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faceting tea bowls

updated tue 24 sep 02

 

Valerie Johnson on mon 3 jun 02


Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
Thanks.

Valerie Johnson
Eads, TN

Tony Ferguson on tue 4 jun 02


Throw them thicker. When wet or set up a bit, cut with a cheese cutter or
various other tools. You can also cut them when they are between wet and
leather hard. Cut away!

Thank you.

Tony Ferguson
Stoneware, Porcelain, Raku
www.aquariusartgallery.com
218-727-6339
315 N. Lake Ave
Apt 312
Duluth, MN 55806



----- Original Message -----
From: "Valerie Johnson"
To:
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 6:39 PM
Subject: faceting tea bowls


> Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
> Thanks.
>
> Valerie Johnson
> Eads, TN
>
>
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Dannon Rhudy on tue 4 jun 02


At 09:39 PM 6/3/02 EDT, you wrote:
.....>Could someone please explain to me how the faceting
s done on tea bowls?.......

There are several ways - many - to facet any clay object, teabowls
no different. If you want a soft, flowing look then facet the
piece as soon as it is thrown. Use a piece of wire, hold a section
of it between your thumb & finger of each hand, and then - slice
the clay off. I do this with the piece still on the wheel and then
expand the bowl from the inside, a bit. Very fluid.
It takes a bit of practice to do this without
slicing through the piece, so throw some cylinders and PRACTICE.
Make them taller than a teabowl. If you don't practice on something
you have no intention of keeping, you will be too timid in your
efforts.

You can also make a tool specifically for faceting, to whatever
shape and width of facet you want. Or, you can use a cheese slicer.
Or you can wait until the clay has set up a bit stiffer, and use
a broken hacksaw blade. Or, stiffer still, you can make very
interesting facets by slicing off the clay with a sharp knife.
Each technique will produce a different appearance.

regards

Dannon Rhudy

Hank Murrow on tue 4 jun 02


Valerie wrote;

>Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
>Thanks.
>

Dear Valerie;

You will get some great suggestions from clayarters, and here
is one from me.

Start with 2# balls of clay. Throw a beaker shape with about
5/8" thickness remaining in the bottom. leave the walls as thick as
your thumbs, and chamois the lip so that there's about a 45 degree
slope down to the outside. Then slice with your wire, a cheese
cutter, or a tool made for the purpose (Hank's WireTool?). Rotate 180
and slice again. Rotate 90, slice, rotate 180 and slice. Then slice
the remaining four panels. Touch up the rim with a chamois, WITHOUT
touching the outside facets. Now, with a dull wooden rib, open the
bowl gently only from the inside until you get the shape you want.
The bowl will develop a spiral from rib drag, and the rims will
undulate pleasingly. You can trim a foot as usual when they are
ready. You can see the finished results and a WireTool @
http://www.murrow.biz/hank/kiln-and-tools.htm (Takes awhile to load).

Good luck with all the methods you try, Hank in Eugene

Elca Branman on tue 4 jun 02


Dannon wrote..

> You can also make a tool specifically for faceting, to whatever
> shape and width of facet you want.
>
I bought a tool in Japan, shaped like the letter D...The round part was
the handle and the flat was a double sided angled blade....You pulled
it...very nice for facetting, altho I tend to use my old french paring
knofe when stuff is leather hard to equally good effect.

Elca Branman.. in Sarasota,Florida,USA where the night blooming Cereus
fills the darkness with celestial smells and a flashlight reveals
dinnerplate sized blooms, ready for their one night a year rendez-vous
with a sex crazed moth.
elcab1@juno.com


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claybair on tue 4 jun 02


Last week I used a fine toothed miter saw for faceting and decorating.
I have also used serrated knives, lemon zesters, various saw blades, guitar
strings and cheese cutters..... I'm always on the lookout.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

Steve Mills on tue 4 jun 02


Throw thick sides and use a cheese slicer.

Steve
Bath
UK

In message , Valerie Johnson writes
>Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
>Thanks.
>
>Valerie Johnson
>Eads, TN

--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK

Janet Kaiser on wed 5 jun 02


I have not seen it mentioned yet, but I only ever used a harp for
faceting bowls, jars or anything else you care to mention. But then
again, this may be another indication of nationality more than
anything... After all, the Harp is our national musical instrument
Number One following the human voice. Both singing and harping on is
one thing we are good at in Wales! :-)

But seriously, I use(d) a clay harp for all sorts of little jobs from
cutting small pieces of clay off large blocks to trimming the rims of
pots, instead of a pin tool. Even cutting small bowls, etc. off the
wheel is easier with a harp (I find) because it can hang on a hook in
easy reach of the wheel and it is the required taughtness, so it beats
using a wire for many jobs IMHO.

I must also admit that the pulling a wire sufficiently taught, whilst
cutting VERTICALLY was one of those black holes IN my ability/skill
repertoire. I simply never mastered it. A bit like knitting... Never
mastered that either, although I tried many times. Something to do
with hand-eye co-ordination, which I lack where this particular
exercise is involved.

I also lack the drive to learn certain precise skills. For example,
why strive to be a "purist" wire user, when something else will do or
you have found another way around the task? Same with knitting... Why
bother, when it is easier and much cheaper to buy woolly socks and a
great deal less stressful to ask Grandma to knit that wonderful chunky
Alpaca wool cardigan you saw in Woman's Weekly? The cheese cutter idea
never worked for me either... I prefer vigorous, once-and-for-ever
cuts and not shaving away until it is "right". Although meticulous, it
takes an awful lot of valuable time and then only looks rather
contrived once done. The slightly irregular nature of the sides on
faceted vessels is part of their charm, otherwise it can look too
mechanical or manufactured.

Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art / Capel Celfyddyd
Home of The International Potters' Path
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth LL52 0EA : GB-Wales
Telephone: ++44 (0)1766-523570
URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
postbox@the-coa.org.uk

Snail Scott on wed 5 jun 02


At 02:00 AM 6/5/02 +0100, you wrote:
The cheese cutter idea
>never worked for me either... I prefer vigorous, once-and-for-ever
>cuts and not shaving away until it is "right".


I think two different kinds of cheese cutters are
being referred to, here. Are you thinking of the
sort that has a slot cut in a metal blade, for
shaving off thin slices of fixed size? I think
that for clay faceting, most people use the style
of cheese cutter similar to your 'harp' - a wire
stretched taut between two brackets attached to a
handle, often with an adjustment for thickness up
to about 3/4".

-Snail

Russel Fouts on thu 6 jun 02


Janet

Subject: Re: faceting tea bowls

>> The cheese cutter idea never worked for me either... I prefer vigorous,
once-and-for-ever
cuts and not shaving away until it is "right". Although meticulous, it
takes an awful lot of valuable time and then only looks rather contrived
once done. The slightly irregular nature of the sides on faceted vessels
is part of their charm, otherwise it can look too mechanical or
manufactured. <

Indication of nationality again ;')

US: A cheese cutter / slicer is basically a harp with a roller behind
the wire. Sometimes there is no roller. If there is one, many remove it
and the "clever" little adjustable guage that lets you decide the
thickness of the slice. It only gets in the way with clay.

UK: A cheese cutter / slicer is a flat wide blade with an edged slot in
it. It's drawn over the surface of the cheese to cut a VERY thin slice.
Really only works on the more firm cheeses and cheese hard clays

UK: A harp is a wire stretched in a bow used for cutting slices of clay.
Would also work for cheese. Americans should imagine a Bow Saw with a
wire instead of a blade. I picked up two antique ones for about 10 cents
at a fleamarket here and replaced the blades with bicycle brake cable.
Now I have two REALLY BIG harps and some nice toothed texturing tools.

Russel (bilingual, English and English)


--

Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Email: Russel.Fouts@Skynet.be
Http://www.mypots.com
http://www.Japan-Net.ne.jp/~iwcat

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Hank Murrow on sun 22 sep 02


>Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
>Thanks.
>
>Valerie Johnson
>Eads, TN


Dear Valerie;

Have a look at http://www.murrow.biz/hank/tutorials.htm for a
tutoprial on how I soft-facet bowls with the WireTool. There is also
a tutorial on the use of the Roller Trimmer.

Cheers, Hank

Lily Krakowski on mon 23 sep 02


I have seen it done,not done it. Throw a thick walled bowl but do not open
it fully--i.e. do not make it as wide in diameter as planned. Now with your
left hand still inside and used as "backing" cut your facets with some sort
of harp, cheese cutter, fruit peeler, whatever. Once your facets are cut
expand the pot from the inside. As far as I remember the outside hand only
does some on wheel trimming, and helps smooth the lip.

THIS TAKES PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTISE



Hank Murrow writes:

>
>> Could someone please explain to me how the faceting is done on tea bowls?
>> Thanks.
>>
>> Valerie Johnson
>> Eads, TN
>
>
> Dear Valerie;
>
> Have a look at http://www.murrow.biz/hank/tutorials.htm for a
> tutoprial on how I soft-facet bowls with the WireTool. There is also
> a tutorial on the use of the Roller Trimmer.
>
> Cheers, Hank
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
> ____
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.



Lili Krakowski
P.O. Box #1
Constableville, N.Y.
(315) 942-5916/ 397-2389

Be of good courage....

Melissa Bridgman on mon 23 sep 02


Valerie, if you're in Eads (I am in Rossville- small world), why not ask the nice folks at Eads pottery (Butch and Ellen) if they can help you facet- they probably know how. I have faceted birdhouses by using a wire cheese slicer and carefully cutting through the (very) thick walls. Got my slicer at Kroger.



bst,

Melissa



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Hank Murrow on mon 23 sep 02


Dear Lily;

Well, as you can see in the weblink, I don't support the wall
of the piece on the inside, as the wires are fine enough to not put
much drag on the clay. I find that I need both hands on the WireTool
to get precise and lively cuts. Good luck when you get around to
trying this!

Cheers, Hank

ps: sorry everyone about the typo, 'tutoprial'........


>I have seen it done,not done it. Throw a thick walled bowl but do not open
>it fully--i.e. do not make it as wide in diameter as planned. Now with your
>left hand still inside and used as "backing" cut your facets with some sort
>of harp, cheese cutter, fruit peeler, whatever. Once your facets are cut
>expand the pot from the inside. As far as I remember the outside hand only
>does some on wheel trimming, and helps smooth the lip.
>
>THIS TAKES PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTISE
>
>
>>Hank Murrow writes:
>>
>> Have a look at http://www.murrow.biz/hank/tutorials.htm for a
>>tutorial on how I soft-facet bowls with the WireTool. There is also
>>a tutorial on the use of the Roller Trimmer.
>>
>>Cheers, Hank