Main Discussion Area > Primitive Skills
POTTERY,clay digging and processing,handbuilding,and firing.
David_Daugherty:
Definitely going to try the cattail fuzz. Plenty of that around here this time of year. Interesting tip also on forming around another pot or bald head lol, I guess I have always done it the hard way. I just roll the coils and layer them. After my pottery made it to a certain level depending on what I was making I would then add the base. This is some good information. I hope more people join this thread.
BearBoy31:
those are sweat lookin
GHN
richardzane:
kweh omateru' (heya friends)
COILING
Coiling is the process of adding clay (in snakes)to enlarge the vessel.
rules to remember...(and will save a lot of frustration later on)
---the partial vessel you will add a coil to MUST be FIRMER than the clay coil you are adding If not the coil will warp the form below it.
--- prepare the edge of the vessel form pinching it as thin as you can at the very lip...
--- roll the coil quickly! If you spend too much time perfecting it, it will develop a thick skin...which doesn't join well.
---you can roll them between your hands(like a fire starter spindle) or on a flat surface.
--- hold the coil by one end and the other end is pinched on the inside or outside of the vessel(lapping) (I prefer the inside until forming a neck)
-- its important once the coil is placed that the seams are joined and smoothed invisible as soon as possible (the fire will be looking for these!)
the coil can be pulled up thin by several different methods or a combination of paddling, pinching with a gentle tug, or scraping with a smooth gourd rind,
oval pot sherd or oval piece of horn. an old CD disc snapped in two works ok too.
If anyone has any questions?
I'll pause here before I go any further. I hope this helps. looking forward to the discussion!
Parnell:
I loved working with clay when I was a teenager. Would like to get back into it. I live in South Florida so finding clay is very difficult. I have found deposits buried under sand going out into the passes of the gulf. I suppose it is from ancient mangrove areas that decayed. Any recommendations for getting started on a project like this living on sand?
Great pictures, by the way.
richardzane:
I hear ya Parnell, you're out in the sandbar!
it might be worth playing around with that stuff you found to see what it can't do ,but it might be frustrating too.
The coast of Northern Florida had quite a few ancient pottery traditions.
I'd maybe do some research on ancient Florida pottery and then maybe make a "business trip" clay hunting?
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