Fhelme@aol.com on wed 5 feb 97
I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
mistakes!
I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
frank helme in upstate New York
fhelme@AOL.com
Dannon Rhudy on thu 6 feb 97
----------------------------Original
message----------------------------
I have been struggling to make mug handles ... handles still look
like they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked...feels
like wet noodles ......do I have to try a thousand handles....
Frank,
The quick answer is yes, you have to pull a thousand handles. At
least.
However, to make that a bit more palatable: pulling a hundred
handles a day for ten days in a row will not really take a lot of
time. To practice this you need to take a piece of clay large
enough to hold comfortably in your hand, give it a slightly
cone shape to facilitate the pull, and just begin. Nearly any
beginning ceramics book will have pictures of how this is done,
how it should look, how to manipulate your pulling hand. Look
carefully at what they are SHOWING you. Remember to use only
enough water to prevent pulling the clay apart prematurely. Too
much water and over-working are what make the handles "like
wet noodles", flimsy, graceless. With each handle that you pull,
you will have learned something. Aim for consistency of shape,
thickness, spring. You will be pleasantly surprised by the
second or third hundred, but don't stop at that point. Persist.
It will be more than worth your time. Meanwhile, look at
favorite and beautiful handles often, touch them when possible,
your fingers will tell you a great deal. Different clay bodies
will respond differently of course; the more plastic the clay,
the more spring in the handle.
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
Marcia Selsor on thu 6 feb 97
Two ways to practise handles:
Throw a tall cylinder and pull as many handles as you can from it.
For pulling handles off the pot, mug, whatever, pull a long handle,
cut it up into equal size strips, score both pieces and attach to the
pot and pull. This method is a good speedy way to make matching handles.
Keep your hand wet at least every three pulls. Quick and fresh and
"gentle"!
Keep practising.
Marcia in Montana
Fhelme@aol.com wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
> smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
> attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
> carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
> the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
> they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
> noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
> the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
> try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
> mistakes!
>
> I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
> frank helme in upstate New York
> fhelme@AOL.com
--
Marcia Selsor
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/
mjbmls@imt.net
David McBeth on thu 6 feb 97
I had a student years ago who came to my beginning ceramics course
already a very competnet potter. As it turns out his father was/is a
high school art teacher and Ross had learn to throw from his father in
their basement studio. Ross told me once that he complained to his
father,
"I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with
a smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not
just attached. "
...or something like that anyway. and Frank, I am sorry. Ross's father
sent him to the basement to throw a tall cylinder and cover it with
handles. "By the time you are finished, you will be able to get it
right."
So, I think you have answered your own question.
My other suggest would be to video yourself making these handles,
attaching them etc. then retreat to the comfort of your living room and
study the video tape. Some many times we think we are going through
every step just so, but as it is said, the camera never lies.
Good luck,
--
David McBeth, MFA
Associate Professor of Art and Art Ed
330 C Gooch Hall
University of Tennessee at Martin
Martin, TN 38238
901-587-7416
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/dmcbeth.htm
Libby Ware on thu 6 feb 97
Frank,
For what it is worth, my experience suggests that the thousand pulled
handles is about the best way to realize the goal of beautiful handles.
One comforting thought, though, is that you needn't involve a thousand
cylinders if you treat the thousand handles as experiments by attaching
those handles (more than one handle) to a strudy surface. For a
sturdy surface, I've even found that a dixy cup will do the trick.
Also, you might try starting with the thicker part of the handle at the
base of the cylinder. Bill Van Gilder suggested and demonstrated this
approach to handle attachment. By starting at the base of the cylindar,
you begin at a more strudy part of the cylinder and in the end are less
likely to clobber the rim of the mug. In addition, the asthetic of a
tamper handle going from heavier base to lighter rim can be in keeping
with the line of the cylinder. Too, Bill demonstrated his handles by
first pulling a short pug of clay only part way; after attaching to the
base of cylinder pulled the handle the rest of the way to the rim. In
short, Bill's handles were wonderful but I believe I saw him pull his
20,000 one. Hope this is of some use.
Libby
Dave and Pat Eitel on thu 6 feb 97
do I have to
>try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
>mistakes!
>
Frank--200 might be more like it. What method are you using? Are you
attaching a slug of clay and pulling the handle from that? Pottery making
IS a craft and DOES take time and practice to perfect.
