Clay pots are an art form as old as civilization itself. They were used for cooking, carrying water, storage and to add aesthetic beauty to a home for centuries past, and the same hold true today.
Instructions
1. Understand the four traditional ways to construct clay pots. These processes are coil, pinch, slab and thrown. The first three types of pots are constructed exactly as their names suggest. Thrown pots require some skill and patience. A pot that is considered to be thrown is one that is made on a potter's wheel, an ancient tool used to make clay pots. It involves a kick wheel, in which the speed of the wheel is determined by how much the artist kicks the big, flat wheel that is underneath the potter's wheel. To build the pots faster, the wheel must spin faster. The lump of clay must be centered on the wheel and pressed down in order for the lump not to fly off the wheel should it spin too fast. To press the clay down, utilize the palms of your hand and press down as the wheel spins.
2. Consider coil pots. First, shape a piece of clay into a flat slab. Build a bottom by flattening a piece of clay and rolling it out a few times with the wooden cylindrical roller. Ideally, the bottom slab should be at least 1/4 inch thick so the pot won't fold when you lift it. Cut the bottom slab with the wooden knife to a circular shape to give the coil pot a round shape. Now that you have your base sculpted, add the coils that will make the pot.
Think of making the coils as rolling together long worms or snakes. The aim is to make strands long enough so that as you wrap them around the base, they coil themselves up as the pot gets taller. The more coils you stack, the taller the pot. It's a good idea to make the first coil, which will attach to the bottom slab, a bit thicker so it can support the weight on top. In addition, as you build the coil pot higher, be sure to smooth together the coils on the inside. This will prevent the coils from breaking apart. Don't skip this step.
3. Use the pinch pot method if you want the easiest way. Roll a piece of clay into a ball. Use your thumbs to pinch the center of the ball inward. It's that simple. If you want the pot bigger, make the ball of clay bigger.
4. Build a slab pot if you're feeling adventurous. It requires a bottom slab and four side slabs. You can cut the bottom piece into a square or rectangular shape. To make the side slabs the same size, cut out a cardboard or paper template. Lay the template on top of the slab. Next, with a wooden knife, cut around the template. You can use the extra clay later. Now you have s perfect clay slab to build with. Repeat this process with the additional clay left over from the first slab three more times. Remember to leave the slabs on the wooden boards in order for them to keep their shape. The more you move them after cutting them out, the more they will lose their shape. This could be an issue when it's time to connect them.
After you finish making five slabs, let them dry--but not completely. Cover the slabs with an old towel or rag for at least 24 hours. Move the wooden boards with the slabs on top of them to a safe, secure place. Spray them a few times with a water bottle. Don't soak them completely; just spray them enough to keep them moist.
5. Connect the slabs to complete the pot. This should be handled with some caution and care. After all, you don't want your slabs to break when connecting them. The purpose of letting your slabs dry partially is so that they are soft enough to connect, yet strong enough not to break into pieces when handling them. To connect your slabs, you need a wooden knife, an old toothbrush and a bowl of something called slip.
Slip is clay mixed with a lot of water into a paste-and-mortar sort of consistency. This slip is used the same way a bricklayer would use cement mortar. The slip is used to connect the four slabs to the bottom slab and to each other.
First you will have to 'score' the edges that you wish to attach to each other. To score the edges, you will need to use your wooden knife and cut a fair amount of small grooves into the edges. This will ensure that the slip will stick to the other slab's edges and bond effectively. Next, use your old toothbrush to apply some slip onto the edges. Afterwards, press the two edges you want to attach together, and let them set for a while. If slip begins running out on the sides, clean it up with a damp towel. Craftsmanship counts here, as you don't want sloppy slip dried on the sides of your slab pots. Repeat the process until you have attached all the slabs together completing your pot.
6. Fire and glaze the pots. But before you do any firing, let your clay pots completely dry. If you don't, there will be small pockets of water within the clay and when this water is heated, it will expand and cause your pots to explode in the kiln when it's fired. First, there is something called bisque firing that takes place. A bisque firing is used as a first firing to harden the structured clay. The kiln in a bisque fire should be about 1,800 degrees. You should leave your pots in the kiln at this temperature for 18 to 20 hours.
Glazing your pots comes after the bisque fire. If you're able to glaze your pots, by all means do so. They will look great in the end when you fire them again the kiln. Typically, glazing is done by mixing either a huge bucket of different colors of glazes and dipping the pot completely in the glaze. It's also done by mixing glazes in small bowls, and then using paintbrushes to paint the glaze onto the pots.
After applying the glaze, allow for it to dry for about a day. Then your pots are ready to be fired for the final time to complete them. Each glaze requires a different temperature when firing, so adjust the kiln accordingly. You may want to place the pieces on planks inside the kiln because the glaze will run off and may become sticky.
