Larry Kruzan on wed 12 may 10
Hi Steve,
I really like the neg space that your handles provide the straight walls of
the cup. Nice visual balance.
Afraid that in the past I have been guilty of saying that I've never seen a=
n
extruded handle that rang my bell. Now I have. Thanks.
I'd like to order one to see how they drink.
Humbly,
Larry Kruzan
Lost Creek Pottery
www.lostcreekpottery.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Steve and Joan
Irvine
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 3:21 PM
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: a good mug
All good advice about mug handles, Mel. Although, I can't remember the last
time I pulled a handle on a mug.
A photo of my mugs can be found at the bottom of this page:
http://www.steveirvine.com/utilitarian.html
It's just a strap of clay that I pound out from a coil using the side of my
hand. There is a small lump of clay underneath the handle to keep knuckles
away from the hot mug, and to give more strength (visual and actual) the
handle.
People often comment on how comfortable they are to use.
Steve Irvine
www.steveirvine.com
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Email scanned by PC Tools - No viruses or spyware found.
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mel jacobson on wed 12 may 10
without question, the biggest problem with mugs:
HANDLES
1. they must fit the fingers/hand.
2. decide how many fingers will be used
3. the design of the handle is all negative space.
it is the hole you design, not the shape of the handle.
far too often i see people making mugs with wild handles.
but, they don't fit the design/shape of the mug.
look through the handle and see the side of the pot..what
shape does it make?
warren always says...`a handle is like a branch from a tree.
it grows out of the cup. it should start up at the attachment point,
then curve and come back down.`
most handles i see are far too big..they stick out too far.
it is a balance problem. stick that mug full of coffee out there
four inches from your hand and the mug tips.
same for low handles. the mug tips in your hand.
do not put handles on the rim. drop them down a bit.
my rule. the width of your small finger from the rim, make a mark.
i still will theorize: `you know everything you need to know about
a potter by the mugs they make.` it is all there, design, function,
ideas, beauty, and of course....total function.
it the mug does not feel right in your hand, it goes out of your
cupboard.
and, many of you have heard this before...a handle is not a bra strap.
give the handle size and strength. think of your mugs lasting
a thousand years.
mel
i will put some mugs on my clayart website.
click below...i am off to the get the camera right now.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com
Lee Love on wed 12 may 10
Got photos?
--
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
KATHI LESUEUR on wed 12 may 10
On May 12, 2010, at 8:59 AM, mel jacobson wrote:
> without question, the biggest problem with mugs:
> HANDLES
>
> 1. they must fit the fingers/hand.
> 2. decide how many fingers will be used
> 3. the design of the handle is all negative space.
> it is the hole you design, not the shape of the handle.
> far too often i see people making mugs with wild handles.
> but, they don't fit the design/shape of the mug.
> look through the handle and see the side of the pot..what
> shape does it make?...
>
> warren always says...`a handle is like a branch from a tree.
> it grows out of the cup. it should start up at the attachment point,
> then curve and come back down.`...
>
> do not put handles on the rim. drop them down a bit.
> my rule. the width of your small finger from the rim, make a mark.>>>
Mel,
In theory, I agree with everything you say. In practicality, I find I
disagree. For years I pulled handles for my mugs just as you
describe. Was quite proud of how good they felt in the hand. But, my
two favorite mugs made by other potters both break the rules. The
first is an extruded handle that I liked so much that I asked the
potter (who had quit potting) if I could steal his design. I modified
it slightly and it's on my website. Customers who buy that mug from
me come back and buy more. They like how it feels. The second is a
mug by Mark Naftziger. It's very small and the handle springs from
the rim. It works. I have four of them and they are the first choice
of guests in my house. I have to keep watch that they don't slip out
the door with them. For years I swore that if I'd never make a mug
with an extruded handle. But shoulder surgery made me rethink that
attitude. I was lucky to stumble upon that design and lucky that the
potter was so generous. So, I think deviations from the "rules" can
work, IF well designed.
