Terry McBee on tue 17 mar 98
Here is an idea for a slab construction exercise that helps young
students to produce a slab mug that is both easy and well controlled.
I use roofing felt ( tar paper ) to make templates for cutting and
constructing the core cylinder for the mug. The tar paper will
have a memory that assists the student in bending and forming the wall.
Cut the initial piece twelve or thirteen inches wide and the width of the
roll, an exacto knife and yard stick are good for this. Use a paper cutter
to cut pieces four or five inches wide. This gives you a parallel trim for
the template with the length of the piece following the natural curvature
of the roll. When the clay is rolled into a slab, the tar paper can then be
bonded to it by simply laying it on top of the clay and rolling it down. It
is important the natural curvature of the tar paper stand as an arch over
the clay and not be laid on as a concave shape. Cutting the slab is now easy
because the template controls the trim. Leave the tar paper attached to the
clay until the wall is fully bonded and attached to a base.
Turn the trimmed shape over and cut off a strip of clay about an inch wide.
If the student simply cuts off a piece the width of a rule it makes things
easier. The piece of exposed tar paper helps establish a nice circular form
when the ends of the slab are slipped and the slab is bent to create the cylinde
Tape the shape fully around with masking tape to hold it securely while the
seem is being bonded. If the vertical seam is worked before the cylinder is
slipped and applied to a small slab to provide a base, it allows for working
from either end.
Remove the tar paper after the cylinder is attached to a base and the bottom
seam is worked on the inside. This exposes the exterior vertical and bottom
seams which can now be easily cleaned.
At this point the student has a quick and well controlled core shape upon
which to apply their creative skills.
There are a variety of ways to generate handles.
I hope you find this useful.
Have a great day.
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