How to Slab-Build a Teapot

Make a flat-sided clay teapot using the slab method of construction.

A slab-built teapot is one method potters use when making clay items. A four-sided pyramid shape is one of the simplest to make when using the slab method. The four sides provide adequate room for the water chamber, and the top of the pyramid is used for the lid to the teapot. Other shapes are possible once you have the basic knowledge to construct a four-sided pyramid shape. Allow up to four hours to complete the building process.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Pottery clay
• 18-by-36 inch piece of canvas
• 2 yardsticks
• Rolling pin
• Craft knife
• 10-inch square hard masonite board
• Decorating wheel
• Artist paintbrush
• Slip
• Protractor

Instructions

1. Measure and draw a 6-inch wide by 6-inch tall right triangle, and a triangle 1 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches tall on a piece of paper. Cut out the triangles along the drawn lines.

2. Cover a flat work surface with a piece of canvas 18 by 36 inches. Place the 18-inch edge of the canvas on a horizontal plain. Place two yardsticks on the canvas 10 inches apart on a vertical axis.

3. Place a 6-inch ball of clay in the center of the canvas. Roll out the clay with a rolling pin until it's the depth of the yardsticks.

4. Place the 6-inch paper triangle and the 1 1/2-by-4 inch paper triangle on the clay. Cut around the paper triangles with a craft knife. Repeat the process for a total of four 6-inch and four 1 1/2-by-4 inch clay triangles.

5. Measure and cut a 6-inch square of clay from the clay slab. Remove the excess clay around the square and the triangles. Allow the clay to dry 30 minutes.

6. Lift a clay triangle from the canvas, carefully. Hold the triangle so one point is pointing straight up. Look at the clay to see whether it bends. The clay must hold its own weight before beginning assembly. Allow the clay to dry 15 minutes, then re-check it. Repeat the process until the clay triangles hold their own weight.

7. Place a 10-inch square piece of hard masonite on a decorating wheel. Place the 6-inch square of clay in the center of the masonite. Score the vertical outside edge of the 6-inch square. Turn over the paintbrush and use the handle. Pull the handle from the surface of the clay down the side to the hard masonite. Repeat the process around the square every 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch.

8. Brush slip over the scored edges. Slip is a solution of clay and water that's the consistency of thick pudding.

9. Position the four triangles around the outside edge of the slab teapot. Allow the four points of the triangles to come together in the top center of the teapot to form a pyramid. Gently push the bottom edge of the triangle slabs against the edges of the 6-inch square.

10. Roll a small 1/4-inch-in-diameter coil -- a snake-like rope -- of clay 12 inches long. Brush a layer of slip between the joints on the four corners of the clay slab teapot. Immediately place a coil in the joint. Carefully push the coil in place. Smooth the clay coil into the slab teapot to create a rounded corner. Roll more coils as needed. Repeat the process on all four joints.

11. Tip the slab constructed teapot on its side, carefully. Brush slip in the seams connecting the triangles to the 6-inch square. Roll a 1/4-inch coil. Place the coil in the gaps between the triangles and square. Smooth the coil to the clay to create a flat bottom on the teapot.

12. Measure down 1 1/2 inches from the top of the slab teapot. Cut the top from the teapot at the mark. Remove the top 1 1/2 inches. Brush a thin line of slip around the inside of the cut edge. Place a thin coil on the slip extending past the edge of the lid, approximately 1/8 inch. Smooth it into place. This creates a small lip for the top of the teapot to hold it in place. Sit it aside.

13. Score along the 1/4-inch wide long edges of the 1 1/2-by-4 inch triangles. Brush slip on the scored edges. Position the four triangles together to make a tall pyramid shape. Brush slip in the four joints. Roll 1/4-inch coils of clay, place them in the seams and smooth them.

14. Cut the point from the 1 1/2-by-4 inch triangle using a 70-degree angle. This is the spout for the teapot. Position the 1 1/2-inch square end of the triangle on the teapot in the desired location for the spout. Scratch a line in the teapot around the outside of the square. Remove the spout and set it aside.

15. Cut along the scratched outline for the teapot spout. Brush a line of slip around the cut edge. Position the spout of the teapot in the clay so the edge is flush with the inside of the pot. Place a small coil around the seam around the spout. Smooth the coil to the surrounding clay to hold the spout in place.

16. Roll a 1/2-inch coil of clay 10 inches long. Bend the coil into the desired teapot handle shape. Allow the coil to dry until the clay holds its own weight. This may take up to an hour.

17. Position the teapot handle in the desired location. Mark the handle location on the side of the teapot. Remove the handle. Brush slip in the handle locations. Reposition the handle and push it into place. Place a small coil around the teapot handle locations. Smooth the coils to the surrounding clay to hold the handle in place.

18. Place the lid on the teapot, carefully. Place the slab constructed teapot in a safe location to dry.

References

• Pottery Making Illustrated: Margaret Bohls - Slab Teapot
• Prezi: How to Make a Slab Teapot