How to Make a Rice Bowl Out of Clay
Not all clay bowls are created equal. For a piece of pottery to be food safe, it must meet a few guidelines. It must have a smooth texture and not be porous. Pores and cracks act as havens for bacterial growth. It must be glazed with a food safe glaze that does not contain metals such as lead or copper. Making a rice bowl out of clay also requires pottery clay, which means it must be fired in a kiln before and after glazing.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Pottery clay
- Spoon
- Sewing needle
- Kiln
- Wax
- Small pot
- Stove
- Paintbrush
- Food safe pottery glaze
- 5 gallon bucket
- Whisk
Instructions
-
-
1
Roll the pottery clay into a ball. Place your thumbs into the center of the ball and shape the bowl, rotating it as you work and pulling up the sides. Remember, a rice bowl has high, straight sides. Continue rotating and pulling up the sides of the bowl until it reaches the desired height and shape. Use the back of the spoon to smooth out any finger marks inside the bowl.
-
2
Use the sewing needle to poke small holes in the underside of the bowl. Do not poke all the way through to the bottom of the interior of the bowl. This allows any trapped air to escape during firing, instead of blowing apart the bowl.
-
-
3
Allow bowl to air dry for several days to ensure the water has evaporated. Load the bowl into the kiln. Refer to the manufacturer's directions for heating the kiln and start it on the lowest setting. Remove any peep hole plugs. Leave the door of the kiln cracked about 2 inches during the first hour of firing. Then close the door and heat the kiln until it reaches cone 8 temperature, which is between 2212 and 2320 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off the kiln and leave the bowl in until completely cooled, between 24 to 48 hours.
-
4
Melt the wax in a small pot and apply a coat of wax to the bottom of bowl with the paintbrush. This will prevent glaze from getting on the bottom, which would make the bowl stick to the kiln shelf. Allow wax to dry for at least 15 minutes.
-
5
Use a whisk to mix the food safe glaze in a five gallon bucket, then dip the bowl into the glaze. It may take several dips to get an even coating of glaze. Fire the bowl in the kiln until the kiln reaches the necessary cone level for the glaze. Most glazes get fired to cone 5 or cone 6, which is between 2118 and 2269 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow piece to cool completely before removing from kiln.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A rice bowl can also be thrown on a pottery wheel instead of shaped by hand.
Always wear proper eye protection and safety gloves when loading and unloading a kiln.
References
- Photo Credit Henry Gan/Photodisc/Getty Images
