Innehållsförteckning för #67 från ClayCraft

W e have some lovely, cheery projects in this month’s magazine. One good way to update the look of your kitchen is to change the knobs on the cabinets. Making small changes like this can refresh things without it costing very much. Knobs are easy to throw; small ones (for cabinets) can be thrown off the hump, while larger versions can be made to any size you want, for example for chests of drawers. We’ve given details of how to attach them with screws through a plate, but if you’re experienced/ confident, you could do away with the foot plate and use the hidden screws that shop-bought handles come with. You’d need to be sure of your clay’s shrinkage if you want them to fit perfectly, but there’s absolutely nothing…

You will need: ■ Clay – stoneware preferably, for durability ■ Tools for throwing – water bowl, sponge, cutting wire, ribs ■ Glaze of choice to suit clay type Before you begin: These knobs are all thrown individually on batts, but an alternative approach would be to throw them off the hump. Prepare your clay by kneading it well to remove any possible trapped air, then fix a batt to the wheel head – you can find full instructions on how to throw a pad for a batt in issue 65 if you don’t have a quick-fix mechanism for your wheel. To make knobs for use on doors, you will need 100-200g of clay for each. For cupboard knobs, the weight would need to be halved, making them much more…

YOU WILL NEED: ■ Stoneware clay for outdoor use. ■ Paper to make a template – pencil & craft knife ■ Rolling pin, 5mm-thick roller guides, plastic sheet ■ Small texturing tool/sgraffito tool ■ Glazes of choice to decorate FLOWER 1 -BEFORE YOU BEGIN: This flower form is roughly based on Arumtype lilies. The part of the form we recognise as the flower is not the flower but the spathe, a protecting sheath for the protruding spadix at the centre, which is the flower-producing part of the plant. However, given that these lilies are seen as flowers, we refer to them here as such to avoid over-complication! 1 Draw and cut out a teardrop-shaped template. The size can be dictated by personal choice, but the example shown here measures 26 x…

Before you begin: This project uses two making methods. It’s a composite form comprising a slabbed lower section with coil additions at the top. You will need: ■ Awide former tube – carpet roll tube is good or wide drainpipes work well. The tube needs to be about 25cm high ■ Clay of choice – stoneware is best because it fully vitrifies when fired, making it better for holding water ■ Rolling pin, 5mm-thick roller guides, plastic sheet ■ Ribs and wooden tools plus a small roundheaded loop tool (to texture surface as shown) ■ Glaze of choice to fit clay type 1 Cover the forming tube with newspaper and stuff the excess paper into the ends to secure it. 2 Make a paper template – 15cm high and long…

Linda Bloomfield is a scientist turned potter. More glaze recipes can be found in her books, Advanced Pottery (2011), Colour in Glazes (A&C Black 2012), The Handbook of Glaze Recipes (Bloomsbury 2014) and Science for Potters (The American Ceramic Society 2017). Her new book Special Effect Glazes, and the second edition of Colour in Glazes are both out now. Linda has recently launched her online glazing course, How Glazes Work, on her website: lindabloomfield.co.uk T hereare several ways to measure the temperature inside a kiln. Before pyrometers were invented, the colour inside the hot kiln gave an indication of the temperature, from red at 800°C to orange through yellow at 1100°C and white at 1300°C. This was very damaging to the eyes without the use of welder’s goggles. Nowadays, most…

I feel gloomy this morning. Well, there’s a great start! I shouldn’t; it’s been a brilliant few weeks. We’ve enjoyed some much-needed time off, sharing fun and sunshine with friends and family. It’s inevitable, really, that I should feel somewhat empty when that comes to an end. Once I manage to regain my focus in the workshop, I’ll be in a better state of mind; it always takes a while after a break to reengage. New moneyboxes are coming out of the kiln today, and how successful they are will doubtless determine how this diary post ends, either happily or very much not! When I wrote my last post, we were staying in a static caravan, having just set up our stand near Penrith at Potfest in the Park. It…

People have been collecting clay for thousands of years out of necessity, and many still do, albeit often as an experiment or from pure curiosity. Wild Clay details how to identify, collect, process, test and fire wild clay for use in ceramics, slips and glazes. Although set in America, the principles are the same wherever you are, and this book will arm you with all the information you need. From explanations of the geology involved in different deposits, to how the authors became involved with wild clay, the challenges of combining materials to give a workable clay and the sometimes unexpected and beautiful results from firing, you’ll also find history, inspiration, detailed instructions, and works by the authors and other ceramicists, accompanied by some very attractive photography. Wild Clay Matt Levy,…