It is highly conceivable for a person to see a sophisticated pottery exhibited at the windows of art galleries or even at shopping malls, what the person does not recognize is that all of these creations were solely manufactured by forcing a lump of clay evolve into a form of representation. People seek for ways to denote their ingenuity, nevertheless numerous struggle to stumble upon their median of expression. One of the most primitive formats of art is clay pottery and coiling is one of the simplest construction of it to master. Coiling is basically forming clay into strips of coils and later laying these coils on top of one another, while using a base piece as a substratum. There are several steps involve in coiling, however if followed appropriately, an individual would not have a difficult time spawning a ideal pot. The leading step is selecting the proper clay for the project. Later a template is created in order to have a guide to follow while making the pot. The required tools are obtained before the clay are composed into coils. After the pot is created, it is fired up and glazed in order to make it glasslike and hard.

Clay is the most universal material in the world. About 75 percent of the earth’s surface is clay or will be clay. There are three main types of clay: earthenware, stoneware and Porcelain clay. Earthenware clay is widely used in the world since it is found in soil in all parts of the world, however its uses are limited. It is mainly applied for creating flower pots or bricks. This sort of clay is red in color considering it comprises of numerous amount of iron. It is a low firing-temperature clay because of its tendency to melt if fired at high temperature. Like a sponge, earthenware clay can quickly absorb water, yet it becomes waterproof if glazed before it is fired. The second type of clay is porcelain clay which is the purest type of clay. It comes in white or off white color and is not considerably elastic, which makes it somewhat hard to work with. On the other hand, when porcelain clay is fired it becomes exceedingly strong and turns vitreous or glasslike. Finally, the third type of clay is stoneware clay which could be found in soils of scattered areas of the United States. This clay is often buff or gray in color and becomes semi vitreous or vitreous when fired. Stoneware clay is easy to work with because it is pliable. After this clay is fired, it also becomes hard as steel.

Most studio potters use stoneware clay because of its unique characteristics. After picking the type of clay that is wished to be used, obtain the needed materials for the project. The wanted materials are as follows: needle tool, sponge, modeling tool, ribbed tool, construction paper, pen/pencil, scissors and a flat surface such as a table. The needle tool is needed for piercing or cutting clay while producing the pot. The sponge is used to smooth out the exterior of the pot along with the ribbed tool, which is either made of plastic or steel. The modeling tool is implemented to blend in the coils of clay together while constructing the pot. The construction paper, pen/pencil and the pair of scissors are essential during the process of composing a blueprint for the project. Lastly, the flat surface which would support the pot, is the environment desired in order to produce the perfect pot. The next process for creating a coil pot, is generating the design to follow while composing it. This step is highly recommended for first time potters, because it is human nature to have an image in mind yet the image was lost because of a daydream or another thought came along. An individual could base his/her layout from early pottery, such as Greek pottery. Once the person derives a design for the project, the plan in mind is transferred into a piece of construction paper. The paper is folded in half in order to have a symmetrical pot, then half of the desired pot is drawn on a side of the paper. Cut out the paper to create a template, afterwards fold out the paper to determine if the template is the idea imagined. Also keep in mind that the top of the pot should not be more than twice the size of the bottom of the pot, because this can cause the pot to easily tip over. Do not create a design that is not proportional, because balance throughout the piece is a necessity. The next step is to produce the coils for the pottery. Use clay that is already mixed, however an alternative is using recycled clay. If recycled clay is being used, it has to be turned into usable clay by first adding ball clay, which is a pure clay, to dry it out in order for it to be workable. Now, the person is ready to wedge or mix the clay.

