Posts Tagged ‘Mini Clay Pots’
How To Make Clay Pots
Women and the Making of Clay Pots in Tanzania
The Chagga people are mountain people, who live on and in the shadow of Kilimanjaro - Northern Tanzania. They once believed in Sheuta and ancient creator god who formed the human race as a potter creates earthen vessels.
Even to this day people talk of the process of pot making is comparable to the creation of life in a woman’s womb. In the villages of Tanzania, usually the women folk are the potters. This profession is traditionally passed down from mother to daughter. Typically men do not participate in this trade.
The clay is dug out of the earth in large clumps, using a traditional hoe; this is back breaking work. These large pieces of clay are then taken home and broken into smaller lumps, water is added to make the clay more supple to work with. The consistency must be easy to work with - being very careful not to make it too wet. This is achieved by pummeling and needing the clay. A ball of clay is formed, then working quickly, turning and working the clay with the whole hand, fingers, and palms, continually tuning the container in a rhythmic manner - this process is completed surprisingly quickly. Once finished time is spent on the details, some potters marking their pots to make them distinct. The larger pots are made from producing long sausage shaped coils and these coils are wound around and around to from a pot. The sides are smoothed with water to remove the corrugated effect. Many home made tools are used in this process, scrapers, knives twigs and bits of timber.
The pots are then put in the shade to dry which can take up to four days for the larger pots. The pots are fired by covering them with wood and dried fragments of banana tree and the pot is half fired half smoked, this process takes an hour or two.
Once the fire has died down the pots are carefully removed from the ashes whilst still very hot. They are rubbed with leaves to give them a distinct colour and to seal them. Many of these pots will be used to cook food over an open fire.
These women are very talented at what they do although for all the effort and hard work not to mention talent a pot can be purchased for a dollar or maybe two.
How To Make Clay Pot CraftsTo make a painted clay pot you need to have 4″ clay pot, opaque apple green acrylic paint, opaque blue lagoon acrylic paint, opaque yellow acrylic paint, semi opaque pumpkin acrylic paint, semi opaque white acrylic paint.Clay Pot PansiesIf I did sell the pattern for this I would like to sell it with a wool kit too just so the option for the lovely clay colored pots and the mottled green leaf colored wools would be available to anyone who wished it.The Art of Clay PotsAfter collecting the clay, woman of the village spend their days forming and shaping the clay. “Only women do the pottery, while men make the clay,” said Meh Dim, who lives across the street from my family.
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Ceramic Clay Pots Cooking
Handmade Pottery - First Steps in The Preparation For Working With.
One of the most important steps in working with clay is to prepare it before throwing or hand building. Wedging clay should always be worked on a plaster or canvas surface. It is usually easier if you are standing. I use a wedging table I made of plaster and covered with canvas.
If you have some clay you need to reuse, it can be placed on the wedging table so that the plaster can absorb some of the moisture so it will be the correct moisture content prior to wedging.
I purchase my clay already prepared and wedged for me. However, if I use some and it doesn’t turn out the way I think it should, I wedge it a little and put it in a plastic bag, set it aside for a couple days and then wedge it up to get the air bubbles out again.
Always start with wedged clay so all the bubbles are out. First take a piece and slam it onto the wedging table. Then cut it with a wire cutter in half and throw one of the pieces down on top of the other in the same direction. Repeat this over and over again until you don’t see any more bubbles in the clay.
By repeating this step over and over again, it is wedging the molecules nice and tight together and eliminating as many bubbles as possible.
Even though you have wedged the clay according to the above step until you don’t see any bubbles you still need to wedge again by using the cone method.
I like to weigh the clay before I begin to wedge. I use different weights for lids, bowls, vases and other items. If I weigh prior to wedging I have a record of what size pot or lid it will be when I finish throwing it on the potters wheel. It is very important that you keep records of the weight you are going to work with. If you have a record to refer back to, when you are ready to make a mug you know exactly what the weight will need to be to obtain the size mug you want to make.
Before I get started making a piece of pottery on the wheel, I plan what type of pot I will be making. Is my finished pot going to be a mug, bowl, vase, lamp or platter?
Based on the item, and what the dimensions are going to be, I decide the weight of the clay I want to wedge for that item. Once I have determined what size pot I want to make, I weigh it on a food scale.
In the beginning sometimes you just need to guess at the weight you will need to make a certain item. If you are unsure, try throwing some pots using different weights using 1/2 pound increased increments so you become familiar with the different sizes that the different weights of clay will produce according to your style of throwing.
This is due to the fact that each potter will have an individual style and thickness to their throwing the sizes of the finished pots can vary for the weight used.
You always need to keep in mind that as your pot dries it will shrink in size. It will also shrink in the bisque firing, which is the first firing. The bisque fire helps to eliminate the extra moisture in the pot and is fired to 1890 degrees. The pot will also shrink even more in the final firing. The hottest temperature is in last firing, often called the final firing; the more the pot will shrink.
When purchasing clay from a company that is processed and ready for use it will usually state the shrinkage rate for each particular clay body. Therefore, you must remember to make the pot just a little larger than the desired finished size.
I usually start with 3/4 of a pound of clay for a mug. Many times I will use three pounds for an average size bowl. Three pounds will also make a nice size vase.
A little planning, weighing, and wedging will go a long way in helping you to consistently achieve a successful piece of pottery.
Author: Betty Grandy
To Market, To Market with San Diego FoodstuffNow those home cooks who have gas burners or traditional electric coil burners should be fine with stovetop clay pot cooking (you’ll need a diffuser with electric burners, of course). But those who, like me, have a ceramic cooktop will.AvaxHome -> Mediterranean Clay Pot CookingPaula Wolfert’s new book, "Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking" will end up being a seminal work for the new - old way of cooking, in clay pots. There are the old style pots of mica rich natural clays, and the new high tech flameware ceramicReview - Mediterranean Clay Pot CookingPreferred Clay Pot: A 10-12 inch straight-sided flameware skillet. If using an electric or ceramicclay pot. 6 bone-in quail (about 6 ounces each) ¼ cup plus 2 tbls extra virgin stovetop, be sure to use a heat diffuser with the olive.
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