KATHI LESUEUR
http://www.lesueurclaywork.com
>
Steve and Joan Irvine on wed 12 may 10
All good advice about mug handles, Mel. Although, I can't remember the =3D
last time I pulled a handle on a mug.
A photo of my mugs can be found at the bottom of this page:
http://www.steveirvine.com/utilitarian.html
It's just a strap of clay that I pound out from a coil using the side of =
=3D
my hand. There is a small lump of clay underneath the handle to keep =3D
knuckles away from the hot mug, and to give more strength (visual and =3D
actual) the handle.
People often comment on how comfortable they are to use.
Steve Irvine
www.steveirvine.com
Vince Pitelka on wed 12 may 10
There are so many terrible handles out there, often on otherwise good mugs,
cups, and pouring vessels. I have given this a great deal of thought over
40 years of professional involvement in clay, and I'd like to invite
everyone to read my handout on handles. Go to my website at
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/, click on "Syllabi/Handouts," click on
"Handouts/Info," and click on the title "Better Handles on Mugs, Cups, and
Pouring Vessels."
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Sandy miller on wed 12 may 10
This topic is pretty funny.
Next time we are all in the clayart room at NCECA everybody needs to hold
their hands in the
air. Nobody has the same hands, just like your face. So some handles are
going to work for one
and some handles are just going to suck.
I have made a fair amount of mugs in my time and sometimes I pull them off
the mug and sometimes
I don't.
I like to hang on to my mug without sticking my pinky in the air.
Some folks, like my dear friend Dolita
prefer a Mucket...... a mug the size of a bucket.
My bitter half likes a small mug because his coffee gets
cold too fast in a big one.
My morning mug is different than my 3 o'clock mug.
Kristen Kieffer's mugs would look pretty silly with a pulled handle, and
it's my favorite tea mug!
Once again, it's subjective
My only pet peeve: make a substantial handle that will stand up to the tes=
t
of time. But not so big the
darn cup falls over......... common sense is wonderful thing.
Sandy Miller
www.sandymillerpottery.com
http://www.painefalls.blogspot.com/
On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 8:03 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> There are so many terrible handles out there, often on otherwise good mug=
s,
> cups, and pouring vessels. I have given this a great deal of thought ove=
r
> 40 years of professional involvement in clay, and I'd like to invite
> everyone to read my handout on handles. Go to my website at
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/, click on "Syllabi/Handouts," click on
> "Handouts/Info," and click on the title "Better Handles on Mugs, Cups, an=
d
> Pouring Vessels."
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
>
Lee Love on wed 12 may 10
On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 7:03 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/, click on "Syllabi/Handouts," click on
> "Handouts/Info," and click on the title "Better Handles on Mugs, Cups, an=
=3D
d
> Pouring Vessels."
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/syllabi-handouts/handouts/Better%20Handles%=
=3D
20on%20Mugs,%20Cups,%20and%20Pouring%20Vessels.htm
or
http://tinyurl.com/vphandles
--
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
Jennifer Boyer on thu 13 may 10
Handles! A great topic since I think a lot of potters get into bad habits. =
I
have a lot of fans out there when it comes to mugs, I have 2 types. One has
a strap handle and one is pulled off the mug. Both start with extruded lugs=
.
For the strap one I pull the long extruded section more after extruding and
then cut it into the proper lengths. For the other I extrude a long section
and then cut it into lugs.
My pet peeves:
I feel a handle needs to be wide unless the mug is small. It gives the
holder something to grab. Thin and narrow doesn't offer enough stability fo=
r
a big mug especially. And ROUND makes the mug slip in your hand.
I see WAY too many mugs where the handle was pulled with a dip between the
edges, made by the thumb as the strap is pulled. That's fine, but I see the=
m
with sharp edges that dig into your fingers when you hold the handle! If
you want that dip in the handle you have to make sure the edges get smoothe=
d
before you finish pulling the handle. Nothing worse than a mug handle that
cuts into your fingers.....
I see a lot of mugs where the center of gravity is SO far from the middle o=
f
the mug that it feels heavy when filled with liquid. Note my round mug in
the link below.
