Ceramics: Coil Pots

First of all I made a base for the pot there are a few different ways of making them. You can either roll the clay out flat on the press or just cut the slab with the harp to the correct thickness. The way I did it was to coil the clay into a spiral and just smoothed the clay out, the shape of the base can be cut with anything I think I used the open end of a pot noodle tub as a shape cutter.


PLEASE DOUBLE CLICK IMAGES FOR THE LARGEST IMAGE

 

Once the base is built you need to add the coils again there are a couple of ways of doing this, you could use the Clay Extruder machine to make the coils. However I choose just to roll the clay out trying to keep it at a similar thickness. Slip is used in between the coils to hold the clay together, you can score the clay if desired with a fork to help it to bond together stronger. Slip is just the type of clay you are using added with water to make a thin paste which acts like glue. Once a few of the coils are on top of each other you need to smooth it down either using your finger or a tool like a kidney rib, once it is done the pot can be reshaped to the form you require by using cutters, ribs, fingers or anything you can get hold off.

 

The completed pot made using the Coiling method before it has been fired in the kiln.

 

The pot has been in the kiln and fired at 1000° but still remain porous, it requires a coating of glaze.