Jonathan Kirkendall on wed 22 aug 07
It is 66 degrees F, cloudy and cool here in Washington DC, just the type
of weather to hole myself up in my studio and throw. So, indeed, that
is how I spent my morning. I am making little teapots that mimic the
little tea cups I make for a store downtown - but for the life of me, I
can not get my long, thick, big knuckled fingers to navigate tiny,
graceful spouts. I wedged up clay and I threw and I threw and I threw,
and ended up with eight that are passable, but somewhat lifeless and
uninspired.
So then I thought, maybe I should handbuild these little teasers, and
wondered if others did, and what a handbuilt spout on an otherwise
thrown teapot might look like; what implications for pourability
handbuilding might have, etc. I'd be happy to hear from anyone who
might have some insight to share...I need some direction and inspiration...
Jonathan in DC
where the Tibetan Mastiff is finding this cool weather quite agreeable
and the cat is curled up on the chest of the Best Beloved as he recovers
from the stomach flu
Vince Pitelka on wed 22 aug 07
Jonathan -
I generally throw spouts for my thrown teapots, and handbuild the spouts for
handbuilt teapots, but of course there's no reason in the world not to
intermix them. I build fairly aggressive spouts, and you can see them on my
teapots at
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/gallery/current%20work/current_work.htm
I form my spouts on dowels. There is a long tapered spout tool available
from some manufacturers, but I don't want a pre-made tool determining the
taper of my spouts. I want to decide that myself. I form a small
sausage-shaped piece of clay (size dependent on the desired spout), and then
press a 5/8" dowel (rounded or pointed on one end) through the center of it
lengthwise, rotating the clay constantly as I press the dowel through,
"feeling" the way the clay expands in order to keep the dowel on center.
Once the dowel is through the clay, I start squeezing the clay with my
hands, expanding and thinning the resulting tube, constantly moving it to
dry spots on the dowel so that it doesn't stick. The cheap poplar dowels
available from the home improvement center are ideal, because they are more
porous than oak and the clay tends to stick less.
If I want one end of the spout wider than is provided by 5/8" inside
diameter, I keep one end of the tube slightly thicker, and then I roll the
dowel against the table to expand that end of the tube as much as I desire.
I get a smooth finish on the outer surface of the spout by alternately
squeezing with my fingers (never too much, just maintain even rhythmic
squeezing motions constantly moving/rotating the clay) and rolling the clay
tube against the table to even out the surface.
You will quickly get the tube as thin as you want it to be on the small end
on the 5/8" dowel, and then it is time to change to a 1/2" dowel. This
time, just work the smaller end of the tube, continuing to taper it down,
squeezing it against the dowel, and rolling it on the table surface. You
can keep working your way down through a series of smaller dowels to get as
much taper as you wish, but keep in mind that the opening on a standard size
teapot should not be smaller than about 3/8", or the velocity will be too
high. A single-cup teapot can have a smaller opening, but a primary fault
of many larger teapots is a too-small pouring hole at the end of the spout.
On smaller cruets, I have gone down as far as a 3/16" dowel.
One more consideration is the way you finsh the end of the spout. Of course
there are innumerable approaches to this. I don't tend to go for
asymmetrical spout ends, although they can be beautiful on some teapots.
Instead, I just like to have a bevel, leaving a sharp edge to cut off the
surface tension during pouring - not too sharp or it will chip easily. When
I finish forming the spout I leave it on the dowel, and cut off the uneven
small end with a fettling knife, rotating the dowel as I cut the clay. I
then simply hold the fettling knife blade against the dowel, with the
cross-section of the blade about 20 degrees off vertical, and slide the
blade along the dowel, tapping the end of the spout repeatedly with the side
of the blade as I rotate the dowel and spout. This bevels the end and
expands it slightly. Some people think that the result is slightly phallic,
but then, aren't all teapot spouts slightly phallic? I figure it's their
problem, not mine. If you check out the spouts on my teapots at the
website, I think the above instructions will make more sense.
Sorry for spouting off at such length.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Dannon Rhudy on wed 22 aug 07
Jonathan, many people make thrown teapots with
handbuilt spouts (and vice-versa). There's no reason
not to hand build the spouts if you like. Look for some
of Jim Connell's work online, for inspiration. He makes
large teapots, thrown, but his spouts are hand built.
You can use
a small ferule and form the spout around that, refining
after you remove the spout. Wrap a bit of paper or
plastic around the ferule first, for easy removal of
the clay.
If you can't use your fingers to throw pot spouts that
are small enough (I don't know what size you speak of)
then you can use a bamboo stick, or wooden one, and
sometimes a q-tip can work, too. Any small finger-substitute
can be used to throw something smaller than you can do
with fingers.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery on wed 22 aug 07
On Aug 22, 2007, at 12:30 PM, Jonathan Kirkendall wrote:
I am making little teapots that mimic the
> little tea cups I make for a store downtown - but for the life of
> me, I
> can not get my long, thick, big knuckled fingers to navigate tiny,
> graceful spouts. I wedged up clay and I threw and I threw and I
> threw,
> and ended up with eight that are passable, but somewhat lifeless and
> uninspired.
