Tommy Humphries on fri 1 nov 02
I have not seen any mention of "lapping" a clay stopper to fit the bottle
snugly.
DETAILS
After throwing the bottle (with a slightly outward tapered neck) let it get
leather hard, then make a stopper out of the same clay, and press it to fit
into the neck of the bottle to get a good tight fit. After the clay is bone
dry, CAREFULLY insert the stopper into the neck of the bottle and twist it
back and forth till the clay is worn evenly around the entire stopper, and
bottle neck...the stopper should be able to turn completely around when
seated.
The stopper now fits tightly in the bottle, and is "good enuff"
TO MAKE A GREAT SEAL
glaze the bottle, including the inside of the neck...be sure there are no
runs inside the neck! Glaze the stopper...completely...or at least the part
that contacts the neck of the bottle. Fire.
go to a glass shop and get some grinding compound, or use some 100 grit
silicon carbide mixed with water. paint this on the stopper and insert into
the bottle. twist as before (ear plugs might save some nerves at this
point) until the glaze is dulled on the stopper and the bottle...wash out
the grit and test the fit...if it isn't tight enough drop down to a 350 grit
carbide and give it another go.
This is the way they fit the stoppers for crystal decanters, so that the
good hooch don't evaporate!
Tommy Humphries
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