How to Make a Ceramic Fife

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Revolutionary War battles often hinged on the morale of the men doing the fighting. Fife and drum units were an integral part of the fighting man's arsenal, as important as their powder horns and muskets for maintaining a fighting spirit. Here is how to make a ceramic fife to play at your next reenactment.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Clay extruder: think of a larger, grown-up version of a Play Doh Fun Factory(R).
Clay
Length of picture hanging wire (to cut clay)
Smoothing and shaping tools for ceramics
Paraffin
Petroleum jelly
3/4" dowel rod, about one foot to 15 inches long

Step1

Select a "pipe" or "tube" template on your clay extruder, about 7/8" diameter. Extrude a length of clay about a foot long to 15 inches long. Longer fifes will play lower notes. Shorter fifes will play higher notes.

Step2

Coat the dowel rod well with petroleum jelly. While clay is still pliable, carefully slide a length of dowel rod into the clay. Do not squeeze. Allow the rod to remain movable. Carefully poke holes for your fife. Use a real fife if possible to gauge the correct distance apart for the holes.

Step3

Allow the clay to become "leather hard." Check daily to be sure that the dowel rod remains able to move in and out of the extruded clay tube. After several days of air drying, take your clay tube to a kiln and have it fired.

Step4

Smooth any sharp edges after the first firing, especially around the holes. This will make your fife more comfortable to play. If you are going to glaze your fife, be sure to use non-toxic, lead-free glazes only.
After your final firing, test your fife's pitch by blowing in the "head" hole with the other holes open. Close one hole at a time with your fingers and test the pitch of each note. If you are not satisfied with your pitch, try adjusting the position of the dowel rod. When you get a sound that you like, dip the head of the fife in melted paraffin to close that end, filling it with paraffin to the beginning of the dowel rod inside.

Tips & Warnings

Use only lead-free clay and glazes.

Comments

ursaminor said

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on 5/28/2008 I wonder if it would be possible to use the kind of clay that will harden in the oven at home. I love the idea of the hand-built ceramic fife, though. What a very clever article! Thanks for writing it. 5 stars.

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