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throwing sinks

updated mon 2 jul 07

 

John Rodgers on sun 22 dec 02


Hello Heidi! Merry Christmas to you!

I appreciate your concern about taking up band width with your
questions, but I'm interested in anything related to throwing sinks, and
I'll bet there are a bunch of other folk that are interested as well.
I'm sure there is a lot in the archives about the subject, but you never
know when some new take on the subject might come about.

Please keep the subject in open forum.

My thanks,

John Rodgers
Birmingham, AL

Heidi Haugen wrote:

>happy holidays.
>we're in the midst of building our house (ourselves) and i'm at the
>point where i need to get the 2 bathroom sinks made...mind you, i've
>never thrown a sink before. just looking for any tips from those who
>have traveled this route before. i.e. overflow hole and drain hole,
>earthenware vs. stoneware...other things to keep in mind.
>anyone who would like to offer information will be greatly appreciated.
>off-list might be preferable since i'll probably have a load of
>follow-up questions.
>
>thanks in advance,
>heidi haugen
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>

Heidi Haugen on sun 22 dec 02


happy holidays.
we're in the midst of building our house (ourselves) and i'm at the
point where i need to get the 2 bathroom sinks made...mind you, i've
never thrown a sink before. just looking for any tips from those who
have traveled this route before. i.e. overflow hole and drain hole,
earthenware vs. stoneware...other things to keep in mind.
anyone who would like to offer information will be greatly appreciated.
off-list might be preferable since i'll probably have a load of
follow-up questions.

thanks in advance,
heidi haugen

terry sullivan on mon 23 dec 02


A master at this is Peter King and much of the information is in his
book Achitectural Ceramics from Lark books.

Linda Blossom has refined the technique a bit and makes the most
beautiful sinks I have ever seen. But, of course, it is her wonderful
layered glazes that are the beauty.

Terry Sullivan
www.nottinghamarts.org

culling on mon 23 dec 02


Hey me too! Am going to make a couple of basins!! Thought stoneware and have
aready bought a plug hole!!! Any tips gratefully received - been wondering
about how to design the rim so as not trap grunge and water under it, any
suggestions?.... i like easy clean being basicly lazy !
Steph
----- Original Message -----
From: "Heidi Haugen"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 23, 2002 9:59 AM
Subject: throwing sinks


> happy holidays.
> we're in the midst of building our house (ourselves) and i'm at the
> point where i need to get the 2 bathroom sinks made...mind you, i've
> never thrown a sink before. just looking for any tips from those who
> have traveled this route before. i.e. overflow hole and drain hole,
> earthenware vs. stoneware...other things to keep in mind.
> anyone who would like to offer information will be greatly appreciated.
> off-list might be preferable since i'll probably have a load of
> follow-up questions.
>
> thanks in advance,
> heidi haugen
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>

KLeSueur@AOL.COM on mon 23 dec 02


I've thrown a number of sinks for myself and friends. I've found that the best way to do it is upside down. That way you are bringing the clay into the bottom of the sink rather than trying to thow it out all the while keeping control and trying to set a nice rim.

I throw these thick. It takes more clay than you would think. Throw it so that the opening at the bottom of the sink is slightly wider than the pipe that will have to go through it (allowing for shrinkage). When it's leather hard you can turn it over to trim a slight depression for the drain fitting and refine the rim. My rim is about 1 1/2" wide. I throw a chuck to fire the piece in to avoid slumping. Glaze all but the area that touches the chuck.

I don't put an overflow drain in because it's not require by the plumbing code here. And, if it's not required where you live, I'd ignore doing it. If it is required, I'd extrude a slab tube, cut it in half and attach it. Take a look at commercial sinks to see how the overflow ties in.

Dry SLOWLY. Fire SLOWLY.

