InspireOne Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Hi, I am going to make ceramic mushrooms that are pushed into the ground. They do not stand on their own. How should I support these for the glaze firing so that I can glaze them with the least noticeable marks ( such as from stilts, etc.) ? I ideally would like to glaze as close to 100% of the mushroom as possible. I'm thinking that I would not glaze the pointed end of the stalk and try to stand them up in the kiln, but what would work for this? I'm a beginner and appreciate any suggestions. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 if you tell us how big these mushrooms will be, you might get more accurate answers. there is a difference between actual size mushrooms and 2 feet wide ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Perhaps make them in 2 pieces and then join with epoxy after firing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InspireOne Posted January 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 The mushrooms will have a stalk about 3/4 inch diameter and be about 10 inches long. The caps will be slipcast and anywhere from 2 to 6 inches across. I am going to attach the stalks once they are leather hard to the caps with slip. Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 I've made these before and from what I can remember, the stems were hollow and attached to the heads when leather hard. They were laid in the kiln with the edge of the head and the tapered point of the stem on waster disks. If I had to do anything to the edge of the head, it would have been to take a grinder to smooth the edge where the glaze may have run onto the waster. My stems were hollow and if I were to do it again, I might try to make a stand out of carbon steel which has a melting point of 2600-2800 degrees F. The base would be1.5"x 1/8" with 1/4" vertical rods to slide the stems onto. The base would be in a "T" shape to provide some stability and the rods would be spaced appropriately for the heads of the shrooms. I would run some tests at your glaze temp to make sure all was stable. What cone are you glaze firing to? I believe mine were ^06 because they were painted with underglazes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 A friend of mine makes mushrooms for planters and the garden. She makes smaller ones with a solid stem and inserts a piece of 12 gauge kanthal kiln element wire into the base with a 2 or 3" tail of wire sticking straight out the bottom. When glazing she sticks the wire into a softbrick to keep the mushrooms upright. Depending on the size of your mushrooms you might need to use something more substantial like beading bars (the type sold for firing beads on) like this. If you do use bead bars then I would make a hole with a slightly wider diameter than the bead bar you will be firing them on then after bisque firing insert the bead bar for the glaze firing and remove it after firing to reuse it. The wire helps keep them from tipping over. Since you mentioned stilts I'm guessing you are using lowfire clay? If so you could try suspend the mushrooms on the bead bar so they sit just slightly above the kiln brick that way you could glaze them all over, including the base. (leaving a tiny unglazed part around the wire) If you are using a mid or highfire clay I wouldn't worry about glazing the bottoms. I've glazed octopus tentacles like this, it works well as long as the clay is balanced on the wire/bar, if not the weight of the clay can tip them over during firing. Welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 I made a stand to hold herb labels, which wasn't wholy successful. I pondered long and hard as to how to do this better, and decided a bead bar and hang them upside down might work better. Never got round to making any more though. Whatever you do, make sure that if high firing, they can't slump onto anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 Having used mild steel for some glass slumping projects, I know it spalls quite a lot even at 12-1300 F. It wasn’t as much of an issue at glass temperatures, but the spalling pieces could damage kiln shelves as they melt at glaze temperatures. I’d stick with the bead bars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 Drill holes , tapered to accommodate the stalks in a soft fire brick, the end which pushes into ground will have to be unglazed for this to work. Not being critical but as a beginner you gave discovered the need to sit and design the process right through to end prior to commencing the project. Have fun in clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 If glaze on the underside of the cap near the join with the stem isn't required, then a tapered waste cylinder may serve, where the upper rim supports the cap (with enough clearance such that the stem/cap join can be glazed - strength), the skirt flares away such that the base offers plenty of support. The stem would hang. They'd be easy to make, like an upside down funnel, follow? ...in clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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