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salt shakers

updated sun 18 nov 01

 

claybair on fri 16 nov 01


Joyce,
If you make salt shakers according to Dannon's instructions (in... I think
it was a Clay times about 6 months ago) you do not need any hole makers,
corks or stoppers. Mine are selling well and are great conversation pieces.
Best of all they are a great contact maker with people in my booth. In spite
of the sign I have explaining what they are and how to use them people grab
them and kinda just hold them. I come up to them and say, "Would you like to
see how it works?" I then tell them to hold out their hand and with a shake
magically produce salt without turning over the shaker.
They are very easy to make once you get the hang of it.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
Cindy wrote>>
Joyce,

W-e-e-e-l-l-l . . . To tell you the truth, I make
my salt shakers (I don't make many--only when I or
someone else wants one), and then I take them down
to the hardware store and fit them with corks. But
if you were going to go into the business, I'd
suggest choosing a hole cutter, using it to make
all your salt-shaker holes, and then fitting the
corks after firing. After that, you'll know,
forever and ever. I don't know if cork numbers and
rubber stopper numbers are the same, but someone
at Aftosa will know that stuff. I've always found
them very helpful.

Of course, you can measure the hole and figure the
shrinkage of your clay and all. This works. Just
find the diameter of the stopper a little below
the top. Pretend it's 4mm, and your clay shrinkage
is 12.5%. Get out your calculator and key in 4 x
12.5/100. This will get you the 12.5%, which, with
these numbers, is 0.5. So you need to make your
hole 4.5 mm. This really does work, but you need
to make the hole in the wet clay, unless you've
figured out your shrinkage from wet to leatherhard
or bisqued ware. It also requires finding a
holemaker the right size. All in all, the first
method is easier for something of this sort, where
a wide range of stopper sizes is available.

Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com

Joyce Lee on sat 17 nov 01


Gayle said:
"If you make salt shakers according to Dannon's instructions (in... I =
think
it was a Clay times about 6 months ago) you do not need any hole makers,
corks or stoppers. Mine are selling well and are great conversation =
pieces."
--------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, Gayle. I do make these salters/pepperers/spicers like Dannon's =
and find that folks want to caress them .... I call them "pet =
shakers"... like the "pet rocks" of old, remember anybody?=20

This time my purpose is to use some of the many extrusion dies that came =
with my manual NorthStar extruder. I use them for wonky vases, feet, =
handles etc but seems to me they'd be perfect for salt&peppers ... fast, =
easy, attractive, different. We'll see ...... nothing else I've tried in =
pottery is as fast&easy as I've judged it to be............... =
beforehand.

Joyce
In the Mojave where all is quiet .... except for the Top Gun child-pilot =
roarin' overhead, who is out of his flight plan I'm sure. Still I'm =
grateful to him and his
buds for being there .... let him have a little fun if that helps keep =
him alert and on-target where it counts.....