Can Tall Teapots Like These Be Handbuilt? These Are Extruded

[nancylee]

 

Hi again! So I'm up to the spout! I imagine I need to handbuild the spout, as how could such a tall and narrow spout be thrown? And I dont have an extruder die that puts out a narrow and hollow tube. Thanks!

 

You might try this, Nancy...

Get a dowel stick or other rod the diameter of the inside of your spout and wrap a couple of times with newspaper. DON"T tape the newspaper to the rod, but do tape the outside to itself just to hold it together. You should be able to slide the paper a little on the rod. Roll out a slab to the thickness and length of the spout, then wrap the clay around the dowel, joining it to make the tube that will become the spout. Practice a little so you can get the spout looking like you want. After the clay is a soft leather hard and you can handle it without breaking it, pull the rod through the tube and out. The paper will stay inside the clay tube you have made, but you don't have to worry about that now. When the clay dries, you will be able to pull the paper out. What doesn't come out will burn off in the firing.

I used this method to make stems for some yard-art mushrooms and it worked well.

​The left over spouts, if you have any, you can dry and fire and make wind chimes with them.  

 

An alternative to this method would be to go to an auto supply store and buy an oil funnel which is long and tapered and use it to wrap your slabs around.

JohnnyK

Great ideas! Thank you!

[nancylee]

Stan Irvin has a couple videos where he handbuilds spouts. In

he shows pulling a spout on a tapered  spout maker. Should work over a plastic funnel like Johnny K suggested when wrapped in paper, I've not tried on a plastic funnel but does work on wood spout makers. If you try it be prepared to muck up a few before you get a good one, it's a bit tricky to get them a good thickness. (Irvin talks about dusting the clay and wood with feldspar or talc in place of cornstarch, I wouldn't use the first two though) Using slabs with templates in

.

Thanks Min! Very helpful!

[oldlady]

you can taper the spout made the way johnnyk suggests by rolling one end gently.  sort of pivot and roll the wider end while holding the tip lightly on a surface that will not let the clay stick.  if you have never seen mitch lyons make cylinders with sticks, it is a treat.  they are on youtube.

[IG céramique]

Such special forms can be handbuildt : a scale model in cardboard assembled with tape, then separate the different pieces to cut out the slabs. beware of the angles when cutting the boards, 30° is enough to score and to stick.

Or, you can modeling the main part of the piece in full clay, then making a plaster mould in two pieces. Then you have a start to add whatever you want and you can offer a range of pieces on this form.

Concerning the extruder, we didn't have one in ceramics school, because professors wanted us to learn coiling well. Besides, we used to work with a lot of different clays. It is a problem when you have to clean the extruder everytime before using it or after.