Date Published: 16th May 2014

Mercy wants to make a pot.

She needs to decide if it is going to be functional or decorative.

Functional means that it can be used and decorative means it is just decoration.

Mercy decides to make a functional pot.

She needs to get the tools to do this. 

Mercy has to get some clay and begin wedging her clay. The clay must be wedged so it doesn't explode when fired in the kiln. There are many techniques for this. The most popular is the cut and slab technique. In this technique you will use a wire cutter and after you push down and push your clay apart it should eliminate air bubbles. The wedging process:  you take about a half pound of clay and then you begin pushing downward with your hands onto the clay. The bottom of your clay should begin pressing outward. Next, you begin to pull the clay backward toward you and down. Then, after it goes outward push it back together and now, keep repeating the cycle until you are air bubble free!

Helpful Hint:

Use the wire cutter to double check!

The bisque ware fire is at 04/1940 degrees farenheit.

8

 Now, Mercy has to decide if she will use the coil* or the slab* method. She decides on the coil method. Now she needs to decided if she will do horizontal or vertical coils. She chooses horizontal coils.

A horizontal coil is a coil that is laid in the land scape form.

A vertical coil is a coil that is placed going up and down.

 *The coil method is when you roll up coils and begin knitting them up into a pot until they are smooth.

* The slab method is cutting out slabs of clay and building up a pot.

Mercy begins making a base for her pot.

A base is essential to make a pot because it sets up the whole pot.

Mercy begins rolling coils* to begin her pot. She doesn't want any negative detail but she wants additive. She wants additive spirals!

*Coils are small or large cylinder shapers that are also long.

Next, Mercy scores and slips* her coils to knit to her base. 

*The score and slip technique is when you take a fork and create lines in your clay on both things you need to attach and then add slip which is clay that is watered down until it is a yogurt like consistancy.

Mercy begins creating spirals* to attach to her coil bases.

*Spirals are coils wrapped up into a circle.

Mercy has to let it sit out over night to dry. However, if she needed to keep it ready to mold the next day she would wrap it up in a wet cloth & put it in a zip-lock bag. However, since she is letting it dry she sets it out on a tray to dry for the next two weeks. Then, it may go through the kiln.

Finally, Mercy's pot is has gone through green ware and bisque ware and is now going to be glazed! However, before it is glazed it must be rinsed under water to take off any dust collected from the clay!

Mercy begins glazing her pot. She chooses many colors for her pot! She uses the colors to create effects on the pot so that it appears carved but really isn't! Now it is ready for the kiln. When it is put in the kiln it is glaze fire at 05-06/1915 degrees farenheit.

Now the pot is out of the kiln and is considered glaze ware. Mercy's pot is finally complete!