Later...Dave
Dave Eitel
Cedar Creek Pottery
Cedarburg, WI
pots@cedarcreekpottery.com
http://www.cedarcreekpottery.com
JULIE ATWOOD on thu 6 feb 97
It seems it varies from potter to potter. As for me, although I detest
pulling handles, I seem to be able to with general ease. For others, it
DOES take a thousand pulled handles.
MOST things take a "thousand" of everything. Don't be discouraged,
because even though my handles came easily, many other things came only
after my thousandth try. Each time, I learned a little bit more until I
felt satisfied with what I had done.
In your case, I think I can predict very buff upper arms until you get
a "handle" on your handles. ;)
Julie
On Wed, 5 Feb 1997 Fhelme@aol.com wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
> smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
> attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
> carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
> the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
> they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
> noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
> the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
> try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
> mistakes!
>
> I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
> frank helme in upstate New York
> fhelme@AOL.com
>
Louis Katz on thu 6 feb 97
Fhelme@aol.com wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
> smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
> attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
> carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
> the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
> they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
> noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
> the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
> try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
> mistakes!
>
> I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
> frank helme in upstate New York
> fhelme@AOL.com
Five hundred bottle handles helped my handle making immensely. Attach
the clay to the pot, then pull, don't pull the handle separate from the
pot. Use extrememly well wedged, well aged clay reallly sticky wet.
Louis
--
Louis Katz lkatz@falcon.tamucc.edu
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
6300 Ocean
CCTX 78412
(512) 994-5987
http://www.tamucc.edu/~lkatz
Michael S Janzen on thu 6 feb 97
Frank,
I used to have the same problem with handles. Actually I used to avoid
puyiing handles on anything. I learned to love handles when I began using
a brush and water to smooth out any inconsistancies at the connection
point. Let the pulled handle dry out just enough to hold a curve, attach
it rough and then smooth out the seam with a brush.
As far as your question "do I have to make thousands before I get it
right?" I'd have to say, "It wouldn't hurt," and "whats a thousand
handles?"
---Michael Janzen
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
>smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
>attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
>carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
>the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
>they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
>noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
>the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
>try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
>mistakes!
>
>I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
>frank helme in upstate New York
>fhelme@AOL.com
Liz Willoughby on thu 6 feb 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
>smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
>attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
>carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
>the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
>they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
>noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
>the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
>try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
>mistakes!
>
>I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
>frank helme in upstate New York
>fhelme@AOL.com
Hello Frank, I'm a Canadian potter, don't know who Smith is but this is how
I pull a handle to make it look like it is an intrgral part of the mug.
- Pull a few short stubby handles, say 2-3 inches long, let them set up a
bit on a board.
- Pat the fat end firmly with your finger. (to compress the clay)
- Score and slip the mug and the fat end of the handle.
- Attach. Hold the mug at eye level with left hand, wet the handle and pull
again (smoothing the underside where it is attached ). Don't overwork your
handle, and use very little water. Attach the end at the base of your mug.
-The main thing is not to overwork the clay, and not to have it flare out
too much.
-a lot of us have made a thousand handles until we have got it right!
Hope this helps, Liz. Where it is still snowing and I am so tired of
winter and so looking forward to Las Vegas.
Liz Willoughby
R.R. 1
Grafton. Ontario
Canada. K0K 2G0
Harvey Sadow on thu 6 feb 97
Fhelme@aol.com wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
> smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
> attached.
A thousand handles is a good start. Try this. Make the first two pulls
and cut off the handle. Score the place that you want the handle to
flow from and attach the thick, not too gooey handle that you just
pulled. Attach it so that it sticks straight out from the mug wall at a
90 degree angle and smoothe it right into the wall. Don't worry about
what it looks like except at the attachment point Then hold the mug,
handle downward and continue pulling the handle. When it is thinned out
and the right length, turn the mug back upright and the handle should
fall into a nice curve and appear to have grown right out of the mug.
Just attach it at the bottom.
Good luck,
Harvey Sadow
TYLERCD@gov.ns.ca on fri 7 feb 97
I can't stand it any more! One of the funny things about ClayArt is waiting
for others to take the trouble to send the answers that you think you
know.
The Canadian "Smith" who pulls nice handles might be Jim (Nova Scotia)
or Tom (New Brunswick).
