A.Jan on sun 27 apr 97
I saw this huge and tall vase in a furniture shop selling for USD45,000.00.
It is about 8 - 9 feet tall, with decorative paintings on it, some amount of
gold work,sgrafitto. It is made in China.
How is such a big vase build/made? The diameter of the base of the vase is
at least 2 feet. Can it be molded? and how could such a huge thing be fired?
HAs anyone seen a vase similiar in size being produced from A - Z?
still amazed!!
Jan
Tadeusz Westawic on mon 28 apr 97
A.Jan wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
> I saw this huge and tall vase in a furniture shop selling for USD45,000.00.
> It is about 8 - 9 feet tall, with decorative paintings on it, some amount of
> gold work,sgrafitto. It is made in China.
>
> How is such a big vase build/made? The diameter of the base of the vase is
> at least 2 feet. Can it be molded? and how could such a huge thing be fired?
>
> HAs anyone seen a vase similiar in size being produced from A - Z?
>
> still amazed!!
> Jan
There is a large vase in the Art Museum in Denver, Chineese, about 5
feet, percelain with cobalt patterning, I forget the period.
Anyway, upon close examination (leaning around the vase to see the side
facing the wall and definitely getting the guard's attention) an eight
to ten inch straight-line horizontal crack can be found. I decided that
meant that the pot was built in sections and the crack is the result of
a failing joint.
Tadzu
Cindy on mon 28 apr 97
Jan wrote:
> I saw this huge and tall vase about 8 - 9 feet tall. How is
such a >big vase build/made? The diameter of the base of the vase is at
least 2 feet. Can >it be molded? and how could such a huge thing be fired?
Jan, I don't know much about molding--I suppose you could mold just about
anything if you had a big enough mold. (And a fork-lift. ) I just
learned how to make big pots (at a workshop I took from Stephen Jepson).
You will probably require twoHere's the plan.
First, decide what you want to make (important). Make a number of smaller
pots until you find a shape you like. The more severe the slope on the
walls of the pot, the thicker you will need to make the large pot--better
to start with a more upright form until you get the hang of it.
If you want the base, or any part of the pot much wider than 12", you will
need to make special bats. (However, it's better to start with 'smaller'
big pots--don't immediately try to make one 8' tall!) Cut a circle from
outdoor grade plywood, drill holes for your bat pins, and finish the circle
with several coats of marine varnish. (Jepson has a set of these, all
different sizes. Slightly different than I described, and without the
holes--he uses a ring of screws and a grabber pad in the center to keep the
bat in place. It works great, but I think this would be simpler.)
You'll have to remove the splash pan in order to use these bats, of course.
To keep messes to a minimum, prop a damp clean-up sponge against the far
right edge of the bat--use a rock or something to keep it in place. This
will catch a majority of your run-off.
Now, you're ready to start. Center a *well-wedged and kneaded* lump of clay
on your wheel. See the earlier posts about centering large amounts, but no
need to work with a great deal more than you're comfortable with. This
first lump will only make the base of the pot. Open to the limits of your
bat, or to the diameter you want the bottom to be, compress the bottom, and
raise the walls. Take care that you don't allow them to lean out at all
until the end--the heavier the mass of clay you're working with, the more
centrifugal force you'll be dealing with. Pull up until the walls are as
thin as you want them (Thickness is a function of the eventual size of the
pot, BTW--if the base isn't thick enough, the pot *will not* survive. If it
doesn't slump during throwing, it will do so during firing.)
Shape the walls to match the base of your model pot. Fix the top. (You
should be compressing the top after each pull, of course.) If the rim isn't
perfectly even, cut a bit off--but no more than you absolutely must. Shape
the top into a ^ shape. Use your wooden rib to apply pressure from the
inside of the rim against your fingers on the outside of the rim. Refine
the shape of your base using a flexible steel rib on the outside and a
rigid rib, or your fingers, on the inside. (At times during the throwing
process, you may also wish to use a rigid rim on the outside.)
Allow the pot to rotate s-l-o-w-l-y while you work on the next step. You
may wish to rig a hair-dryer or a heat gun so that it blows against the rim
as it turns. This will speed the process up. Other things which will work
more quickly are a horse grooming dryer, or, I'm told, a weed burner. The
rim must be firm, but not dry. You should still be able to refine its shape
when you add the next section of your pot. Now, for the next section . . .
Measure the rim with calipers or, when it gets too wide for that, a yard
stick. Center a lump of clay on your second wheel. Open all the way to the
bat and pull out into a donut
Bob Pulley on mon 28 apr 97
I would like to see the flowers for the 8 foot vase. Sewer tiles can be 8
foot long. Jun Kaneko has built some 8 ft. sculptures. Fire slow.
Robert Pulley
bpulley@hsonline.net
Lisa Trocchia on tue 29 apr 97
Jan:
Potters in Crete (Greece) still produce large vessels like the ones
found in the ancient ruins of Knossos. The ones I've seen are anywhere
from 4' - 8' tall. The village of Thrapsano has several traditional
potteries producing them and they make them in stages. First, they
throw a large base 1'- 2' in diameter, probably 8 to 10 inches high.
After that dries a bit, they begin attaching coils up another 6 to 8
inches - smooth that out and on the wheel, raise it another foot. I
would say the thickness of the walls is about 1" - 1.5". Decorations are
either incised or added. Then, they fire these (unglazed) in kilns using
olive pits as fuel and after firing, put them in the warm Cretan sun
full of water for several days. They are awesome!
Lisa Trocchia
Keramos Studio
we3@bright.net
| |
|
