How to Make a Ceramic Urn Lid

Urns are often elaborately decorated with a matching lid.

Urns hold the cremated remains of peoples ashes and therefore require lids that fit well in order to create a good seal. ceramic lids are sealed onto the urn using silicone or glue. Rather than sitting in a groove like the lid on a sugar bowl, ceramic urn lids usually cover the opening and come down over the neck of the urn. Careful measurements must be taken to accommodate for shrinkage using pottery calipers. Usually, lids are made on a pottery wheel, but if you don't know how to use one, you can try shaping it by hand.

Things You'll Need

• Clay
• Knife
• Pottery calipers
• Paper
• Needle tool
• Sponge
• Reference images

Instructions

1. Practice taking measurements of the urn opening (neck), with the pottery calipers. Note that you will need an inside and outside measurement of the neck. This will determine the width of your lid.

2. Find out the exact percentage of shrinkage you can expect from the manufacturer, as some clays have different properties.Remember that fresh clay shrinks as it dries in addition to more shrinkage when fired. Total shrinkage is usually about 15 percent.

3. Adjust the setting of the pottery calipers by using the offset position in the center. The percentages are marked on the calipers, allowing you to do this with precision. In the case of stoneware, the shrinkage is about 15 percent in total.

4. Take the measurement from the urn with either end of the calipers (one for interior measuring; the other for exterior), and the other end will automatically adjust to include the additional amount, taking the total shrinkage into account.

5. Use one end of the calipers to measure and use the opposite end to mark the diameter of the lid you are making. Either end will adjust accordingly due to the center offset setting.

6. Roll out a pad of clay about an inch thick, depending on the length of the neck of the urn. Use a compass to mark it and cut it so that is is perfectly round. Find a jar or glass that has the right diameter if possible.

7. Cover the jar in paper or plastic to make it release easily from the clay. Press it slightly into the exact center of the clay. Do not go too deep as it will make the lid too thin in that spot. Leave at least a quarter inch thickness, where you press in.

8. Form the clay by pushing the edge onto and up on the jar, creating the sides of the lid. Keep the width of the walls even as you work your way around. Use a wire or knife to cut an even edge around the lid at the right height (plus shrinkage percentage), so that it will fit the urn.

9. Let the clay dry a little bit until you can remove the jar. Smooth the inside and outside of the lid with a wet sponge. Let dry until leather-hard.

10. Place the lid on the urn to see how it fits. Do not force the lid if too small as you'll have to make another one that is larger. Note that it should be just a little large for the urn as it has not been fired yet. Continue working on the lid if satisfied with the fit.

11. Create any carved decoration if that is the motif on the urn. Any carving should be done at this stage when the clay is still unfired.

12. Follow the manufacturers instructions on how to fire the clay and complete by glazing the lid in the color of the urn. Get the color to match so that the lid looks like it originally belonged wth the urn. Wait until it is glaze-fired and then check the final fit. Make another larger lid if it does not fit.

References

• Pottery On The Wheel: Advanced Clay Pot Patterns
• Mary Starosta Colorado Potter: Flat Lids on Little Bowls
• Clay King: Lid Master