Lili Krakowski on fri 7 feb 97
Oh for pity's sake! No. Nine hundred ninety nine maybe....Ok. I do nto
have my books with me, but I think, just think, that there are several
which SHOW good pix of handle pulling. Mebbe someone will tell you, OR
somehow send you the pix....Still. Use clay that is basically too dry
for throwing. Take a large baking potato chunk. Whomp it on a table
top--no, not that Adams end-table, your WORK table--till you have
something between a banana and a pear shape. Grab fat part (the bottom of pear)
relatively dry LEFT hand (I am assuming you're right handed) Wet your
right hand and twist and pull on the rest of the pear shape using your
circled index and thumb and that soft webbed part between them. With
proper pressure you will have a length of clay the thickness of your
thumb in about 4 pulls.KEEP TURNING your left hand at the wrist so that
you pull on all sides of the lump. Using thumb and index, or first joints
of index and middle finger, cut off a 3" piece. Lay it on a good-'n'wet
place on the table. Make a few of these handles.
Next: using a toothbrush (an old one, please) and some water scrub a
little place on the pot. Dry your Hands. With a clean dry knife cut
the top off the handle. Top being the part that is a bit wider, and was
closer to the lump.
Wet your right hand and pick up handle. Place left hand in pot so that
its finbgers give support as you PUSH AND WIGGLE the cut end of the
handle against the pot. It is sort of the movement you would make if
you were trying to insert a pencil into a plastic hose that is barely a
hair wider in diameter than the pencil. After three or so wiggles the
handle will be stuck. Smooth around it with your thumb. Now pick upt
he cup in your clean dry left hand and tilt it so the handle hangs
straight down. Using wet thumb and middle of index finger pull the
handle till it is the right thinness and length (snip off excess.)
TILT THE CUP back to vertical. The handle (because the clay is stiff
enough) will flop in a beautiful arc. All you now do is pinch, push or
stamp it against the bottom of teh cup, where you want it.
Hope this helps. 995, 996, 997....
Lili Krakowski lkkrakow@edisto.cofc.edu
rballou@mnsinc.com on fri 7 feb 97
Lots of good suggestions about handles. I only have a couple of suggestions
to add, which may be of some use. First of all, pulling the handle on the
mug really is the way to go. It's faster and allows you to adjust the arc
of the handle as you're pulling it. But this means you've got to have close
to the right amount of clay in your handle to begin with or your attachment
will be too large or too small. So first make a large coil with enough clay
for several handles. Cut off two sections, pull one to see if you've got
just about the right amount of clay, then adjust the second section to
correspond. Then save it as a model to use in cutting the clay for all the
rest of the handles.
If you do some preliminary shaping before you attach the clay and before
you start pulling, it will be easier to pull the handle. I make an
elongated diamond shape on the end to be attached to the pot, making a
clean cut on the end. Then pinch the handle uniformily with the thumb and
index finger of both hands down its length on each side to do some
preliminary thinnning, pinching so that the middle is thicker than the
edges. Then I attach the clay to the pot. Work on making the attachment
look good. This doesn't necessarily mean laboring over it, however. With
practice,few sure, steady moves can accomplish the goal. Then pull your
handle to the desired thickness. The nice thing about pulling it off the
pot is that you can check the arc as you're pulling. Usually, when the
thickness is right, the arc is right.
A common mistake is to have the handle come too far away from the body of
the pot. You really only need about 1/2 inch clearance between the hand and
the pot, even for pots holding hot liquid. Handles can be made for 1,2,3,
or all 4 fingers. Users with different size hands can adjust how many
fingers they use on a well made handle. So have some different people test
your handles and get some feedback. While you're at it, test other handles.
Pay attention to the width,thicknes, arc, every detail.
When looking at the handle from its edge, I like to be able to
simultaneously see the edge, and the inside and outside surfaces of the
handle. This means that the handle tapers from middle to the edges. The
handle also tapers from the attachment at the rim to the base. I like for
the attachment at the base to be increase in thickness again, to reinforce
the idea that the handle grows from the pot, much like a branch grows from
a tree. Not to say that this is the only way to make a handle, just the way
I like mine.
Finally, when you've done all this, forget it all and just turn on some
music and pull some handles.
Ruth Ballou
rballou@mnsinc.com
Steve Williams on fri 7 feb 97
Fhelme@aol.com wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original My question is - do I have to
> try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
> mistakes!
>
> I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
> frank helme in upstate New York
> fhelme@AOL.com
Hi Frank!
Thats what all my teachers taught me! Anyway, I start by rolling an
appropriately sized coil and then rolling a taper into it. I then flatten
an area on opposite sides of the tapered coil and cut the end that
attaches to the pot. This gives you a blank that is just slightly larger
than the finished handle. Score and slip the pot well and push the blank
onto the pot. Heal the connection well before pulling the handle. Since
the blank is already tapered it only takes a few pulls. Good luck!
