Ever wondered how many steps go into making your favorite mug? Hint, it’s a lot. There are many many many steps behind each and every mug. So I don’t get too stuck on the details, I’ve broken it down into 8 main steps:
Step 1: Wedge - Break out those muscles and wedge wedge wedge! Similar-ish to kneading bread, wedging is moving the clay in a circular sort of motion on a slab of plaster to get air bubbles out of the clay
Step 2: Throw a Cylinder - Throwing a cylinder on the wheel is one of those things that sounds simple and straightforward until you try it. Having started my throwing journey a couple of decades ago, I can now make a cylinder on the wheel with ease, but it took many years and many failed attempts to get there. To sum it up, the clay gets centered, a hole is opened in the middle and the walls are pulled and shaped to make the body of the mug. To actually make it happen involves tons of practice and a lot of messy fun.
Step 3: Trim the Base - Once the cylinder has slowly dried for a day or two and become leather hard, it can be turned upside down. It goes back on the wheel, gets re-centered and the base of the cylinder is refined and smoothed using trimming tools
Step 4: Add a Handle - Each handle is individually shaped by hand or ‘pulled’ from a large chunk of clay. Once the handle can hold it’s shape, the cylinder and the handle both get scored and slipped. The handle is set against the cylinder and secured by smoothing the two separate pieces into one.
Step 5: Paint! - Before the slips or underglazes are applied, the mug gets a few rounds of smoothing with a sponge to ensure the mug has a nice even surface. Then depending on the style of mug, anywhere from one to 8 layers of paint are applied. The mug is then set aside to dry.
Step 6: Firing Round No. 1 - Each individual mug is loaded into the kiln and fired to approximately 1850 degrees Fahrenheit. This process generally takes between 24-36 hours.
Step 7: Glaze - A lightly damp sponge is used to wipe down each mug to remove any residual dust or loose particles. Depending on the style of mug, anywhere from 1 to 4 layers of glaze will be applied. A big bucket of glaze is thoroughly stirred and then the piece is dunked into the glaze and set aside to dry. Once dry to the touch, glaze is wiped off the base of the piece.
Step 8: Firing Round No. 2 - The mugs are put back into the kiln and fired again to about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. This process takes between 36-48 hours.
And that’s it! I’ve tried to count how many times each mug is touched throughout the process. I usually get lost somewhere along the way, but I know each mug is touched a minimum of 20 times from the beginning to end of the creation process. Needless to say, each and every mug is a labor of love from my hands to yours. BTW
