[clayshapes]

I'm making rustic stoneware spoons and spreading knives to go with my salsa/dip bowls, and have been glazing them on the bottom and putting them on old sheets of wire stilts that I inherited when I bought a used kiln. Not ideal - hard to sand down the jagged pinholes that form at such high temps.
Any alternative? I want to glaze both sides -- because of the function of these pieces.  DSC08077.JPG (567.42K)
Number of downloads: 41

[neilestrick]

In my experience, no stilts hold up well at cone 10. The pins soften up and bend. You could try a high alumina wadding as supports, shaped into little cones so they have minimal contact. It'll leave scars, but they may grind/sand out okay, depending on the glaze. That's all I've got.

[clayshapes]

Thanks Neil -- this is cone 6 stoneware -- and the stilts hold up fine - even if the clay warps a little (which in this case is part of the charm). I just would prefer some magic solution to avoid the jagged stilt marks. I want the impossible - a smooth bottom! The wadding sounds like a good alternative. Thanks.

[OffCenter]

If the raw clay looks good then you could just glaze the bowl part and most of the handle leaving part of the handle raw clay. Then when the spoons are leather hard press the raw clay end of the spoon down into a ball or cube of clay so that the spoon will sit in this ball of clay when fired. Use enough so that it doesn't tip over. Use a needle to stick a bunch of holes into the ball of clay so it can be fired as fast as the spoons. Glaze at an angle so there's no squared off line between raw clay and glaze. Looks good and there's nothing to grind.

Jim

[OffCenter]

If the raw clay looks good, you could glaze the bowl part and most of the handle leaving part of the handle raw clay. Then when the spoons are leather hard press the raw clay end of the spoon down into a ball or cube of clay so that the spoon will sit in this ball of clay when fired. Use enough so that it doesn't tip over. Use a needle to stick a bunch of holes into the ball of clay so it can be fired as fast as the spoons. Glaze at an angle so there's no squared off line between raw clay and glaze. Looks good and there's nothing to grind.

Jim

[John255]

clayshapes, on 23 February 2013 - 12:20 PM, said:

I'm making rustic stoneware spoons and spreading knives to go with my salsa/dip bowls, and have been glazing them on the bottom and putting them on old sheets of wire stilts that I inherited when I bought a used kiln. Not ideal - hard to sand down the jagged pinholes that form at such high temps.
Any alternative? I want to glaze both sides -- because of the function of these pieces. DSC08077.JPG

Another approach is to make a pad of clay with one inch long pieces of nichrome, or titanium wire (about 3mm, 3/32" dia.) standing vertical. (See photo.) The spoons are drilled at the end of the handle when bone dry to stand vertical on the wires. Wax the butt end of the spoons before dipping in glaze. The photo shows a pad made with Standard #130 clay fired to full-bend large cone 6. The pad will bloat after a dozen firings, but keep on working. The sample shone must have been fired at least 50 times for the salt & pepper dipping spoons. Good luck.
John255

[John255]

I'm just getting acquainted with the forum and can't seem to get to photo to load.

[OffCenter]

I like that idea. Thanks for posting it.

Jim

[Mark C.]

Back in the day at when I made ladles with every soup tureen I used to place the bottom on a soft brick chunk which ground off very easy-I would dust it with alumina and that made for a small spot that cleaned up well. Just keep the contact point very small.
I personally gave up ceramic spoons as they are frustration waiting to happen as soon as a customer breaks one by looking at it sideways.
Mark

These where all in porcelain cone 10

[ayjay]

I'd probably try making a hole through the top of the handle (as many large kitchen spoons have anyway) and hang the spoons from a purpose made wire frame.

[clayshapes]

Lots of great ideas -- I've tried putting a small hole at the top and hanging them on a bead wire, but the wire bent badly in the heat. I like the idea of standing them upright in a wire after making a hole in the spoon handle. I'll try that, and all the other ideas here.
These little spoons are hardly worth the effort -- but they are so cute, I can't help myself!
I was making them out of black clay first, and leaving spots waxed and unglazed where they touched the kiln shelf -- the black clay matched the glaze well. But now I'm using white stoneware, and the colours I'm glazing them with make the unglazed portions too obvious.
Thanks for all the great advice.

[Iforgot]

clayshapes, on 23 February 2013 - 04:32 PM, said:

Lots of great ideas -- I've tried putting a small hole at the top and hanging them on a bead wire, but the wire bent badly in the heat. I like the idea of standing them upright in a wire after making a hole in the spoon handle. I'll try that, and all the other ideas here.
These little spoons are hardly worth the effort -- but they are so cute, I can't help myself!
I was making them out of black clay first, and leaving spots waxed and unglazed where they touched the kiln shelf -- the black clay matched the glaze well. But now I'm using white stoneware, and the colours I'm glazing them with make the unglazed portions too obvious.
Thanks for all the great advice.

You could always hand them on a nichrome bar, or a bead rack.




Darrel