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Pottery Tips and TechniquesWhen Making A TeapotDo you make teapots? |
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MOISTUREJust about anyone making teapots has had trouble with spouts and handles not having the same moisture content as the rest of the piece. When pots are firm enough, place the spout and handle inside the pot and wrap in plastic until the moisture content has equalized. Overnight will usually do the trick depending on the temperature and humidity or until you are ready to put the pot together.If you are storing pots for a long period of time, make sure you use a thick plastic or double wrap them. Spraying water on the inside of the plastic layer with a spray bottle really helps to preserve moisture in the summer months, without any danger of the pottery soaking it up and melting into a big glob. ATTACHINGUse a slip trailer for slipping joints and make sure that you score both of the edges when putting the parts together such as, spouts, knobs and handles.If slip trailers from commercial ceramics suppliers or shops are too expensive, an empty plastic ketchup bottle works pretty good. STRAINERWhen making holes for a strainer, try using a drill.This is much faster and the holes are all the same size than doing it by hand. A cordless drill is handy, as you don't have to worry about the electrical cord or plugging it in. I use a Q-tip dampened with water to smooth all the holes that have been made for the strainer. I also smooth the strainer holes on the inside of the teapot. LIDWhen glazing, wax the rim and inside lip of the lid with hot wax using some 100 mesh calcined alumina in it.This will stop the lid and pot from sticking together, provided of course that you fire them together and makes for an easy release of the lid after firing. This is the best way to fire the two pieces, making sure the lid will fit. If fired separately there is a chance that the lid will dry differently and not fit. RELEASE LIDIf you have fired the pot and lid together as stated above and find that they have stuck together after all and you can't get them apart by tapping, you can try the following trick.Fill the pot through the spout about half full of water and place in a freezer until the water has frozen. Remove the pot from the freezer and wait until part of the ice has thawed and the block has released itself from the pot. You could hurry things along by placing the pot in warm water to speed this up, but be very careful not to use very hot water, because it will crack your teapot. The released block of ice can now be used to knock the lid off from the inside. GLAZE BLOCKINGIf you have trouble with glaze blocking up your strainer holes you can cut up a piece of sponge and stick it into the spout until it is butted up against the strainer.This will prevent glaze from flowing through the holes. You can also pour the glaze out through the spout, which also prevents the strainer holes from blocking. When I glaze teapots, I use a old mascara brush and scrub in all the strainer holes before the glaze dries. GOOD JOB!When your teapot is done to your liking, give it a good washing, invite a friend over, make some cookies, sit back and enjoy a spot of tea!!!
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All About Clay The best way of starting out is to take a few lessons. You will probably waste quite a bit in materials when you first get started. Figuring out how to truly make handmade pottery correctly and shape into what you want it to be can be quite an ordeal. The different tools that a normal shop will have can be fun to try. You will soon see which ones you like to use the most and then when you are ready you will know which ones to buy. When you get all set up, just enjoy the
hobby and have fun at it. Some people get pretty
serious and start selling their creations at craft
fairs and small stores, but others just like
to create items for themselves, relatives, and
friends. Whichever kind of handmade pottery you
desire to endeavor, enjoy the hobby and have
fun doing it. |
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