Good luck,

Kathi

Connie Woodward on mon 23 dec 02


me too! I'd love to throw a cool sink and then make handmade
tiles for the surround in my bathroom!
Please share any secrets! I too was especially wondering about
the overflow part.... it seems like the vessel type sinks
at home-depot/expo have a double walled construction, how would
one do that with wheel thrown? is it really necessary?

thanks,

Connie

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of John Rodgers
> Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 10:48 PM
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: throwing sinks
>
>
> Hello Heidi! Merry Christmas to you!
>
> I appreciate your concern about taking up band width with your
> questions, but I'm interested in anything related to throwing sinks, and
> I'll bet there are a bunch of other folk that are interested as well.
> I'm sure there is a lot in the archives about the subject, but you never
> know when some new take on the subject might come about.
>
> Please keep the subject in open forum.
>
> My thanks,
>
> John Rodgers
> Birmingham, AL
>
> Heidi Haugen wrote:
>
> >happy holidays.
> >we're in the midst of building our house (ourselves) and i'm at the
> >point where i need to get the 2 bathroom sinks made...mind you, i've
> >never thrown a sink before. just looking for any tips from those who
> >have traveled this route before. i.e. overflow hole and drain hole,
> >earthenware vs. stoneware...other things to keep in mind.
> >anyone who would like to offer information will be greatly appreciated.
> >off-list might be preferable since i'll probably have a load of
> >follow-up questions.
> >
> >thanks in advance,
> >heidi haugen
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
> _____________
> >Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
> >
> >You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> >settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
> >
> >Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
> >
> >
> >
>
> __________________________________________________________________
> ____________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
>

Bonnie Staffel on tue 24 dec 02


Dear Roger, the following is my answer to Heidi about my experiences
throwing sinks. Perhaps it may be of use to you.

Regards, Bonnie Staffel of Charlevoix

Dear Heidi,

One of the first things you should check out is if your hand made sinks are
up to code. Do you have to have your home inspected before it is OK'd by
the city/township rules. If you are installing the sinks yourselves and
this is OK by the rules in your area, then that will work out.

I have made sinks and I am a potter of over 54 years experience. The
customers who purchased them were up against plumbers who went by the book.
In that case, the main bathroom sometimes has to have a commercial sink and
then you can put your own in a second bathroom.

I believe that an overflow hole is absolutely a necessity. Go to a building
store and look at the undersides of the commercial sinks. Then buy the
metal drain tube. You will need to know the shrinkage rate of your clay so
that you can make the drain hole the correct size for the metal drain pipe
to fit.

Another critical part of the sink is the rim. Will the rim sit on top of
the cabinet or underneath. There are basic requirements for either. If on
top, there should be a wide enough rim to rest on the hole cut into the
cabinet without waves or warping. Same goes for the sinks to be under the
cabinet top. Choosing the faucets and spigot should be of the right
configuration to come from behind and over the top with enough room for
washing hands under it comfortably.

Personally, I always use Cone 9/10 stoneware. Think of something heavy
dropping into the sink. An earthenware sink probably would not hold up,
especially if there are young children in the home.

As a rule, my glaze does not craze, however one of my sinks had a lot of
crazing occurring. When I asked the owner what made this happen, he said
they had super hot water at the sink that blasted into that area. I would
also make sure that my glazes and clays fit. I would not choose a black or
dark colored glaze if your water has any lime or other chemicals in it, you
will be cleaning it constantly as water spots will always show. A friend of
mine made an ornate sink, black glaze, and added clay additions that always
looked unkempt because of not being able to clean in and around these raised
designs.

Another thing, I hope that you are very adept at throwing as you will be
faced with new challenges. I throw my sinks upside down so that I can
control the top diameter, as well as control the size of the drain hole.
Then you need to create a chuck with a cutout for the overflow so that you
can trim the inside of the rim area. I also fire the bisque upside down on
a firing slab so as not to warp the opening and then use the chuck to fire
the final firing of the sink that is glazed only on the inside. I make the
overflow holes so that I can plug them with corks during the glazing
process. I also use a larger cork for the drain hole. This is more than
just throwing, it is an engineering process. You also have to take into
account the depth of your sink so that the drain pipe trap has room to be
functional with the outlet pipe.