Steve Williams
In beautiful downtown Matney NC
Ron Roy on fri 7 feb 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
>smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
>attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
>carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
>the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
>they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
>noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
>the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
>try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
>mistakes!
>
>I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
>
>frank helme in upstate New York
>fhelme@AOL.com
Hi Frank,
Best "trick" I know is to start off with stiff clay.
Ron Roy
Toronto, Canada
Evenings, call 416 439 2621
Fax, 416 438 7849
Bob Pulley on fri 7 feb 97
Frank,
I haven't read all the posts on this subject, so I don't know if I have
anything new to add, but: I form an oval plug of the appropriate size ( I
do a whole pile of them before pulling). As I form this plug I do a little
wedging action between my palms to tighten up the clay. These plugs are
about 2.5" long and tapered with an oval cross section. I score the mug
with a comb and pat a little water on it before attaching the plug. I hold
the cup up, plug down in my left hand while I pull. I used to pull between
my thumb and base of index finger, but a friend showed me how he pulled
between the base of index and middle finger for a flatter, more symetrical
handle. I finish with a couple of thumb tip pulls that leave a slight
ridge running the length of the handle.
Robert Pulley
bpulley@hsonline.net
Eleanora Eden on sat 8 feb 97
Hi all,
Here is the letter I wrote Frank about handles since everybody is sharing
theirs maybe this adds something. Nobody has mentioned leaving the
piece upside down to set up which for me helps to keep the curve that I like.
And I disagree about using stiff clay. And I agree emphatically about
the importance of the wiggle operation in attaching the slug to the pot.
Also the leather-hardness of the pot is important, especially if the pot
is thin. Has to be hard enough not to distort in the process and not hard
enough to crack in the process.
Hi Frank,
Funny I've been thinking about this. There came a moment about 8-9 years
ago when the proprietor of a store I was selling in told me that my pots
were great and my handles weren't. I, too, had always wanted to do those
flowy handles and felt totally incompetent to do it...but I started
trying anyway.
I pull a real thick rope to start and chop off pieces for my handles,
stubby thick things. I score and push on and then use my thumbs to push
the handle clay onto the cup all around, thus increasing the area where
the handle attaches. Then I hold the cup kind of above me to pull the
handle down.
Is that helpful? Oh, and I leave a real mess and don't worry about it
again til the pot is dry.
Hope this helps.
Eleanora
Eleanora Eden 802 869-2003
Paradise Hill
Bellows Falls, VT 05101 eden@maple.sover.net
[the address fga@world.std.com is temporary. My mailbox at
eden@maple.sover.net still works -- do not change address books]
Hluch - Kevin A. on sun 9 feb 97
Have been reading this thread with some interest....It appears it not only
takes a thousand handles to pull a good one, it takes discipline to get
to the one hundreth, and it takes the love of doing it to make the 1000
1st. Finally, it takes a depth of spirit to insure that the 1000 2nd pot
is not dead, sterile, and lifeless as a result of such repetition.
Kevin A. Hluch
102 E. 8th St.
Frederick, MD 21701
USA
On Thu, 6 Feb 1997, Michael S Janzen wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Frank,
>
> I used to have the same problem with handles. Actually I used to avoid
> puyiing handles on anything. I learned to love handles when I began using
> a brush and water to smooth out any inconsistancies at the connection
> point. Let the pulled handle dry out just enough to hold a curve, attach
> it rough and then smooth out the seam with a brush.
>
> As far as your question "do I have to make thousands before I get it
> right?" I'd have to say, "It wouldn't hurt," and "whats a thousand
> handles?"
>
> ---Michael Janzen
>
> >----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >I have been struggling to make mug handles that flow from the body with a
> >smooth curve with the handle as an integral part of the mug and not just
> >attached. I use a favorite cup as an example - made by a Canadian potter who
> >carves the name "Smith" in the bottom of a beautiful mug. I have no idea who
> >the potter is; but the handle is a work of art. My handles still look like
> >they are stuck on on worked and worked and worked. The clay feels like wet
> >noodles by the time I am half way done. If I use a tiny roll of clay to make
> >the fillet, that's exactly what it looks like. My question is - do I have to
> >try a thousand handles before I get it right? I seem to learn only by my
> >mistakes!
> >
> >I would appreciate any suggestions and comments.
> >
> >frank helme in upstate New York
> >fhelme@AOL.com
>
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