Instead of giving up on throwing spouts, try making them the way I
do: instead of a finger, I use the handle of a paint brush. Pick a
brush with a rounded end on the handle and use it like a throwing
stick. (A sharp or angled end will gouge the inside of the spout.)
Lynn
Lynn Goodman
Fine Porcelain Pottery
Cell 347-526-9805
www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
primalmommy on wed 22 aug 07
Jonathan, I both hand build and throw the skinny little spouts for the
series of ewers I've been making (slide show at primalpotter.com) --
throwing usually requires a paint brush handle inside, as has been
suggested. I'd recommend using very little water and wasting no time. I
collar in last, bend while wet, trim later if at all.
For handbuilding, though, I drew a picture of a spout-tool for my hubby
who has a wood turning lathe. It looks like a symmetrical garlic bulb at
one end with a long, tapering extension coming out the -- root end?
Maybe I should just post a photo on my site. Hey. I bet Jeff would make
some to order, come to think of it.
The idea is to be able to push it onto a thick carrot of clay, and
twist/pinch it into a long, thin, tapering spout with a ... scrotum? Or,
to make a thin textured slab and roll it around the wooden tool to join
and bend/trim/whatever.
He made me a long one and a short one for my ewers, which are mostly six
inches tall.. and then a bigger one for teapots. The commercial ones I
have seen tend to be less tapered than I like at the tip. I like to make
one that's too wide at one ned and too narrowat the other so I can trim
out the perfect "middle piece" for the pot form I make. (None of them
are the same yet, so they all need their own spout.)
Anyway, find a wood turner, draw a picture. The right tool makes all the
difference.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio...where I processed 50 pounds of tomatoes into sauce last
night, with the kitchenaid hooked up to a food mill "pug mill".
I am still cooking down the sauce in four big uncovered crock pots. Jeff
said, "Why don't you just skim the water off the top?" and I freaked
out, started channeling Vince Pitelka on a terra sigillata rant..
"That's not just WATER! That's the essence of tomato sauce! The most
intense tomato flavor is hovering there, waiting to be cooked down into
sauce!" He backed away from the spoon I was brandishing, shaking his
head.
Passion is passion...
http://www.primalpotter.com
http://www.primalmommy.com/blog.html
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Daphne Vega on wed 22 aug 07
If I am repeating another's suggestion (because I am too lazy to find the
rest of this thread) many apologies for time wasting!
Another trick to handbuilt spouts is to make it solid in the shape and
size you want, let it set up a bit, cut it in half, carve out the middle,
slap it back together (always slip and score, students ;^) and attach.
I've done this when I wanted shapes that would have driven me crazy to try
to throw.
best-
Daphne
Jennifer Boyer on sun 26 aug 07
Hey John.
Another thing about thrown teapot spouts is sometimes you need to
tweak them a bit after throwing. I also use a small stick instead of
a finger on the inside. When I've thrown one I do 2 things, based on
watching Pete Pinnell, teapot MASTER at a workshop years ago:
Using a tool or finger to rest inside the spout, bend it a bit off
center, then slice it off at an angle with your wire. The shorter
side of the spout will be the side away from the curve you have
created by bending it. Then you attach the soft leather hard spout to
the teapot with the curve away from the teapot.
http://www.thistlehillpottery.com/images/jadeweb/jdteapotw.jpg
This isn't my greatest teapot, but it shows the concept. See the
belly of the spout on the low side? I cut the spout off on an angle
so there's only belly on one side, the low side. Also you can see a
slight curve to the spout. If I hadn't altered the curve, the spout
would have pointed up more instead of out.
These days I make my spouts with less of a belly and more of a curve.
I usually make the curve by sticking my pinky in the opening and
pulling gently .
These 2 alterations add life to the spout. Try it! You'll like it!
Jennifer
On Aug 22, 2007, at 10:09 PM, Daphne Vega wrote:
> If I am repeating another's suggestion (because I am too lazy to
> find the
> rest of this thread) many apologies for time wasting!
>
> Another trick to handbuilt spouts is to make it solid in the shape and
> size you want, let it set up a bit, cut it in half, carve out the
> middle,
> slap it back together (always slip and score, students ;^) and attach.
> I've done this when I wanted shapes that would have driven me crazy
> to try
> to throw.
>
> best-
> Daphne
>
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*****************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
*****************************
Susan Stern on sun 2 sep 07
In a message dated 8/22/2007 1:05:06 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
jon@KIRKENDALLPOTTERY.COM writes:
So then I thought, maybe I should handbuild these little teasers, and
wondered if others did, and what a handbuilt spout on an otherwise
thrown teapot might look like; what implications for pourability
handbuilding might have, etc. I'd be happy to hear from anyone who
might have some insight to share...I need some direction and inspiration...
Hi Jonathan,
Have you considered extruding them?
Susie
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