First Hand-Carved Pot

[thams]

Shout out to @sorce for inspiring me to finally get into making pottery. This is my first no-pinch pot I've made. It's only about 2.5" across and was carved from a solid block of clay. It's still greenware at this point, but will be wood fired to cone 12 next month at some point. I'm hoping to get some nice flashing from the flames, but the end results will really be up to the kiln gods. I have years of knowledge to gain, but I'm looking forward to a fun, relaxing hobby. I'll post up the results of my first firing (if they make it and I'm happy with them). Thanks to those who encouraged me to take the plunge!

 

[Cadillactaste]

Love the texture and style of it! Can't wait to see what firing creates!

 

[Soldano666]

Looks great but you guys are killing me, I need to get me some clay

 

[thams]

Looks great but you guys are killing me, I need to get me some clay

Do it up, man! I waited way too long to get started. I spent a couple of years reading about pottery and how its made. It's so cool to finally be able to make it happen. I'm going to concentrate on getting my form right before even diving into glazing, though. I also plan to get into slab-building, but I find hand-carving pottery the most interesting and relaxing.

 

[sorce]

I been almost buying a pot all day.

I'd rock this so far....

After wood fired...

I'd rock that shit still!

Gangster.

Sorce

 

[0soyoung]

Is there a potterynut forum???

 

[Rusty Davis]

@sorce inspired me as well. I went and collected some local clay. Hopefully before long I can do a post with a finished pot.

 

[thams]

I carved one more this week in the same style - slightly larger than the first. I'm picturing little moss or grass plantings in these. I'm going to starting working on some bigger pots now.

 

[thams]

Here's one last pot of a batch that's finishing drying. I'm wondering how the texturing will look after firing. I'm a fan of this shape, so I'll keep working to refine it on future larger pots.

 

[Rusty Davis]

@thams ohhhh I like.. I'm going to need a small one like that!

 

[Soldano666]

That texture is caliente..... Well done

 

[sorce]

Flames and ash? Wicked. I want to see the kiln. Are you going to be on shtoke detail?

Are you glazing these?

What clay (if you don't mind me asking) are you using to cone 12?
Damn!

How much kiln space are you allowed?

Pretty sure when these come out dope as hell....you'll wish you would have tried a different shape or texture.

Cuz its going to be like you're a kid in a candy store when you grab them out...
And you're stocking the candy!
Stock them Sixlets, them Cherry Clans!

Sorce

 

[thams]

Thanks everyone! I poked all of those pin pricks with a needle tool. I think it almost looks better when viewed at a little bit of a distance.

@sorce I don't have any pictures of the kiln (yet), but apparently it's a huge double walk-in chambered wood fired kiln. From what I understand, it's large enough for a grown man to walk into fully upright. Each person is allowed 5-cubic feet of kiln space per share fee paid. I'll likely split space with someone for my first firing since I don't think I'll be able to fill up 5-cubic feet at this point. I don't think I'm going to make the January firing, so it'll likely happen in February or March.

I'm using Laguna B-Mix Wood Fire clay that holds up well to cone 12. It gets some nice flashing as well depending upon the pot's positioning in the kiln. I'm not glazing yet since I promised myself I would perfect my forms first before diving into glazing. My ultimate goal is to have ultra-tight forms with razor sharp lines. I know the only way to do that is to concentrate strictly on pot construction before biting off more. After I'm happy with my forms, I'm going to dive headlong into glazes though!

I'm going to play with some other forms as well for the first firing. I've got a few pinch pots I've put together that are a little wonky, but I enjoy carving a little more at this point. I'm going to try my hand at slab building in the next couple of weeks, and have some funky geometric shapes in mind when I do.

 

[Fonz]

Nice work so far, I'm looking forward to seeing the bigger pots.

 

[atlarsenal]

Great looking pots!

 

[sorce]

razor sharp lines

Frustrating!

I'm still looking for a clay that balances well with how I work, what I am willing to do to keep stuff from warping, and what I would like an end product to be.

Also, what my slightly warped couple shelves and Kiln atmosphere do right.

Because while I do love imperfect forms, I also want to be able to produce really clean things. But I cant drive myself crazy in the attempt!

Besides clay, I need to get a couple proper bats to work off of, and a proper few ware boards.

This was my most recent attempt at sharp lines. All was going well till the long sides were a bit too long. I put em in anyway, wanged, and even though I dried it slow and even, the memory of those sides pulled the bottom up and arched it a little.
It shouldn't have been the bottom slab itself cause I rolled it out nice and compressed the shit out of it.

This warping gotta stop!
(But I noticed a lot of feet that get carved toward the middle, and the drainage holes on the outsides of Japanese rectangles and ovals, like this is a thing. Justified?)
No...it drives me nuts!

So I read a thing about making sure the pieces don't rock when you put them in the kiln.
Of course this will only work if they don't rock on a flat surface going into the kiln.
So tried that with some success.

Make sure you do that!

But further?

Is it a first come first serve?
Like....get there early and get the good shelves and spots?

Are you doomed low totem man?

Is the 5ft3 in one space, like the shittiest or best area of the kiln?
Or can you spread your wares to different areas?

