How to Make Oversized Coffee Cups
Coffee lovers cannot get enough of their favorite beverage, so having an oversized coffee cup is particularly useful. An oversized mug allows the coffee drinker to have ample servings of coffee at one time, without having to worry about constantly refilling the mug. Making an oversized mug is relatively easy and you can do many things with the finished product, including giving it to other coffee lovers as a gift.
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Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Clay
- Needle
- Paintbrush
- Plastic sheet
- Kiln
- Wax resist
- Glaze, any color and texture
Instructions
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Lay old newspapers down to protect your work area. If you're working on a table with texture, the newspapers will keep the clay from absorbing the design on the table.
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Take a fist-sized piece of clay and roll it into a ball. Put the ball on the table and stick your thumbs in the center. Carefully pinch the clay, extending it out to the desired width of your mug. Keep in mind that for an oversized coffee cup, the base should be wide. Do not worry if the sides start to cave in or are too thin; you can fix any problems in the next steps.
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Take another ball of clay and use both hands to roll out a long coil. Slowly and evenly distribute pressure along the coil to ensure that it remains the same size. Avoid rolling the coil too thin; it should be no thinner than a quarter of an inch.
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Attach the coil to the bottom piece of clay by first scoring the bottom of the coil. Scoring is done by creating a checked pattern into the clay with a needle. Wet the scored area using a paintbrush dipped in water. After you have scored it, attach the coil onto the bottom slab and smooth the inside and outside edges together. Continue stacking the coils one on top of another until you have reached the desired height for your oversized coffee cup.
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Level the top of the coffee cup by carefully turning the cup upside down and tapping it several times.
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Roll out two coils and braid the coils together into the shape of a handle. Carefully smooth the edges. To attach the handle, score the sides of the handle that will be directly attached to the side of the mug. Apply water to the scored area to ease the attachment process. Carefully attach it to the mug and hold it in place for several seconds. When you set the mug down, you may need to place a ball of newspaper or clay under the bottom of the handle in order to keep it in place.
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Drape a plastic sheet loosely over your mug so that it dries uniformly. The drying process ultimately depends on the thickness and water saturation of your clay. You will know when your cup is completely dry because it will appear very light in color. At this stage it is the most fragile, so be careful when handling it.
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Bisque fire the mug. A bisque firing is the preliminary firing for pottery. In this firing, all remaining water moisture is removed and the clay transforms to a hardened state, which ultimately allows you to use your pottery. Place the cup in the kiln and set the kiln to the appropriate temperature. The temperature of the bisque firing depends on the type of clay you have used. For example, stoneware clay is bisqued at a level cone 05, meaning the internal temperature of the kiln is 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit. After it is bisqued, apply wax resist to the bottom of the cup. This will prevent the glaze from building up on the bottom of the cup and the cup sticking to the kiln shelf during the glaze firing. Let the wax resist dry completely.
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Glaze the cup by dipping it in a bucket of glaze. Glaze comes in many different colors and finishes, so choose one that you will enjoy on your oversized coffee cup. Allow the glaze to dry completely and then refire the cup in the kiln. The cup must be refired so that the glaze can melt and completely cover your cup, making it durable and less porous. Glaze firings are typically set around 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but you will want to check with your studio to determine if that temperature is correct for your type of clay and glaze.
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Tips & Warnings
Never open the kiln during firing. The extreme temperatures pose a risk to your health and you will disrupt the firing of the oversized coffee cup.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
