Here’s a demo that I posted this last fall (08). I was (and still am), trying to learn how to create a successful “How-to” posting for my blog. I was concentrating on setting up and editing the shots to help illustrate the narrative. Check it out and see what you think.
I know a lot of potters hate throwing lids. I hear professionals and students alike grump their way through this chore. I’ve been lucky, I’ve really enjoyed developing my approach to throwing lids. I’ve taken a special interest in developing a personalized approach to a particular type of lid that I throw off the hump. It gives me a nicely domed lid that fits very well. It’s taken a few years and a few hundred lids to work out most of the kinks, but the time spent was well worth it.
My lids are made with heft, durability, and functionality in mind. They have got to stand up to at least a family’s worth of use. They are truly a functional item that needs to be well crafted to properly fit to their companion well. Still, at the same time, I create these with an eye on my personal decorative athletics of strong curvilinear lines, clean tight surfaces juxtaposed with textures, and with a well formed knob on top.
The deeply carved out concave in the center in the bottom of the lid is purely functional, it helps even out the drying of the form, decrease the weight, improve it’s balance, and, well… I like it.
This is a deceptive shot. I’ll usually throw a series of 7- 15 canisters in a sitting. All of the galleys are made to meet whatever my current predetermined inner diameter is. This is purely a ritual of studio convenience for me, this way I’m free to explore a body’s form and the lid will essentially fall into place as it moves through the studio. This piece shown is almost 12 hours old. Shrinkage at this scale makes a huge difference… so I pay attention to the “wet measurements” of those openings. I recommend taking lots of notes and figure out the shrinkage scales of the clays you choose to use, it really pays off.
Let it dry to leather hard before trimming….
I throw a fresh trimming chuck to softly hold a green lid and slowly enlarge it as I work though a lid series.
This is the finished fit for a lid in a greenware canister. I don’t approve of excessive slop in the play between the lid and galley. When I throw 15 canister bodies I throw 20- 25 lids and mix and match to fit the greenware.To get a feel for the entire process, check this out.