How to Make a Ceramic Butter Dish
Most amateur potters can turn their hand to making a ceramic butter dish. The structure of a butter dish--a relatively flat tray with a rectangular lid--lends itself more to building, rather than throwing the clay, which is generally the easier technique. Because standard butter stick sizes vary, make the butter dish for the size butter sticks you most often use.
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Things You'll Need
- Clay
- Rolling pin
- Knife
- 4 or 5 lb. bag of dried beans, rice or flour
- Plastic sheet
- Glaze
- Kiln
Instructions
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1
Roll out a sheet of clay around 3/8 inch thick and around 3 inches larger all around than your average butter stick after you account for shrinkage. All clays shrink when drying and firing and the shrinkage percentage for the clay you are using should be on the clay packaging or available from the supplier; mostly the shrinkage is between eight to 10 percent.
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2
Cut the edges of the clay sheet with a knife to give a neat edge, then lay the clay sheet over a 4 or 5 lb. bag of dried beans, rice or flour. Setting the clay over the bag will give a nice curve to the clay, which will be inverted later so that the sides curve upward.
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3
Roll four small balls with about a 3/4-inch diameter. Moisten one side of the balls and stick them to the sheet of clay laid over the bag around 3 to 4 inches in from the edge for the legs of the butter dish. You can also make them triangular or tubes--it's up to you.
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4
Roll another strip of clay 3/4 inch thick to around 4 inches wide and as long as you need to make a rectangle for the top of the butter dish. Stand the strip up on an edge, then fold the strip into a rectangle, squeezing the ends together where they meet and smoothing the seam with a damp finger.
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Roll out a final piece of 3/4-inch thick clay and cut it to fit the top of the rectangle. Gently place it on top of the rectangle and pinch the seam together, then smooth it over with a damp finger.
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Roll a log of clay around 1/2 inch thick and 3 inches long, then press the ends flat between your thumb and forefinger. Bend the log into a "U" shape, then join it to the top of the butter dish lid for the handle.
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Cover the lid and tray with a plastic sheet and leave it to fully dry. This may take two to three days.
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Pull the tray from the bag, then paint the tray and the lid with glaze before firing it in a kiln. Depending on the glaze you've used, the firing should be around 2,000 to 2,200 F to produce a nice durable glaze on the butter dish.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