So far, these suggestions are my basic operating modes. If you have any
questions, please do not hesitate to write. I would suggest that you
practice throwing bowls upside down so that you feel the wonder of this
method. It is a good way of making footed bowls, punch bowls, etc. I throw
with coils rather than a large lump of clay. I have just made a video on
throwing with coils, not showing sinks, but the method is there for the
potter to use. I believe there are preformed bisqued sinks available from
Aftosa, but they do not have the overflow option, as far as I know, if you
decide to go that route.

Regards, Bonnie
Web Address: http://pws.chartermi.net/~bstaffel/
The punch bowl on my home page was thrown upside down with the addition of
the raised foot thrown separately and added.

Israel Shmueli on tue 24 dec 02


I have some experience with throwing sinks.
First I prefer to work with stoneware or mid range temperatures. I found
cone 7 satisfactory. High temperatures enable harder glazes, stronger fired
clay body and lower absorption. Low absorption is critical if you want to
eliminate crazing. Fired bodies that absorb water expand a little and may
cause glazes to craze. I understood that low absorption is a criterion for
sanitary ware bodies. Even if you like your sinks to be covered with crazed
glazes because of esthetic preference, it is better the body will have low
absorption, because it resist staining with dirt and eliminate typical dark
moisture halo that sometimes appear around crazed lines.

2.
Body should be thrown much thicker than usual in order to supply strength.
Some grog is needed to help drying and firing.
3.
Firing graph depends on body type, thickness and grog size and percetage.
According to my experience it is better to bisque to cone 05 or 04 in order
to eliminate the tendency of some bodies to develop rim cracks.
Bodies that developed cracks when bisqued to cone 09 stopped doing so after
raising bisque temp.
4.
I use huge amounts of clay in order to make thicker walls, but also in
order to leave enough clay for trimming the pipe fitting area and foot rim.
5.
Drain hole is formed at the beginning. While opening the centered clay
it should kept more than 2.5 cm depth and 5.2 cm wide (Israeli plumbing
standard). I made thin plywood ribs for measuring wet and leather hard
drain hole inner diameter. sometimes i make them narrower and trim to
correct diameter.

My sink page
http://www.botzpottery.co.il/shmueli/sinkse.html

hope it helps
Israel Shmueli
at Petach-Tikva
(one of Tel-Aviv suberbs)
Israel

http://www.botzpottery.co.il/english.html

LindaBlossom on tue 24 dec 02


I have made many sinks with the use of a hump mold. I don't throw but if I
did, I would still use a mold because of the consistency that I am after in
regards to size. You need to be aware of several things. Clay body, good
glaze fit, standardized and nonstandardized plumbing considerations,
drainability, drain size, drain pipe length, overflow - yes if you want to
use a good fixture, you need an overflow. If you want a plug, fine, but it
will never look as nice as a pop up fixture, drain size, cabinet size....a
sink is not a bowl with a hole in it. It is difficult to explain everything
regarding this in text - it is much easier to show and explain. Peter King
makes sinks, also on a hump mold, but he throws the rim onto the bowl. I
watched him do this and realized that even if I were skilled at throwing, it
was quite a feat that he was accomplishing. It took a lot of strength and
coordination.

Linda Blossom
Ithaca, NY

Gady on tue 24 dec 02


A few places stock bisque sinks. ClayArt in Puyallup has them. Take a look
at what they have to get your measurements and placements for holes. Having
a thrown sink could be pretty cool, but if you are more interested in the
glaze, buy one already bisqued.
Steve in Tampa

Bonnie Staffel on sun 1 jul 07


Dear Bryan,

I have found that throwing sinks upside down is the easiest way as =
there is
very little trimming to do that way IMO. You need a bat the =
circumference
of the sink and you can also make the drain to fit the rest of the =
plumbing.
I use my coil method of throwing and have a lot of success. If you want =
a
drain overflow, you can also attach this with the pot upside down. =20

Bryan wrote: "Hey sink makers, what is the best way to throw a sink, =
right
side up or =3D up side down??"=20

I hope that you are aware of the building and plumbing codes of where =
your
sinks will be installed. =20

Good luck,

Bonnie Staffel

http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council