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sprigging

updated sat 16 feb 02

 

Leddi Koch on mon 23 jun 97

I am having a problem with some sprigging decor I'm attempting to put on some
bowls. I'm throwing about a 6 (to 8) inch diameter bowl and then flaring out
the lip to about 1-1/4 inches - this lip being flat and parallel to the
ground extending out from the bowl. I'm adding the sprigged little critters
(actually alligators) to the lip (rim) with his legs overlapping into the
bowl. My problem - if I wait for the lip/rim (very thin) to dry sufficiently
so I can flip it and trim without it giving in - then I have a problem with
attaching the critter. I have been attaching to mugs and not having this
difficulty (as well as other doo-dads and handles). Is there a solution? I
have started using vinegar for attaching and am happy with the results - a
BIG thank you to those of you who have suggested vinegar. Thanks for any
suggestions. I know this is possible if I attach as soon as I've thrown it
(and it's approaching leather hard) but then it becomes harder to trim the
bottoms...I suppose I might have to give one up for the other! (Please tell
me there's a simpler solution).

Ann Peters on tue 24 jun 97

I would suggest trimming your bowls on top of of clay pad so that it
doesn't rest on the rim - just centre a piece of clay that is higher
than your bowl, but small enough that your bowl will fit on to it. I
usually place a small piece of paper on top of the pad so the wet clay
doesn't get on the inside of the bowl.

Ann Peters
Yellowknife, NWT Canada

Cindy on tue 24 jun 97

Leddi,

Trim your bowls on a chuck tall enough to keep the rims from being biffed
by your wheel head. Also, it sounds as if your rims are drying before any
other part of your bowls. If you don't have trouble with cracking, that's a
testimony to your forgiving clay. You may want to try laying a thin sheet
of plastic gently over your bowls' rims (once the rims lose their wet
sheen) to promote more even drying. This should allow you to attach the
gators at the leather-hard stage--much easier than fiddling with attaching
them to wet, floppy clay. I'd still use a chuck for trimming, though. Those
rims sound delicate.

Cindy


I'm adding the sprigged little critters
> (actually alligators) to the lip (rim) with his legs overlapping into the
> bowl. My problem - if I wait for the lip/rim (very thin) to dry
sufficiently
> so I can flip it and trim without it giving in - then I have a problem
with
> attaching the critter

Robert Speirs, M.D. 12 4450 on tue 24 jun 97

Paper clay works great for attaching things to leather hard pieces. You
mix shredded computer paper or newspaper with hot water and mix up the
pulp until it becomes well pulverized in the water. Strain until you
have a handful of paper goop and mix with your slurry - about 2 parts
slurry to l part pulp and you get a paste. It repairs greenware cracks
well, too.

The downside: this stuff begins to mold after not too long a time. I
have heard that some people refrigerate it to keep this from happening
so soon. I have not found, however, that molded paper clay affects its
efficacy. I use it anyway!

Hope this will solve your problem.

Laura in Oregon

gambaru on tue 24 jun 97

Attach your sprigging early and make a form or a found form to elevate your
bowl off the rim when trimming. M.

Jacquelyn Lumsden on wed 25 jun 97

>Why don't you try wrapping dry cleaner plastic around the rim to hold it back
>while the rest of the bowl catches up? If it's long enough you can tie a knot
>so that it stays in place. Also sit the bowl on something absorbent so that
>it will dry a bit faster.

Jackie Lumsden, Waterloo, Ont.

Ed Kraft on thu 26 jun 97

Leddi,

This method may solve your problems:
Trim your bowl at whatever hardness suits your needs. Form your alligator to
fit your bowl's rim (with the feet hanging down inside). DO NOT ATTACH.
Let both pieces dry and then bisque separately. Glaze both separately then
place alligator on flat surface of the rim and glaze fire the bowl/alligator.
The
glaze will fuse the two pieces together. This will eliminate your trimming
problem.

