The venerable technique of making terracotta pots has its roots in antiquity. Our ancestors, who needed containers to transport water and store food, found in clay, resistant to water and available in nature, the ideal material to use. Although today it is possible to buy the containers we need at the supermarket and let the water flow through the pipes, terracotta pots remain as beautiful as they are efficient works of art and crafts.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Preparations
Step 1. Knead the clay
Start with 250g of clay. Heat it slowly and eliminate the air bubbles by kneading it with your hands. This will amalgamate the clay, removing the lumps and making it malleable. Avoid folding it back on itself, digging it or working it in other ways that could favor the formation of air bubbles inside it (which could cause the ceramic inside the furnace to explode).
Step 2. Cut the clay in half with a metal wire, and check if there are air bubbles or holes inside
Step 3. Once the clay is mixed, use one of the following methods to make your vase
On wikiHow you can find numerous other in-depth articles on this topic
Method 2 of 4: Colombino processing
Step 1. When the clay is hot and malleable, take a fist-sized piece of it and make a cylindrical strip of it
The diameter of the cylinder will determine the thickness of the vessel walls. For your first vases, make strips a little thicker than a pencil and 30 to 60 cm long. The important thing is that they are all of the same thickness.
The cylinder may be thinner in some places. Try to avoid it, but, if you can't, break it where it is thinnest, put one end aside and finish the other
Step 2. Make the bottom of the vase
Starting at one end, wrap a strip in a spiral to make the bottom of the vase (the size depends on the vase you have in mind). For example, for a vase made with 6 cm strips, a base of 8 cm in diameter may be just fine.
You can also make the base by flattening a piece of clay until it reaches the same thickness as the strips, and then remove the excess with a knife, using a cup or plate to help you in the process
Step 3. Prepare the clay and then get to work
Score the base 5 mm from its outer edge and moisten it with water or muller (a mixture of water and clay). As you proceed with the work, do the same thing with the strips of clay. In this way they will have more grip, making the vase much more solid. Arrange the first strip on the base and wrap it circularly, so as to form the wall of the vase.
Step 4. Strengthen the structure
To make your work more durable, strengthen the inside of the vase by smoothing it and make sure that the clay of each strip fills the area where it rests on the one below.
- To maintain the shape of the vase, hold the outer face while you shape the inner face.
- You can sand both faces if you wish.
Step 5. Shape the vase as you make them
Create the contours by adjusting the arrangement of the strips and shaping the clay during the sanding and reinforcement process.
Step 6. Finish the job
If you wish, decorate your vase or glaze it and, depending on the type of clay you used, let it air dry or bake it in the furnace. Read the directions for use of the product to find out how to behave.
Method 3 of 4: Pressure Machining
Step 1. Make a ball
Using your hands, make a clay ball and make sure it is moist.
Step 2. Make a hole
Sink your thumb into the center of the ball, 5mm from the bottom.
Step 3. Shape the walls
Using your thumb and forefinger, shape the clay working it upwards. With each movement of the fingers, push the clay upwards, repeating the operation until the vase obtains the desired shape.
Step 4. Flatten the base
Press from the inside of the pot against the worktop, so that the bottom remains flat and smooth.
Step 5. Smooth the inside and outside of the vase, according to your tastes
Decorate it and follow the product instructions to finish the work.
Step 6. You can find other useful information in this article
Method 4 of 4: Using a Potter's Wheel
Step 1. Soften the clay
Quickly pass it from hand to hand giving it the shape of a ball.
Step 2. Dry the lathe
This will help make the clay stick to the wheel once set in motion. Better to avoid a ball of damp clay flying around the room, right?
Step 3. Keep some water close at hand
Place a bucket of water near the workstation, so you can easily reach it while making the vase.
Step 4. Throw the clay ball
Throw the ball as close to the center of the wheel as possible, then press it to give it a conical shape.
Step 5. Spin the wheel
As you increase the speed, wet the piece of clay and flatten it towards the center, keeping one hand on one side and the other on the top. Use your hand up to keep the clay in check, so it doesn't fly all over the place.
The clay is stable when it stops wobbling and stays firmly in the center of the wheel. Don't stop turning the lathe
Step 6. Wet your hands
Shape the clay into a cone, then press it down until it forms a thin disk. Repeat the process a couple of times; this makes the clay smoother and shinier. Try to keep the piece of clay in the center of the wheel.
Step 7. Sink your thumb into the center of the clay mass until it reaches 1.5 cm from the bottom
Step 8. Stick four fingers into the hole and mold the clay until the hole is the desired size
Continue to shape the hole, keeping the other hand on the outside of the piece of clay to give it the shape you have in mind.
Step 9. Work slowly
Gradually push the clay upwards, exerting constant pressure until the vase reaches the desired height.
Step 10. Widen the top
If you want a vase with a slightly wider neck, withdraw your fingers inside it. Do it gently.
Step 11. Remove the pot from the lathe
Wet the lathe (not the pot) and detach the pot using a wire or fishing line. Hold the thread with both hands and bring it towards you by passing it under the vase until the latter comes off.
Step 12. Follow the product directions to finish and cook it
Advice
- If the vase collapses during processing, knead the clay again to eliminate any air bubbles and start shaping a new vase.
- To eliminate air pockets, keep the piece of clay round and do not flatten it by more than half; keep passing it quickly from one hand to the other. You can also throw it several times on a hard surface (like a table, for example).
- Avoid using your fingertips to knead the clay.
- If you have purchased clay to be baked in a furnace, consider the idea of baking it on a glass surface, so that it does not stick. An upside-down glass dish is just fine.
Warnings
- If you use baking clay, carefully read the instructions for use of the product.
- Read the instructions to know which materials to use during processing. Some types of clay stain wood, for example.