I read a story about a dude who was in on a share....
They voted to open the kiln early, he was the only "wait a day" vote...
And his wares, due to his clays thermal properties, were the only ones to break due to the early opening.

I hope these things help you get a good firing and ensure it in the future!

Once you're done guinea pigging em....
I'll send you a cubic foot to fill!
Or 2...far future.
But I would love to consider it if they don't charge too much.

I gotta feeling that fire is going to do something crazy to those tiny holes.
I'd smear some ash in them on one side.

Uhh....yeah...bored and excited!

Sorce

 

[thams]

@sorce I'm digging the rectangle - bowed bottom and all! Warping is the bane of my existence... I've had a couple of pieces dry a little unevenly, so I'm hoping they don't split during firing. I've had a helluva time getting the walls to set up straight. A few of them are ever so slightly concave, so I'm afraid they will warp further in the fire. Oh well, just part of the learning.

I've been sorta covering my pieces using a dry cleaner bag, but I'm still getting slightly uneven drying. My place is so dry inside that my pots visibly dry while I'm working on them, so the timing of carving the bottom, then feet, then walls has to be exact. I might start placing them in an airtight container for a few days after I've completed work on them so the moisture can redistribute a little. Then I need to put them on a dedicated drying shelf. I've heard dry wall with newspaper on top is a great drying platform (especially for slabs).

I'm not totally sure how the kiln positioning goes, but I imagine I'll be given less priority than many of the old timers. I'm hoping I can scatter my pieces throughout to get some good variation. There's also a salt firing chamber that I can put pieces in (which I plan to do with at least a few). There's no fear of opening the kiln too early. The schedule is: load the first weekend, fire the second, and unload on the third. The kiln gets a whole week to cool. I'm more than happy to fire whatever you'd like me to - just send whatever you want and I'll get in the fire! I think it's $175 for the full 5-cubic feet. If you have a few pieces though, I'll happily throw them in my share for nothing.

 

[rockm]

@thams

I've been sorta covering my pieces using a dry cleaner bag, but I'm still getting slightly uneven drying. My place is so dry inside that my pots visibly dry while I'm working on them, so the timing of carving the bottom, then feet, then walls has to be exact. I might start placing them in an airtight container for a few days after I've completed work on them so the moisture can redistribute a little. Then I need to put them on a dedicated drying shelf. I've heard dry wall with newspaper on top is a great drying platform (especially for slabs).

I'm not totally sure how the kiln positioning goes, but I imagine I'll be given less priority than many of the old timers. I'm hoping I can scatter my pieces throughout to get some good variation. There's also a salt firing chamber that I can put pieces in (which I plan to do with at least a few). There's no fear of opening the kiln too early. The schedule is: load the first weekend, fire the second, and unload on the third. The kiln gets a whole week to cool. I'm more than happy to fire whatever you'd like me to - just send whatever you want and I'll get in the fire! I think it's $175 for the full 5-cubic feet. If you have a few pieces though, I'll happily throw them in my share for nothing.

 

[rockm]

@thams

I've been thinking about getting into making bonsai pots too, but haven't got the time currently. For future reference, where is the kiln you working with? Torpedo Factory, Lorton Workshops? Elsewhere?

 

[Stickroot]

Frustrating!

I'm still looking for a clay that balances well with how I work, what I am willing to do to keep stuff from warping, and what I would like an end product to be.

Also, what my slightly warped couple shelves and Kiln atmosphere do right.

Because while I do love imperfect forms, I also want to be able to produce really clean things. But I cant drive myself crazy in the attempt!

Besides clay, I need to get a couple proper bats to work off of, and a proper few ware boards.View attachment 172945

This was my most recent attempt at sharp lines. All was going well till the long sides were a bit too long. I put em in anyway, wanged, and even though I dried it slow and even, the memory of those sides pulled the bottom up and arched it a little.
It shouldn't have been the bottom slab itself cause I rolled it out nice and compressed the shit out of it.

This warping gotta stop!
(But I noticed a lot of feet that get carved toward the middle, and the drainage holes on the outsides of Japanese rectangles and ovals, like this is a thing. Justified?)
No...it drives me nuts!

So I read a thing about making sure the pieces don't rock when you put them in the kiln.
Of course this will only work if they don't rock on a flat surface going into the kiln.
So tried that with some success.

Make sure you do that!

But further?

Is it a first come first serve?
Like....get there early and get the good shelves and spots?

Are you doomed low totem man?

Is the 5ft3 in one space, like the shittiest or best area of the kiln?
Or can you spread your wares to different areas?

I read a story about a dude who was in on a share....
They voted to open the kiln early, he was the only "wait a day" vote...
And his wares, due to his clays thermal properties, were the only ones to break due to the early opening.

I hope these things help you get a good firing and ensure it in the future!

Once you're done guinea pigging em....
I'll send you a cubic foot to fill!
Or 2...far future.
But I would love to consider it if they don't charge too much.

I gotta feeling that fire is going to do something crazy to those tiny holes.
I'd smear some ash in them on one side.

Uhh....yeah...bored and excited!

Sorce

Roll all of your slabs out and rough cut or finish cut your pieces to size, cover them with wax or news paper and left them sit for hours or a day and shrink up and get a bit stiffer. Then assemble your piece.
The shrinking is what's causing that kind of warpage.