Here’s the trimming part of making a double walled bowl. Happy potting and if you make one of these, please send me a picture – I’d love to see it!
When you flip the bowl over, the top is the only thing that you will need to trim (if you want to carve into the outer wall, you can do that later). You may need to smooth the bowl part as well – sometimes there is a dent from closing the form.
Here is part 1 of making double-walled bowls, with instructions. Part 2 will be trimming the piece right side up.
Remember that you are throwing “upside down” – the “rim” of the outside wall is actually the foot of the finished piece!
Center the clay and open all the way to the bottom. However far out you pull the donut of clay will be the diameter of the finished bowl part. Flatten the top of the donut to make splitting it (next step) easier. Clean up the inside of the bowl with a rib or sponge.
A few of the things I’ve been working on recently. Everything is greenware (not fired in the kiln) because the weather has been too, um, wintery to get the vent hooked up. For some reason, I don’t want to breathe fumes…
Hand worked/pinched clay with texture
Hand worked clay, textured and formed over a round sponge.
Hand "folded" clay vases, salt pigs
I have definitely increased the size of my studio space, but as you can see from the pictures, there are three machines that need to be moved before I can spread things out. But until then (and until the kilns are hooked up – only one is in there now), I can still work, so that makes me happy!
The “trash can challenge” is coming along nicely – it’s about 3/4 full right now. I’ve been brutal about which pieces to keep and which to toss in that trash can. I throw a bag of clay (usually 12-13 pieces or more, depending on size), let them dry, trim and finish, then pick the best 2 or 3 to keep. Sometimes I’ll keep a “non-racer” because I like the rim or the shape.
Yesterday I made some candle plates/holders, playing around with my mini-extruder (looks like a metal syringe with a flat end to put the dies in) and bits of torn clay for decorations. I like clean, smooth forms, so actually putting something on the pot to break that smoothness is a little disconcerting for me. We’ll see where it goes, though.
