepare the handle.



Using the same method as you did above to make the hollow rim, make the hollow handle, which will serve as a drinking straw.
It is possible to pull a hollow handle by placing a flexible tube or cord in the center of the clay, leaving it there throughout the shaping of the handle, and removing it when it is time to attach the handle to the cup.
This is really tricky, and that is why a thrown hollow handle is recommended.



To throw a hollow handle, open a bottomless pot, pushing all the clay out into a ring.
Open the ring creating a circular form with a U shape.
Pull up the sides and close them, forming a hollow doughnut of clay.



Set it aside until it is firm enough to handle without collapsing.
When firm, cut it so it looks like a handle shape.



Align the handle to the cup so the top corresponds with the hole in the tube at the cup rim.
Cut a hole through the cup wall at bottom of the handle.
The holes should be the same in size and placement to the ends of the hollow handle.
The handle will be attached over these holes after the next steps are completed.



Set the handle aside and pick up the mug again.
An inch or so under the lip of the mug, below the tube and beneath the spot where the mouth would be placed when taking a drink, cut a little pattern of holes or a curlyque design.
Do the same on the cup back.
In the old mugs this was often very fancy and sometimes continued around the outside of the cup.
The idea is to cause the drinker, when lifting the cup to the mouth in the usual way, to pour the beverage down his shirt front.



Next, three or four more holes are punched through the outer wall of the rim tube.
In deciding how to place these holes, consider that one will be used to drink through, but the others will need to be covered with fingers.
The only way to drink is to cover the extra holes in the rim.
While you are working be careful so clay pieces don't fall into the tunnels, if it does, blow it out.
Puff air through the openings to make sure the tunnels have remained open, and then attach the handle.



You now have a hollow tube running from the bottom interior of the mug, up the inside of the handle and around the inside of the rim.
This is the path the fluid will follow when the cup is drank from.



Decoration should be fancy to steer the eye away from the trick.
Before glazing, plug all openings into the tubes with wax.
Immediately after dipping the mug in glaze, blow gently on the dribble holes to clear them of glaze.
Reopen the other openings by removing the wax and clearing away any glaze that might obstruct them.
A triple whammy puzzle mug has a frog in the bottom of the cup, a frog climbing the up the inside, or a frog hanging off the handle.

Story of the Puzzle Mug

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Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

There are signs that pottery and ceramics are losing appeal for a younger generation. There are pottery and ceramic departments closing in teaching institutions throughout the country. The common understanding is that younger students are reluctant to commit themselves to the intensive study required to master pottery and ceramics. Why spend three years to learn just one art form when you can pick up PhotoShop in less than a week? Pottery wheels lie idle as students flock to the computer labs. With all the stressful actions in the world today, releasing that stress through pottery and ceramics would be very beneficial to ones well being.