Ed Kraft
Eartharr@msn.com

----------
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List on behalf of Leddi Koch
Sent: Monday, June 23, 1997 1:49 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list CLAYART
Subject: sprigging

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I am having a problem with some sprigging decor I'm attempting to put on some
bowls. I'm throwing about a 6 (to 8) inch diameter bowl and then flaring out
the lip to about 1-1/4 inches - this lip being flat and parallel to the
ground extending out from the bowl. I'm adding the sprigged little critters
(actually alligators) to the lip (rim) with his legs overlapping into the
bowl. My problem - if I wait for the lip/rim (very thin) to dry sufficiently
so I can flip it and trim without it giving in - then I have a problem with
attaching the critter. I have been attaching to mugs and not having this
difficulty (as well as other doo-dads and handles). Is there a solution? I
have started using vinegar for attaching and am happy with the results - a
BIG thank you to those of you who have suggested vinegar. Thanks for any
suggestions. I know this is possible if I attach as soon as I've thrown it
(and it's approaching leather hard) but then it becomes harder to trim the
bottoms...I suppose I might have to give one up for the other! (Please tell
me there's a simpler solution).

lucien m koonce on sat 2 dec 00


I would like to request information on "sprigging", from making the mould,
to application of the sprig. Any do's and don'ts appreciated.
Thank you...................... -Lucien Koonce
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Click on http://lmkoonce.home.mindspring.com and visit my on-line gallery.
L M Koonce / Robbins, NC, USA

Frank Gaydos on sat 2 dec 00


Lucian,
Sprigs are three dimensional designs made of clay that are applied to the
surface of a pot.They are usually press molded. A classic example of sprigs
are Wedgewood Pottery with the two toned clay designs in bas relief.
To make the mold, create your design with no undercuts. Raise a small wall
around the design. Fill with plaster. Remove the original and press clay
into the plaster. To remove, apply a small ball of damp clay to the back of
the design (sprig) and gently work it out. This is why you cannot have an
undercut as you will rip it if there is one.
Applying them is the same as the joining of any clay to clay pieces. On a
pot, I trace around the sprig, score with a needle tool, wet and score and
wet the sprig and press together.
As for don'ts, try not to capture air under the sprig and dry slowly, let
the two pieces of clay get to know each other at least overnight.
Hope that helps.


Frank Gaydos


----- Original Message -----
From: "lucien m koonce"
To:
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2000 5:39 PM
Subject: sprigging


> I would like to request information on "sprigging", from making the mould,
> to application of the sprig. Any do's and don'ts appreciated.
> Thank you...................... -Lucien Koonce
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>

Steve Mills on sun 3 dec 00


This is what I do (for better or worse):

Don't make the "model" too thick: it leads to problems in drying and
shrinkage.
I prefer to carve the shape into the plaster block, rather than cast
from a model: I have better control of detail that way. The best
technique is probably a mixture of the two.
Press the clay into the mould, clean the excess off with a sharp knife,
then wipe across the back with a modelling tool or palette knife; this
causes the sprig to curl slightly, releasing it from the mould.
Keep the sprigs face up on a lightly damp cloth (not a wet one) until
you use them.
For joining I prefer a lightly wetted toothbrush: lightly scrub both
surfaces, this "keys" the clay and makes slip at the same time.

Steve
Bath
UK


Inmessage , lucien m koonce writes
>I would like to request information on "sprigging", from making the mould=
>,
>to application of the sprig. Any do's and don'ts appreciated.
>Thank you...................... -Lucien Koonce
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Click on http://lmkoonce.home.mindspring.com and visit my on-line gallery=
>=2E
>L M Koonce / Robbins, NC, USA

--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK

John Jensen on thu 14 feb 02


I have a little sprig I use sometimes which is small and has a lot of =
details. Because my image has a lot of unattached parts I can't take it =
out in one piece. I push the clay into the sprig mold, then scrape it =
clean with a metal rib right down to the surface of the mold. Then I =
brush on a little dab of deflocculated slip and press the whole thing =
onto the pot. After a few seconds, maybe five or so I lift away the =
mold and the sprig is very neatly attached to the pot. Any little shreds =
of errant clay can be cleaned away with a sponge, or a wooden tool.=20

John Jensen, Mudbug Pottery, mudbug@toad.net

Bonnie Staffel on fri 15 feb 02


My take on applying sprigs is to clean the edges of the sprig, then use Lana
Wilson's Magic Water as an adherent. Then find the right tool to go around
the edges that will not mar the sprig or the background. A soft flat
watercolor brush might have enough pressure to do that.

Bonnie Staffel, of Charlevoix Mi
bstaffel@chartermi.net
http://pws.chartermi.net/~bstaffel/