How to Make Crocks in Pottery
Crocks are earthenware pots or vessels. Traditionally made as clay-fired pottery, crocks are used to store food, vinegars, juices and other items. Pottery crocks can be made in a variety of sizes to suite their intended use. Stoneware pottery, fired at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit, is one of the strongest pottery types. The strength of stoneware crocks allows the crock to be used as a storage container as well as for baking and cooking. To ensure the crock walls are evenly formed, a potter's wheel is used during the creation of the crock.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Place the clay on the pottery wheel. Push the clay upward and together to create a wedge shape free of air bubbles. Spin the wheel slightly to determine the rotation of the wheel and adjust your clay to spin in the center.
-
2
Wet your hands. Spin the wheel slowly and press your hands on both sides of the wedge, slowly drawing the clay upward into a cone shape. Maintain the spin on the potter's wheel
-
-
3
Press one hand into the top of the cone while supporting the outside of the clay. Using steady, but firm pressure, draw the clay into a hollow form. Slowly expand the walls of the crock to the desired thickness, usually about 1/4 inch, and the desired diameter of the interior hollow..
-
4
Pull the wire across the bottom of the clay, at the potter's wheel, to cut the clay free from the wheel.
-
5
Turn the crock over and place it back on the wheel, centered to allow spinning. Turn the wheel and check for centering. Once the upside-down crock is positioned, secure it to the wheel with several lumps of clay bracing the walls against the potter's wheel.
-
6
Trim the based, from the center outward, leaving a ring of clay. The ring acts as a base upon which the crock will rest. If desired, trim the outside edge of the ring to have a recessed based. The finished trim results in a base with a ring of clay raised above the trimmed area.
-
7
Smooth the ring and trimmed area with a damp sponge, while the crock is still spinning. Remove the clay braces from the crock walls and potter's wheel. Remove the crock from the wheel. Smooth any rough spots with a damp sponge and light pressure to ensure the crock walls do not collapse.
-
8
Dry the crock completely. Place the crock in the bisque-fired kiln for 9 1/2 hours to fully cure the clay. Cool the crock for an equal amount of time.
-
9
Dip the bisque-fired crock in glaze. Remove any glaze from the bottom of the crock. Fire the crock in the kiln at 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours. Fully cool the crock in the kiln before removing. Use sandpaper to smooth the bottom of the crock, if desired.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Multiple glazes can be used to create color variations on the surface of the crock.
Failure to remove the glaze from the bottom of the crock may result in the glaze bonding the surface of the kiln rack, causing damage to the crock and glaze during removal.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
