ceramic wine cooler

teracotta ones work on evaporative cooling. the wet bottle dries out & evaporation cools the bottle. BUT the bottle can't actually get REAL cold, just generally cooler then the surrounding.

i was talking with a friend a few weeks back & will be making her a wine cooler that is cone 10, glazed all over.

the plan is to make a dual pot (like a chip & dip idea) with a large cylinder up the middle large enough for the wine bottle, and a LARGER bowl around the whole works to hold ice. the plan for this party beast is to have wine chilled by the ice, and also have shrimp on the ice as well.

or even make a doughnut bowl to slip over the wine cylinder & float on top of the ice to refidgerate the contents (potatoe salad, etc).

it's a good idea that i'll work on. i can see several on a party table spread that would be fun to see in action.

see ya

steve

as long as it's new years eve & the idea of parties is on at least MY mind, i just got back from a trip thru new mexico & brought back a little mecian sombrero hat.

this little hat, some 6 inch diameter, is decorated with classic mexican fiesta colors.

the little hat is sold as a "bottle cooler". the user would put this hat on top of his cold beer, (Corona in my case) to provide shade to the poor beer when not in imediate use...

i plan on making a batch of these to hand out at my next party. maybe raku would be a great glaze to use. we'll see...

i also want to try to make plaster molds of *hat* shapes. with enough molds to help hand building *hats* that again might turn into a party!

add wine & shrimp & it all comes back in the great circle...

happy new year everyone!

see ya

steve

I second what Steve says on the evaporation (like the ideas as well). So I have little to offer other than a wonderful bit I just learned recently if you go the 'ice bucket' routine (most or you may already know this so I am showing the depth of my ignorance). It turns out that you are supposed to put water in the ice before putting in your bottle. You will find that the bottle goes in easily and chills much better. Whatever it is that you do - I would also recommend that you glaze the bottom of the pot so that it doesn't sweat through and ruin a wood table. Donna

Thanks, Steve & Donna

I recently (since my post) remembered owning a terra cotta water pitcher which was glazed on the inside. Seems to me I soaked it in water for a few minutes--maybe 10--before filling. It kept the water inside very cold without refrigeration.

Since I want to glaze the outside of my wine chiller, I'm thinking of glazing the bottom inch or so of the inside (to keep from ruining furniture--thanks, Donna) and then just the top inside inch or so for aesthetic purposes. Then I could soak it in water before putting the already chilled wine bottle inside. Am I thinking straight?

Betsy

i think you have the idea. provide a zone unglazed to absorb water, but that water saturated part needs to be exposed to the outside air to do it's job. so the outer area needs to be mostly (or somewhat) exposed with unglazed regions. the bottom table surface can be glazed to protect furniture, and the top can be glazed for looks & to resist chipping, but i'd keep a good portion of the sides open.

perhaps use wide bands of wax resist to decorate an unglazed area on the outside.

i saw a project years back in ceramics monthly. (back when their magazine style was more related to projects). it was a bisqueware bottle with a doughnut on top standing on edge. inside the doughnut was a few vanes. a small fan would be fixed inside the doughnut & with water in the bottle & the fan running you'd have an evaporative cooler. ~ blowing thru the vanes drawing moisture from the bottle.

now THAT should be made with a glazed foot so i can even use such a fan in the house!

see ya

steve