The Great Collapse

I was in the midst of coiling my pot today when it collapsed. I had neglected it for over two weeks and there was a price to pay. Though I had stored it well, I was taking too long to complete the pot. The main problem was that I could not get the hang of  rolling the coils. As easy as it may look or sound, my hands would not cooperate to create the luscious long coils that my pot needed. I ended up with short, stressed out coils that could not even cover the circumference of my pot. It was frustrating, and I actually felt stupid. I needed a perfect coil. When the unfinished pot collapsed, my hands finally woke up their idea.
Though my pot lay broken, my spirit stayed intact. I spent the rest of my precious Saturday to start on a new pot. I feel so exhausted, this being the most challenging project by far. Hopefully this pot will be completed by this week. I will be back!

The Coiling

The coiling method is for forming big pots. It is pretty challenging for me as I had trouble rolling out perfect coils until I learnt a trick that worked well for me. I could not seem to find the rhythm and coordination when I roll the coil on the workbench.They would ended up flat and break easily. I read up on the topic and learnt that I could roll coils in between my hands instead. This  is pretty difficult to do as the coil gets longer. Once the coil is too long to handle, I would then place it on the table to continue.

The Coil Building Technique

Coil building is a method for building large vessels with or without the pottery wheel. Coils can be hand-rolled (highly recommended) or be extruded through die forms. The latter produces coils that have less structural strength than the hand-rolled ones as the compression of the rolling actually wedges the clay, giving it more plasticity.

Creating the Base:
Place lump of wedged clay in the centre of the turntable. I actually took aim and threw my lump of clay at the centre just to make sure that it sticks well. Then I placed two yardsticks on either sides and began to flatten it out with a rolling pin.

The tricky bit comes when I have to cut out the base with the needle. I had to position my elbow well and I moved the needle in over the top of the slab, concentrating at one point. Initially, it was hard as my eyes tended to follow the wheel but I soon overcame that.



Building the Foundation:

The first coil has to be super thick in order to lay a good foundation for the rest of the coils. The ones that comes next will gradually decrease in their diameters. I had to score the surface and apply slit before placing each coil. After which, the inner and outer walls are scored in a downward motion (to compress the coils) and smoothened out. When scoring the walls, provide support with your hands to help retain the form. Align your coils according to the form you wish to create. 

Don't Leave Your Pot Out in the Rain

My few hours of work just went down the drain. Reached home today in the rain and suddenly remembered that I had left my pinch pot outside to sun. I did not save it in time. I'm feeling a little *#%!!! now.

My Weapons

My pottery tools....ouh.. I left out my cutting wire.

Check this link out for a glossary of tools and its uses.

Coiled Vase

I enjoyed making this but my main concern now is how to decorate it later. I already like it just the way it is. I'm planning to use this for my large sunflowers. This is made through the coiling method. Rolls of clay are simple laid on a round base. The joints where the coils meet are then obliterated to compress them together. I left a good opening at the top which took me quite a while to do up. I hope I've wedged my clay well enough before this. I would want this lovely vase to explode in the kiln. I will put up more info about the coiling method when I find the time. Now its time to rest!

Drawn In

At last! This is my favourite pinch pot. The spiral-like carved lines draws me into looking in.

My Pinch Pot Series