How to Work With Clay to Make a Soap Dish
Accentuate your bathroom with something special -- a handmade soap dish made from clay. Working with clay is easy, even for the inexperienced. For those without a kiln, it's no problem -- you can find clay on the market that you can bake in your oven or even air-dry. Whether you entrust the task to your children or do it yourself, a handmade clay soap dish will undoubtedly add a special touch to any bathroom.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 1/2 pound of clay
- Clay tools
- Water
- Paper towel
- Newspaper
- Kiln (optional)
Instructions
-
-
1
Purchase some clay; you can usually find many types at an art or craft store. Natural clay is commonly used to make pieces with a ceramic look; natural clay also takes a few days to dry, and it needs to be fired in a kiln and glazed. Polymer clays do not take as long to dry and can be fired in home ovens. Polymer clay is lighter and less prone to shattering than natural clay, although it may endure the test of time as long as a ceramic piece would.
-
2
Take a piece of clay about the size of your fist. Work it in your hands until it is soft and pliable. The clay should have no air bubbles inside. If there are air bubbles in the clay, they can cause the entire piece to explode inside the kiln. If it is dry, wet your hand and pat it onto the clay, working the moisture in. If the clay is too wet, blot it with a paper towel.
-
-
3
Begin to form the dish. You can start one in one of several ways. You can roll a long "snake," uniformly one-half inch in diameter, and coil it into a flat circle; smooth and shape it until it achieves the basic look you want. You can also start with a "pinch pot"-style dish by taking a handful of clay and pinching it around the sides and in the middle until it begins to take the shape of a rounded bowl. Another option is to roll the clay flat with a rolling pin and cut shapes out with a cookie cutter or a knife. No matter which option you use, smooth and shape the clay as you work, making sure there are no air bubbles in the piece.
-
4
Customize your dish. Shape your dish to look -- very generally -- like an animal's body, a leaf or an open hand. Be creative. Give it legs, a tail, a head, a stem or whatever it is you need to complete its look. Use sturdy, smoothed balls or rolls of clay to make the embellishments you need.
To attach a piece such as a tail, use a needle tool to score both points of attachment, add slip (soupy clay) as glue and attach. Smooth the clay between the two pieces until the attachment is secure.
Be aware that legs placed underneath the dish can break. If you want legs, add them to the side -- think of a frog's legs splayed out when viewed from above, or the way a dog lies on its side.
-
5
Allow your piece several days to dry, especially if working with natural clay.
-
6
Paint your soap dish. If you are using natural clay, use glaze. It can be purchased at a craft store and is usually found in the clay section. If using polymer clay, use acrylics and finish with two coats of waterproof sealant.
-
7
Fire your piece. How you do that depends on the clay you've used, as well as what's available. The clay piece should be bone-dry before it is fired. Polymer pieces can be fired in the oven; they don't need temperatures over 500 degrees Fahrenheit to set them.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Firing in a kiln should be done by a professional only.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
