Bird baths

If your clay sags when you're throwing it, I'd suggest that you make the base of the clay wider to keep the rim from falling. When you trim it, you can then cut the base down to the size you need to mate with your bird bath bottom.

If you mean that your clay sags in the kiln, you might want to attach some sacrificial supports to the underside of your birdbath top to support it in the kiln. You can grind them off once the piece is bisqued.

I'm doing that with some large masks I'm making. There are extensions and things on the edges of the masks that are just too frangible to support themselves and the mask, so I'm puttting some simple legs on the back of the masks to support them while drying and bisqueing. Once that's done I'll grind them off. Unless I think they're still to fragile, and then I'll just leave the legs on and get rid of them once the final firing is done.

Try some grog in the body, if yer using a very plastic clay then it just don't have the "tooth" to do bigger stuff, try a toothier body (crank in the UK, maybe 50/50 with your standard clay...) Hugs Eddie

Throw the shallow bowl upside down on a wheel bat and cast it in plaster. Let the plaster cure and dry. Then press mold the shallow bowl peices. This allows a support until the leather hard stage when they will release from the plaster cast and solves your problem. I also like the hint to sacrafice some supports in the kiln while firing. You may be able to throw small bowls or other ware that you can actually use after using them as supports in the bisque firing!

Chad Evers> Hi Everyone,

Thank you all for such great help. The clay I was using is very plastic. I will try a toothier clay. And I will make the base as wide as I can. I was trying to make it as if it was a big bowl and then pulling out the sides. That's when it sagged. I am using a 14 inch bat. I will let everyone know how my next one turns out. Again, thank you all. Sandi

Are you throwing on a bat that is about the width of the bowl? I can't imagine you creating a bowl that size without a base of almost the same size.

i've done bowls up to 36 inches diameter (wet). ~ expect lots of shrinkage....

i found i needed a wider base then i was used to. around 9 to 12 inches or so.

i use soldate60 claybody. ~ strong wet strength.

i throw a wide cylinder, and shape the bowl only from the inside. slowly tilting the walls of the bowl into a wide bowl.

SOMEtimes i stop at a stage & let the clay dry a bit before shaping some more.

i can lay a bowl into a platter this way too. just keep going till you like it.

see ya

steve

DKat wrote:

I don't understand why you have to grind these legs off?

I have used supports as well, but I make them as separate pieces and then they don't stick to the unglazed surface whether in bisque or glaze firing. Just have to remember whereabouts they were made to support :-)

Marianne