Gary's Third Pottery Blog

When the going gets tough, dragons gonna get going....

Gary's third pottery blog

WRITE TO ME! garyrith@yahoo.com Come see me! Open studio HERE! November 25-26 (11-4 each day); Aurora Art and Design, daily until 12/24; Cooperstown Art Assoc. daily until 12/24; Ellis Hollow Community Fair, 12/10; December 10, Little Red Wagon at the Space at Greenstar. All material on this blog unless stated otherwise is copyright Gary Edward Rith 2016

Thursday, December 1, 2011

stack of cake stands....

SO, we have talked here in the last two weeks, as you know, about the cake stand the wife wanted, and it was the first I had made, in 2 parts, base and plate. It is small, on top here, and you will also remember it had a glorious chocolate cake on it for Thanksgiving (we are still eating that cake....). ANYWAY, cake stands like to crack at every point in the making and firing. Here are 2 more more that I made, bigger than the first, which I made in one piece. My experience: making them in one piece is very easy, but I will be honest: 2 of four cracked in the firing, GRRRR! Pisses you off. I think that for me, making them in one step might be easy, but making them in 2 pieces and attaching them is stronger and less likely to crack. I think that it is easier for me to control the drying vs. wet bits that way.


(3 cake stands by Gary Rith)

10 comments:

~ Sil in Corea said...

I think you're right about the 2-piece working better. It's logical. That's very beautiful and impressive, by the way.

Lori Buff said...

Sorry they broke, I've not had that amount of loss *knocking on wood*

Michèle Hastings said...

they look so cool all stacked up like that! i do them in two pieces as well... never had a cracking problem, just the warping issue.

Reverend Awesome said...

You got a cake stand on your cake stand on your cake stand. They are super pretty, Gary.

Hilary said...

It's got to be incredibly frustrating to find half of your work damaged like that. I hope you figure out the process that works best for you. They're wonderful pieces.

Unknown said...

Very nice Gary. I too hate when things crack on me. Pottery is always trial and error then correct error and try again. Not to mention the glazes, now that opens another pandora box.

gz said...

Nothing wrong in making tnhem in parts and assembling them!!

High Rise Cakes!!!!

Anonymous said...

You've been busy!

My SIL was all excited to go to a pottery place for her birthday. She thought she'd get to try out a pottery wheel. Then she found out it's just one of those paint-the-finished-pieces places. Pffft. She wanted the REAL thing! Since you are too far away, we're going bowling instead.

Anonymous said...

Gary, can you kiln it upside down? Would this help with the cracking and such, since the round large part would be on the bottom?

Shannnon

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I do bisque fire them upside down, yes

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I am a full-time studio potter, sculptor, and dog walker, married to superhawt Missus Tastycake.