Buttering up
Mar. 4th, 2016 08:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
offcntrStill waiting on my clay order, so I'm making stick butter dishes. I used to make these the easy way--domed plates thrown on the wheel. And nobody bought them. Too big for the fridge, I guess. I futzed around with different ways to mass produce them, including an extruded version with a horrific failure rate--the top started as a longer ceramic rain gutter, and it was almost impossible to keep them from warping. I finally came up with this system, which is time-consuming and a huge number of steps, but produces a nice-looking, fairly consistent butter dish.
I start by throwing a closed cylinder on the wheel. The process is the same as for banks, start with a tall-mug cylinder, then collar in the top until it closes off entirely. Rib smooth, with a flat or slightly domed top, then cut off the wheel and leave overnight.
The next morning, I paddle the closed cylinders into a rectangular cube, then set them aside to continue drying. I also extrude the forms that will make the lip of the dish.
After a couple of hours, I bring the dishes back to the work table and, using a couple of boards as template, trace a cutting line all the way around the form about 3/4 to 7/8" from the bottom. Since the paddled sides are still slightly curved, I attach four little ball feet to the base, paddle the outer sides to match the faces of the dish, and set aside to dry some more.
Round about evening, everything is firm enough to go to the next step. Using a sharp fettling knife, I cut the cylinders apart along the cutting line, then moisten and smooth the cut edges. The top is set aside while I add the lip to the bottom.
Long sides go on first, scoring and slipping the side of the dish and the edge of the extruded molding. The lip stands about an eighth inch above the cut edge, to hold the lid in place. The moldings stick out an inch or so at each end.
End pieces are cut, bent to fit and set in place. Corner joints are mitered with my homemade cheese cutter, then the whole piece is scored, slipped and attached. When all sides are finished, the corners are smoothed and rounded, excess slip is cleaned out of the gallery, and extra clay scraped off the bottom of the join with a stiff rib.
The dish is then reassembled and set aside to dry.
I start by throwing a closed cylinder on the wheel. The process is the same as for banks, start with a tall-mug cylinder, then collar in the top until it closes off entirely. Rib smooth, with a flat or slightly domed top, then cut off the wheel and leave overnight.
The next morning, I paddle the closed cylinders into a rectangular cube, then set them aside to continue drying. I also extrude the forms that will make the lip of the dish.
After a couple of hours, I bring the dishes back to the work table and, using a couple of boards as template, trace a cutting line all the way around the form about 3/4 to 7/8" from the bottom. Since the paddled sides are still slightly curved, I attach four little ball feet to the base, paddle the outer sides to match the faces of the dish, and set aside to dry some more.
Round about evening, everything is firm enough to go to the next step. Using a sharp fettling knife, I cut the cylinders apart along the cutting line, then moisten and smooth the cut edges. The top is set aside while I add the lip to the bottom.
Long sides go on first, scoring and slipping the side of the dish and the edge of the extruded molding. The lip stands about an eighth inch above the cut edge, to hold the lid in place. The moldings stick out an inch or so at each end.
End pieces are cut, bent to fit and set in place. Corner joints are mitered with my homemade cheese cutter, then the whole piece is scored, slipped and attached. When all sides are finished, the corners are smoothed and rounded, excess slip is cleaned out of the gallery, and extra clay scraped off the bottom of the join with a stiff rib.
The dish is then reassembled and set aside to dry.