MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - El Tiki/Ben Wilson Wall Finished - Other Crafts

M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 11035	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Sat, May 12, 2012 11:51 AM I'm still alive, just have several non-tiki projects I need to work on. One of the projects I was doing inspired a (secret) Pele project (might be posted this coming week :D ) and reminded me that I wanted to post this tip; Using Tissue Paper on Soft Slab Forms Anyone working with clay is probably familiar with the soft slab technique of forming clay around a newspaper wrapped cylinder. After the clay has dried and firmed some, the newspaper allows the clay to slide off the cylinder instead of sticking to it. You can also use this technique for bowls, plates, and platters. But, newspaper does not conform well to the curves. The key to this technique is to use tissue paper ~ cut a square of tissue paper slightly bigger than your form, wet the form with water, press the tissue paper onto the form. As the paper soaks up the water you can carefully smooth it out to the contours of the form. Use two layers of tissue and let it dry, then lay your slab of clay over the form. You can even use more complex forms like a fishbowl. Cut the tissue into strips, wet the form, and lay the strips around it like it like paper mache. After the tissue has dried, lay the soft slab over the form and work it smooth, you may have to pinch extra clay into “darts” (dressmaker darts, not pub throwing darts) and cut off the excess. Add more slabs of clay as needed to cover the form and blend them in well, strive to achieve an even thickness all over the form. When it has dried enough to be firm, it obviously won’t slide off of the fishbowl, you will need to cut if off. Cut the shaped clay into 2 or more pieces (depending on the complexity of the form) and remove it from the form. Then score and slip the edges and put it back together. You will probably have some pieces of tissue stuck to the inside of your clay, you can pull these out as it dries and smooth it out, any residual paper will burn out when the piece is fired. Here are a few of the items I have covered with tissue to use as forms for clay.

I'm still alive, just have several non-tiki projects I need to work on. One of the projects I was doing inspired a (secret) Pele project (might be posted this coming week :D ) and reminded me that I wanted to post this tip;

Using Tissue Paper on Soft Slab Forms
Anyone working with clay is probably familiar with the soft slab technique of forming clay around a newspaper wrapped cylinder. After the clay has dried and firmed some, the newspaper allows the clay to slide off the cylinder instead of sticking to it.

You can also use this technique for bowls, plates, and platters. But, newspaper does not conform well to the curves. The key to this technique is to use tissue paper ~ cut a square of tissue paper slightly bigger than your form, wet the form with water, press the tissue paper onto the form. As the paper soaks up the water you can carefully smooth it out to the contours of the form. Use two layers of tissue and let it dry, then lay your slab of clay over the form.

You can even use more complex forms like a fishbowl. Cut the tissue into strips, wet the form, and lay the strips around it like it like paper mache. After the tissue has dried, lay the soft slab over the form and work it smooth, you may have to pinch extra clay into “darts” (dressmaker darts, not pub throwing darts) and cut off the excess. Add more slabs of clay as needed to cover the form and blend them in well, strive to achieve an even thickness all over the form. When it has dried enough to be firm, it obviously won’t slide off of the fishbowl, you will need to cut if off. Cut the shaped clay into 2 or more pieces (depending on the complexity of the form) and remove it from the form. Then score and slip the edges and put it back together. You will probably have some pieces of tissue stuck to the inside of your clay, you can pull these out as it dries and smooth it out, any residual paper will burn out when the piece is fired.

Here are a few of the items I have covered with tissue to use as forms for clay.

Post #636165 by MadDogMike on Sat, May 12, 2012 11:51 AM