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Need To Make A Container That Looks Like A Loaf Of Bread For Donations


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A church wants me to make a replacement for a ceramic donation box that broke. Once a month members are supposed to take food for the pantry, but people who forget are invited to drop a donation into a container on the table. The one they had (which I never saw) was made to look like a loaf of bread, with a slit in the top for donations and a hole in the bottom large enough for retrieving the money.

 

Any suggestions?  Could I use an unsliced loaf of actual bread as a form for hand building it?  Dry the bread out first?

 

Ideas?  

Ginny Clark

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It depends on how much detail you are looking for. You could just roll out, a couple slabs, create a form out of some crumpled/ bunched up newspaper, then drape/ wrap the slabs around the form, then score/ slip and smooth the joint.

That would be the quick way.

 

For more detail, you could make a two part plaster mold, of an actual loaf of bread. Then press some slabs into the mold. This would give you more of the bread texture. I would imagine that you'd have to "seal" the bread, to prevent it from absorbing moisture from the wet plaster, as well as to make it stronger and resist the weight of said plaster.

This method is more time consuming, and might not be worth it, if you are just making one.

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Build it out of slabs. You would have to use a loaf of bread as a template. This sounds like a fun project.

I wouldn't go to the trouble of making a plaster mold. You are only making one.

TJR.

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well, they ASKED for a loaf of bread look!  But I'm curious about your other ideas, Chris?

 

 

I think Benzine's first suggestion is what I'll try first, but I might use an actual bread loaf pan as a mold for the bottom and sides and then shape the top by putting a thin slab over my rice-stuffed panty-hose leg. I use that for supporting sides of slab built dishes, but I think I could push the slab into a nice home-baked loaf look using that as a support!  Once I get around to it and get something made I'll report back. 

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A stack of pita breads with center hollowed out and top one with a slot?

 

A Kings Hawaiian Bread . . . a basic casserole with a domed top?

 

A stack of slices ala the pita bread above?

 

A hand-built French loaf?

 

Go for a shape other than the standard Wonderbread loaf.

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I would probably roll out a long slab and lay it over a big roll of paper towels.  As it stiffened up I would form the "dent in the sides with a ruler/chop stick/dowel.  After a bit more drying I would tip it on its side, trace the ends onto a slab, cut them out and attach the end "slices" to the ends, then after it set up enough to stand on its own I would attach it to a slab for the bottom.  Once it has dried so it was safe to pick up and work on, finish up all the seams and cut a slot in the top and hole in the bottom.

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This might be off the wall....but they make this sandwich containers used in lunch boxes...they are shaped like a slice of bread. If you used one as a template to cut clay bread slices cut the middle of the slices and scored them together to make a sliced loaf. Make the cut in the top to drop donations like a split top butter loaf. Don't forget to make a way to get the funds out...i'd make it a lidded vessel.

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I would consider throwing a bottomless cylinder with regular shaped line in it for the bread slices if important. Then I would allow it to get stiffen up some, reshape the sides for a standing loaf, then add a top and bottom. After reaching cheese/leather hard, turn on side and finish paddling to shape. Many would do this with wet slabs, but as I throw quicker than rolling out slabs and shaping this makes easier sense to me.

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I would consider throwing a bottomless cylinder with regular shaped line in it for the bread slices if important. Then I would allow it to get stiffen up some, reshape the sides for a standing loaf, then add a top and bottom. After reaching cheese/leather hard, turn on side and finish paddling to shape. Many would do this with wet slabs, but as I throw quicker than rolling out slabs and shaping this makes easier sense to me.

ABSOFREAKNLUTLY! This is the only way to do it! I don't know what I was thinking with all the rolling and slipping/scoring stuff.  Yup, good move.

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