How to Make a Ceramic Carousel Animal

Carousel horses are a longtime favorite, but you can make lots of different animals.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ceramics Cleaning Tools
• Ceramics Texture Tools
• Greenware
• Hobby Paintbrushes
• Acrylic Paints
• Ceramics Glazes
• Small Music Box
• Thin Wood Dowels
• Threads
• Underglazes
• Acrylic Paints
• Pencils
• Pencils
• Miniature Brass Poles
• Combination Squares
• Nuts (hardware)
• Pencils

1. Choose a greenware animal that is appropriate. You need to have an area of body that the pole can go through, and the animal should be standing up.

2. Clean the greenware.

3. Use a square to mark a spot on the top and bottom of the animal. For example, if you're making a horse, hold the square up next to the piece while it's standing free. Use a pencil to draw a line around the body from the top to the bottom just behind where the mane ends.

4. Use the pointed end of your cleaning tool to make a very small hole in the center of the back on the line you just drew.

5. Make another very small hole on the bottom, about where the pole should come out.

6. Poke a very straight piece of wire (12 gauge works well) through the top hole and out through the bottom. This will take a lot of patience, but it can be done.

7. Tie a piece of thread to the wire and pull it through. You now have a thread running through the middle of your project. Tie a small nut or similar object to the bottom of the thread and hold the top end on one side of the hole. Use the pointed end of the cleaning tool to make the bottom hole bigger. The goal is to have the thread hanging in a perfectly straight line. Once you achieve this, widen the hole so that it's large enough to put the pole through.

8. Remember that the greenware will shrink just a little bit when it's fired.

9. Make a matching hole in the base if it's also ceramic. Set the animal on the base exactly where you want it and line up the thread or the pole to make a mark. Cut that hole, too.

10. Apply underglazes now if you plan to use them. If you are going to use glazes, put them on after firing the underglazes.

11. Have the piece fired and finish painting it. Put the pole in and secure it at the bottom of the base and the bottom of the animal with superglue.

Tips & Warnings

• The pole can be made from a dowel painted gold, though ceramic shops carry a brass pole just for this, which looks much nicer.
• You can also pick up a kit that lets you add a wind-up music box to the base of your carousel animal.

on 11/22/2005 If you buy a thicker garden hose, it won't kink so easily, and you'll be happier.