offcntr | Getting through

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None of our house is air-conditioned, but it's well insulated. We close all the windows and draw the blinds during the day, open up at night and turn on window fans. My studio has two half-doors, for cross-ventilation, and I've covered over one of the skylights, to reduce the amount of sun exposure.

Even so, my work pace has had to accelerate. Things I throw in the morning are ready for handles by afternoon or evening, and half-dry overnight. Quite a change from winter, when I can leave things totally uncovered and still not have leather-hard by morning.

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From:

ioplokon

I hate waiting so it's nice for me. Btw, how do you do those kinds of handles? Is it just handbuilt and attached?

From:

offcntr

It's a technique I learned, more or less, from a film called Isaac Button, Country Potter. (Handles at the start of part 3.) I start with a coil, which I score and slip to the side of the pot in a shallow curve. After sealing the top and bottom to the pot, I then pinch the coil outward, leaving the outer rim fat and rounded. Then I wet my hand and pull the handle, thumb on top, index and middle fingers compressing from underneath, in a sweeping curve parallel to the side of the pot. Once I have the size and shape I want, I push ends of the handle down to seal to the pot, pinching off the excess, then finish with a quick swipe of a chamois. (Isaac used a rag, as I recall.)

It's basically a pulled handle, but tight to the pot, rather than drawn out and away. Because I'm usually doing several at a time, I extrude my coils to control the diameter, cut them to length, then stash in a plastic tupper until ready to use.

Makes a nice solid handle that's also potholder-friendly on casseroles and bakers.

Edited Date: 2024-07-13 04:17 am (UTC)

From:

ioplokon

This is great; thank you!

Yeah, they seem really practical & imo have a better visual presence than lugs. I imagine the challenge is keeping the sides symmetrical...

From:

offcntr

Not that hard, if you cut the coils to length before you start. Harder was getting them aligned properly. I talk about how to solve that problem here.