Classroom Coil Ceramics With a Clay Extruder – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Making coil ceramics with a clay extruder is an excellent classroom project to introduce students to basic ceramics techniques and design possibilities. Students should be shown Victor Bryant’s webpage on the Origins of the Potter’s Wheel to appreciate that coil ceramics long predated the invention of the throwing Wheel. In fact coil ceramics are the most primitive technique and still widely used in many pre-industrial parts of the world. Students should be given a demonstration of how to roll or extrude coils, how to shape them and how to join them together. Examples of actual coil pots should be available for students to examine and handle. Supplies needed include 5 pounds of clay per student, a 5″ to 6″ circular base pattern, a cloth-covered board or table, plastic bags to store work-in-progress, rolling pin or clay extruder, scoring and modeling tool, a brush and clay slip.

Students should draw three sketches for coiled pot designs in their art journals. The teacher and student together should critique possible coil designs, and select one for the project. Using clay body of choice, the 1/2″ coils can be formed by hand-rolling or more uniformly by using a hand or electric clay extruder. The students begin coiling using the pattern as a guide, and smoothing the inside of the vessel in order to join coils as they go along. The rough edge of the coil is scored with a scoring tool. Slip is applied to the base with a brush and then the coil is pressed gently to the base. The shape of the pot can be determined as the student adds coils. Placement of coils can curve the shape of the pot outward or inward. The pot can be built to a height of 12″ or more. The pot is then allowed to dry completely and then is bisque-fired. It can be decorated and glazed as desired.

After the project is completed, evaluations should be made by each student. These evaluations can include answering the questions: Is this the first time you have made a coiled pot? Now that you have made a coiled pot, what characteristics about the personality of the clay have you discovered? What did you envision your pot looking like when you began and how different does the final version appear from your original conception? What mistakes will you avoid in the future? Why is it of utmost importance to score joins well and to apply enough slip before uniting them? What other points are important in making a coil pot? What air dry clays and glazes would you change for your next pot? What would you like your next pot to look like? How wide and high will you make it? Evaluation of students work is made on the basis of their description of the coil building process, and how they were able to apply this understanding to the creation of a real coil pot. Also by the students’ demonstration of good craftsmanship in the construction and final appearance of the pot.