There are three ways to wedge clay, the first way is to knead it like a dough of bread. If clay is kneaded properly, the lump of clay should appear like a cow skull and spirals on the side. Another way of wedging is by simply getting a chunk of clay and slapping it into the palm. Slapping is similar to the third way of wedging, which is throwing, which is merely getting the chunk of clay and forming it into blocks by throwing it to the table. All three ways of wedging are also done to remove all of the air bubbles in the clay. If air bubbles are present during the firing part of the process, the pot would explode. Afterwards, obtain a clump of the wedged clay and start rolling out the clay into coils. When rolling the clay use the entire hand and do not push to hard. Roll from the middle then outward however, this action should be done with speed. These coils should be at least half-inch thick. Also, another alternative is using a machine called an extruder which instantly creates coils of clay. After creating clumps of clay into long strips of coil, set aside a wad of it which would be used to create the base of the pot.

The base piece serves as the underpinning of the pot. The hunk of clay which was set aside in the previous step is used in this process. The clay is flatten out, by slapping it into the table, until it is about half-inch thick. Procure a circular object which has a circumference similar to the width of the template created, such as a plastic cup. Piece the circle out of the flattened clay with the needle tool, then roll up the edges to create a bowl like object. When the base is created, the coils of clay could now be added. Water is used in this process as a glue. Wet the base that was created earlier and one side of the first coil that is being added. Slightly place the coil on the edge of the pot’s base. Smooth the meeting part in the interior part of the pot by hand or with the modeling tool, which is also done to the exterior of the pot if the coils are not desired to be shown. However, if the lines created by the coils are desired to be displayed on the exterior of the pot, merely smooth out the interior of the pot. By smoothing at least one side of the pot, the coils will form a tight bond together. Add the coils one at a time, but also remember to examine if the template hatched earlier is being followed. If the pot is desired to go in, simply place the coil on interior edge of the previous coil, or if the pot has to come out, the coil should be place on the exterior edge of the prior coil. Also keep in mind that the clay being used is still wet and not yet hard. If all of the coils are added in a day, the final pot would probably turn out lopsided. One should only add four to five coils each day, then allow the pot to slightly dry out by enclosing it in a cabinet. However, the first coil that is added each day has to be scored. Scoring is done by scrapping the surface of the coil and the surface it is going to be attached to in order to form a Velcro type bond between the two surfaces. This step is mainly done because the clay shrinks each day, and the clay being added the next day would have a different shrink rate than the clay that is already on the piece. Finally the last step that has to be done is firing the pot. Let the pot first dry out for approximately two weeks when the pot is finally fully constructed. A gas kiln, which could be described as a gigantic oven, could be used to fire up the pots. The pots sit in overnight in the gas kiln for about twelve hours. The temperature inside the kiln at this time is basically close to room temperature and this process is called candling.

The very next day, once the temperature inside the kiln reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature within is raised up by 100 degrees intervals each hour. The desired final temperature is based upon the type of clay that is being used. For stoneware clay, the desired final temperature is 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the final temperature is reached, which approximately takes six to eight hours, the pots remain in the kiln to cool for at least twelve hours. When cooled, the coil pot is dipped into a clear glaze by hand. The inside of the pot is first filled, then the contents are poured out and is left to dry. Later dip in the top part of the pot, let it dry which only takes a couple of minutes, then dip in the bottom part of the pot. When this is dry return the pot to the kiln however, first check to see that there is no glaze at the bottom of the pot, because the pot would be cohered to the kiln if glaze remained at the base of the pot. The pot is once again candled, but only for three hours. The temperature of the kiln is once again increased in the same manner, however this time the final temperature would be higher than the first time the pot was fired. The final temperature is again based on the type of clay used, for stoneware clay, the desired final temperature is about 2,185 degrees Fahrenheit. The pot is once again cooled down, and is taken out when it is cool to the touch.

Creating coil pottery consists of several steps that have to be followed carefully. First the type of clay to be used is picked, then the tools needed is acquired. Furthermore a guide to be followed while creating the pot is constructed, which is a step highly recommended for first time potters. Afterwards coils of clay are formed from wedged recycled or premixed clay. Later on, the base piece which is the foundation of the pot is created from a clump of clay that was not formed into a coil. Then little by little the coils were added to the base that was created. Also by firing and glazing the pot becomes glasslike. Coil pottery is not a complicated process to understand, in fact it is a great outlet in order to express an individual’s imagination…

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