Ready for another Bisc

Today was very productive. I pulled 40 handles, assembled 9 goblets and as a final act of diligent productivity threw 5 more goblets and 9 travel mugs from the leftover clay in my buckets. YAY!

Tomorrow after teaching I start fresh with tankards and xl round mugs and some rice bowls (which I really wanted to get to today, but hey, it's midnight!)

Goblet Making Tutorial

Making Goblets:











I make my goblets in two sections.




The stem and the bowl are thrown separately from the same weight of clay and allowed to dry until both sections are a uniformly leather hThe bowl is centered on the wheel. I use a little water on the rim and press down to create suction to hold it steady to trim.

I trim a shallow opening just large enough to fit the stem.







Then vigorously score each piece with a serrated rib.










The scored stem is dipped in water(to create slip) then attached to the scored bowl while it is still centered.
























The stem is then re-centered (light tapping) and the joint and foot are trimmed







Common problems encountered while using this method include the stem popping up, the stem tearing off or pushing the stem through the bowl.To solve or avoid these problems make sure you are carefully following these instructions.


It's really important to wait until the clay is truly leather hard to do the trimming. Too wet and you have no stability and the trimming tool tends to catch and pull the stem causing it to torque and break or come off entirely.Too dry and the join is weak and will tend to crack.

I also have a video of this process and it can be seen >here<