Starting Small with Flasks: a how-to!

I write this while sitting on my bed, sipping tea out of the handmade mug I've decided to keep. (Blueberry silver tea, pinkie-out style: I need to drink more tea to clear out toxins and junk.) 

Our kilns don't usually fire reds well, so this mug is reminiscent of a murdered cow.  Pleasant for tea!

As I contemplate this past semester (as it's almost over), I realize that I should probably show you a few things that I've made.  First thing's first: flasks.  I'll be glad to take you through the entire step-by-step process of hand-building one of your very own!

Step one: Get your pieces ready!  You're going to need a hollow coil about an inch and a half think (I used an extruder for this, but you can hand-roll these and hollow them out later.) and two rectangular slabs, one a thinner rectangular shape than the other (these will be the main sides.  You can make these as tall or as wide as you like, as long as they are the same height as what you make your coil).  I used a slab roller for the slabs, but you can use a simple rolling pin on top of two rulers. (Note: the thickness of the clay should be at least a couple of centimeters wide.  Anything less than a centimeter will break very easily!)  Shape the rectangles so it has a slight bump or curve to both of them, and the small piece can fit on top of the big piece (if you're having trouble, look at the picture below of all the individual pieces).  Note:  If the clay dries past the stage you need, you can always wet it with a damp sponge or spray bottle.

Step two:  Wait until the outside of the clay is at a leather-hard state (that's as far as being pretty stiff but not as far as the clay starting to change to a lighter color).  Cut the coils with your wire tool, straight up the middle and being careful to split them evenly.  If the coils you made are not hollow already (like using an extruder), now's the time to hollow them out.  Take a round-shaped trimming tool and gently and carefully take the 'guts' out of the coil.

Now, you should have pieces that look like these:

These pieces will be enough to make five flasks.

Step three: Now it's time to slip and score!  This is a very important part of the process, and you need to be very careful on how you join these pieces together.  First, score the sides (the widths of each piece) with either a needle tool (don't be afraid and criss-cross the lines, but don't get too deep!  You also want to keep the shape of the sides as well) or a scoring tool.  then, before we add the slip (slippery mayonnaise-like clay) I usually like to re-wet the surface of the scored parts, just in case.  Once the edges are slipped, it's time to join them together!  This gets tricky, too.  remember, you're joining a half-coil to the long side of the big rectangle (so the bump is on the outside) and the long side of the skinny rectangle (so the bump is on the inside).  I usually like to stand all of the pieces up for this part, because I find it easier to keep everything together.  Truth be told, they're going to want to fall apart on you.  Note: it's good to press firmly, but you also need to be delicate with leather-hard pieces.

Step four:After the sides are joined by slipping and scoring, you're going to want to take another, non-leather hard piece of clay and press it into each side (inside and outside) of the joined parts of the structure.  If there's too much slip, wipe it off before pressing.  Rub the clay in, smoothing it, so that it gets into all the parts you couldn't join together before.  I usually like to finish it off by smoothing it with a slightly damp round sponge.

Step five:  Now that you've got your structure, it's time to make the top and bottom.  Roll out another slab big enough to make a top and bottom.  What I do here is trace my structure lightly with a needle tool and then cut it out.  Repeat this again until you have one top, one bottom.  Bring these pieces, being careful not to smoosh or stretch them, to a warm, dry place to get leather hard (and it might be a good time to put your structure into a plastic bag so it doesn't get past leather hard).

Step six:  Slip and score the edges of the structure and around the sides of the top and bottom as in step three and attach them in the same manner as steps three and four.  Put it back into the plastic bag.

Step seven:  Take a long, thin rectangular shape of slab (not leather hard - yet) and wrap it around something small and round, like the end of your bigger, round trimming tool (that's what I usually do).  Slip and score the edges that meet and attach them together.  Wait until it's leather hard, then score the edges of one side of the loop.

Step eight:  Take the structure out of the bag, and place the loop in the center of one flat end.  Trace the inside circle, then cut it out with the needle tool, being careful not to let the circle of clay drop inside.  Score this part around the empty circle of the top of the flask, then wet and add slip to attach it together, after adding clay like steps three and four again.

The finished and smoothed flask in its leather hard stage.

Step nine:  You now have your basic flask structure.  It may be a bit bumpy on the outside.  This is when I take my large round trimming tool and run it over around the structure gently, to remove the lager of the bumps.  Then, I take my slightly damp sponge and rub it over the flask, removing excess clay and slip.  At this point, you can leave it out to dry completely and get the finer details smoothed out by running your damp sponge over it again, or you can leave it leather hard to add a design, making a step ten.

Step ten (optional):  you can add designs now, if you like.  I've carved designs out of the front, and I've added some designs out of other slabs and carving them as well.  Here are some examples of designs I've made:

This is my boyfriend Ryan's flask he will be receiving to use at the Steampunk World's Faire 2012.  Has not been bisque fired or glazed.

Another flask I've made simply by carving out of the front.  As you can see I've made my own pattern so I can recreate it.  This one has been very popular with my friends, so good thing!  Has not been bisque fired or glazed.

Happy flasking!