The strap handle is higher than you often see, making it close to the cente=
r
of gravity. If I had placed the handle further down the belly of the mug it
would have made the mug feel heavy to hold since your hand would be far fro=
m
the center of gravity.
There ya go. 35 years of handle making trial and error makes me so
opinionated! ;-)
http://www.thistlehillpottery.com/irisjadedinnerware.html
May Luk on thu 13 may 10
Post your pictures here if you have any, help those who like to see
pictures of mugs than reading descriptions of mugs.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/handmade_mugs/pool/
May
Brooklyn
David Hendley on thu 13 may 10
I added a couple of photos of my mugs to May's flickr.com group.
Of course, I got a good chuckle from Mel's "rules" for good
mugs and good handles, as they are completely arbitrary. Almost any
good as well as interesting mug will break at least one of the rules.
On almost all of my mugs, for instance, the handle is attached at the
rim. I like it that the handle breaks the flat plane of the rim.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> Post your pictures here if you have any, help those who like to see
> pictures of mugs than reading descriptions of mugs.
>
> http://www.flickr.com/groups/handmade_mugs/pool/
Phoenix Rising Farm on thu 13 may 10
Can I get an "Amen!!"
I vote for the mucket!
And I am unanimous in that .
My dear friend Gail Galusky made Joe and I a set of muckets.
Use them constantly.
One pot of coffee, two muckets, done!
Make another pot.
Love it!
Best,
Wayne Seidl
On 5/12/2010 9:30 PM, Sandy miller wrote:
> This topic is pretty funny.
>
> Next time we are all in the clayart room at NCECA everybody needs to hold
> their hands in the
> air. Nobody has the same hands, just like your face. So some handles ar=
e
> going to work for one
> and some handles are just going to suck.
>
> I have made a fair amount of mugs in my time and sometimes I pull them of=
f
> the mug and sometimes
> I don't.
> I like to hang on to my mug without sticking my pinky in the air.
> Some folks, like my dear friend Dolita
> prefer a Mucket...... a mug the size of a bucket.
>
> Sandy Miller
>
> www.sandymillerpottery.com
> http://www.painefalls.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
--
Phoenix Rising Farm
on the Houlton Road
Waite, Maine
Steve Mills on fri 14 may 10
In Ashville NC, post NCECA, we bought two serious "Muckets" by Mackenzie
Smith;
one two serving cafetaire fills one just over 3/4 full........suits me!
Steve M
On 14 May 2010 01:25, Phoenix Rising Farm wrote:
> Can I get an "Amen!!"
> I vote for the mucket!
> And I am unanimous in that .
>
> My dear friend Gail Galusky made Joe and I a set of muckets.
> Use them constantly.
> One pot of coffee, two muckets, done!
> Make another pot.
>
> Love it!
> Best,
> Wayne Seidl
>
>
> On 5/12/2010 9:30 PM, Sandy miller wrote:
>
>> This topic is pretty funny.
>>
>> Next time we are all in the clayart room at NCECA everybody needs to hol=
d
>> their hands in the
>> air. Nobody has the same hands, just like your face. So some handles a=
re
>> going to work for one
>> and some handles are just going to suck.
>>
>> I have made a fair amount of mugs in my time and sometimes I pull them o=
ff
>> the mug and sometimes
>> I don't.
>> I like to hang on to my mug without sticking my pinky in the air.
>> Some folks, like my dear friend Dolita
>> prefer a Mucket...... a mug the size of a bucket.
>>
>> Sandy Miller
>>
>> www.sandymillerpottery.com
>> http://www.painefalls.blogspot.com/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> Phoenix Rising Farm
> on the Houlton Road
> Waite, Maine
>
--
Steve
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional!
Russel Fouts on fri 14 may 10
Sandy,
>> Kristen Kieffer's mugs would look pretty silly with a pulled handle, =3D
and
it's my favorite tea mug! <<
If you're talking about the handles I'm thinking of, the ones in two =3D
parts, that is a pulled handle. She told me.=3D20
I didn't think they were either. Far too elegant to be a pulled handle =3D
but they are.
Russel
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
http://www.mypots.com
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