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Anybody Ever Make A Sink?


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I have this little half bath in my house and the sink is right across from the toilet. Close enough you can sit down to brush your teeth if you wanted to. Been pondering relocating the sink to the corner for a little more knee room, and to be able to have a cabinet. Possible options are looking pretty pricey so considering the idea of making a sink to either drop into a cabinet or sit on top of one. Anybody ever make a sink, and if so what type of clay did you use and what was it fired to? Obviously porcelain sinks aren't anything new. Just concerned about durability. Thinking throw it fairly thick. The little overflow hole isn't a necessary requirement but if I wanted to include it I guess that could make it a little more complicated but still totally doable. Thanks for the input!

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Yes I have made many-there was a thread on this a few years back with photos.

Neil also does sinks

use the search funtion and if thats a bust we can do it over again

I threw all mine from stoneware but porcelain will work fine

Buy your drain hardware 1st and make the lip (for drain) and hole for that brand as they vary.

I'm cranking for a big show in 8 days now so I'm here only now and then.

Mark

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Thanks Mark. Yeah, nothing came up trying the good ol' search function. Tried that before posting. Good call on building it based around the drain though, rather than making the sink and hoping to find something to fit it.

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you sound close enough to Shepherdstown WV, top of the valley, that you might consider visiting Del Martin in Sharpsburg, md.. he makes sinks, fires at cone 10.  he is at Foxcross Pottery and is very willing to help other potters.

 

in addition, you might try David Norton, who is at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria but lives in Round Hill, Va.  the name of his wonderful studio is Potterosa.

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David Norton. Name sounds familiar. I'm originally from Northern VA and took some metal sculpture classes through the Torpedo Factory. Maybe that's why I know the name. BTW, how'd you get those crisp, clean lines on the piece in your avatar Oldlady? Having my degree in graphic design I'm obviously super anal about stuff like that, and really digging the graphic quality of that piece.

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This was posted by Neil Estrick in 2013. I don't know how to cross post, sry.

Standard bowl size is 16 inches in diameter. Interior depth can vary from 4-6 inches. You'll need to account for the shrinkage of your clay. Get a drain assembly and measure for the size of hole you'll need for it. Again, accomodate the shrinkage of the clay. I leave a second foot ring around the drain hole so there's a nice thick area there, to reduce the chance of cracking the bowl if the drain is over-tightened. Are you making a vessel style or self rimming? If vessel, leave a thick enough lip to provide some durability. Those rims get bumped a lot. For self rimming, leave the lip wide enough to allow for a good bead of silicone under it to seal it down, and leave the whole pot thick enough to prevent warping. If it warps, the lip won't sit evenly on the counter.

 

Self Rimming:

attachicon.gifSink-Rim-Boji-Swirls.jpg

 

Vessel:

attachicon.gifSink-Boji-Coreolus-Blog.jpg

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I have made a few sinks and was taught by a local guy who has made thousands of sinks in his time.  He makes then out of porcelain and stoneware and all is fired cone 10 reduction, and this is how I have made mine as well.  If it is an in cabinet sink make sure you make a very beefy flange rim with a smooth flange underside.

 

The only real gotcha is getting the drain hole the right size.  Find your clay shrinkage and then measure with an existing drain size to make sure you size it right.

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I make mine with porcelain. Due to shrinkage I thrown them to 18" to get a 16" finished bowl. I use 18 pounds of clay, as I like to make them a bit thicker than a regular bowl. I also put an inner foot ring right at the drain hole so there is a good thick area for tightening down the drain attachment.

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If you want a overflow the easy way is add a clay spout to under edge that you can glue a flexiable plastic tube over-You then make a clay donut with the same tube connection which goes arount drain hardware (you can measure all this when you by the drain kit in cromed brass or brass finish)

Make the lip stout and throw it thick-allow the drain coonnection room to fit under counter thickness.

Its all pretty easy buy really needs to be thought through first.

Mark

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I made one for a bathroom, too.  I bought the drain, measured it carefully, and estimated the shrinkage when I cut the hole in the bottom.  I also made the rim pretty chunky with the idea that it would help prevent it from chipping.  The guy who installed it had no problems with connecting it, and put some silicon around the rim where the sink meets the counter.  Ta da!

 

tn_gallery_62977_775_439245.jpg

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thank you, g-bus, my avatar is a bowl shape i have made for years.  i have a sketchbook full of drawings of carved pots with straight lines, angled to the right lines, angled to the left lines, horizontal lines, etc.  the actual cuts made through the dark slip are made with a tool i cannot buy anymore.  the speedball co makes one as a pen nib.  they intend you use it to cut through the black waxy stuff on paper whose name i cannot think of just now.

 

cutting through slip is the original style i made first in 1972 when i was totally in love with the POTS, not the man, made by Charles Counts.  cutting straight lines is not as easy with 73 year old fingers, thanks for not noticing the wavy lines.

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