Ceramic products with their own hands. Manufacturing methods

Choose a method. It's important to do this first, as the method determines the type of clay you'll be working with. Don't rule out the choice of clays that require a kiln - if you're serious about pursuing this hobby, then you can buy a small home oven. The following is a summary of the methods and their respective clay varieties:

Choose clay. After choosing the method you will use, you can choose the type of clay. Most clays require kiln firing, but most newer grades can be kiln fired. If you just want to play with wet clay, don't even bother firing it. Rule of thumb: Wet and dry clay won't work together - make sure the clays are the same consistency.
- If you are going to fire clay, choose between high temperature and low temperature firing.
  - Low temperature firing is best for bright colors and detailed ornaments. Glazes at this temperature are very stable, the colors remain bright and do not shift during the firing process. The disadvantages include that the pieces are not fully vitrified (clay does not fully fuse), so you will have to rely on the glaze to make the piece waterproof. This makes such products less suitable for use as dishes or for storing water. Since the glaze has not interacted with the ceramic, as happens with high-temperature firing, there is a high probability of glaze chipping. However, with the right clay and glaze, the latter can be quite durable. The clay used in low-temperature firing is called pottery clay.
  - At medium and high temperature firing, clays called fine-stone or porcelain are used. Vibrant colors can still be obtained in oxidizing atmosphere (electric) ovens, and to a lesser extent in reducing atmosphere (gas) ovens. After firing at temperatures where the product itself is waterproof, greater strength is achieved and such products can be used as tableware or ovenware. Porcelain can be made very thin and still have sufficient strength. At these temperatures, the glaze interacts with the clay shard, resulting in colorful and unique pieces that many people find interesting. Usually the glaze is shifting (significantly or slightly), so the detailed design will be blurry.
Prepare yourself and prepare your workspace. Working with clay can be a mess, especially if children are involved. Cover areas you don't want to get dirty: lay a tarp or newspaper on the floor, or work out in a garage or non-residential area.
- Never work in clothes that you are afraid to get dirty. If you have long hair, tie it back. So they are less dirty and will not get into the eyes.
Molding on the potter's wheel

Prepare the clay. Air bubbles in an otherwise perfect product can be disastrous, so get rid of them before you start. Knead or roll the clay with your hands in small portions - start with a portion that fits in both of your palms.
- Knead the clay like dough, form it into a ball and hit it on top of the plaster (it absorbs moisture well). Repeat the operation several times until the bubbles disappear. If you're not sure if there are any bubbles left, split the balloon in half with wire and inspect it.
Run a circle. With a little effort, throw the clay into the center of the circle. Since you are just starting out, use no more than a large handful of clay for the time being. Moisten your hands in a bowl of water, which should be placed closer, and begin to mold the clay.
- Start pulling the clay mass up. Grab the clay with your hands and start squeezing upwards.
  - At each step of the clay work, make sure your elbows are pressed against your inner thighs or against your knees, whichever is more comfortable for you. This will help you keep your hands firmly in place as you work.
Center the clay. According to this method, the clay is untwisted to a perfectly smooth state, without bumps and beats. Once you have your cone, you will be ready to move on.
- Press the tower with one hand and hold it with the other. If you are right-handed, then press the tower with your right hand: the main effort is directed from above.
- Once the clay looks like a wide chunk near the surface of the circle, start flattening the sides by applying pressure to them. Some clay may collect on your left hand - just set it aside.
Build the product. Specific instructions end at this stage - each item (plate, pot, etc.) needs to be molded differently. But regardless of the type of product, perform deliberate and slow movements - before you complete each movement, the circle should make about 5 revolutions. All 360-degree clay must receive the same treatment in order for the product to be round. Remove accumulated water with a sponge.
- When you're done, clean the piece with a wooden knife and smooth the surface with a scraper.
  - Please note: if everything goes awry, and you confuse the clay mass, then you should not try to make a lump out of it and try to repeat everything. Clay will not take the desired density a second time and will not lend itself to molding in the future.
Sculpting by hand
1. Make sure there are no bubbles in the clay. If you put a blank of clay with bubbles in the oven, then there is a chance that it will explode. As outlined in Shaping the Potter's Wheel, strike the clay on top of the plaster (it absorbs moisture) and roll it out like dough.
  - If, to be sure, you want to check the mass from the inside, then take the wire and cut the mass in half. If the bubbles do not disappear, continue working.
2. Use pinch, tape or plastic technique. Three techniques can be used to sculpt ceramics. Products obtained by each of the techniques have their own characteristic appearance. The layered method is best suited for large items.
  
  Glaze application
  1. Fire the clay at least once. After that, you can apply glaze on it! Get access to a kiln if you don't have your own and let the professionals take care of the rest. If you have your own oven, be sure to double check that you can operate it properly and find out what the requirements of your product are.
    - Different clays react differently to heat. Read the directions on the clay packaging and do some research online. Also take into account the dimensions of your product.
  2. Choose frosting. As with any step, there are many options. Each type of glaze will have its own distinct look.
    - Slip: You can buy glazes and underglazes in slip form, which are usually made for brush application. All you need to apply this frosting is a brush. Some glazes are difficult to apply with a brush to achieve a smooth finish; as a result, marks will remain on the product. Others will melt well enough to make brush marks disappear.
    - Dry: You can purchase glazes in powder form, which are usually made for dipping, pouring, or spraying. In addition to the brush, you will need a bucket, some water, something to stir, and a mask to avoid inhaling the dust. The advantage of dipping is that you can get a more even glaze, and you can do interesting tricks that you can't do with a brush, like double dipping, which allows you to get different colors on the same piece. Spraying is applied by more advanced people, as it requires good ventilation, a spray gun, a compressor, an application booth, etc.
    - Do It Yourself: This is the most advanced form of icing. Guided by the recipes, you buy the raw materials yourself and mix them. Among other things, you will need recipes that can be found in books and websites. You will also need the chemicals that make glazes, scales, sieve, and experimenter's spirit. Sometimes your frostings won't come out quite right. You will need to learn how to modify these glazes in order to solve problems that stand in your way. Sometimes the results will be amazing.
  3. - Be sure to dry the clay completely before firing it. Otherwise, it may crack or explode.
    - When carving patterns in clay, wait until it becomes as hard as leather. Also, don't "scratch" by making deep and thin cuts. Make the cuts wide enough for their depth.
    - If you are working on a piece for several days, then store it overnight under a plastic bag to avoid drying out too quickly.
    - Clay forgives flaws, but from working with it with prolonged contact with water or with significant manipulations, you can get tired and lose your mood.
    - Always dry the clay completely before firing. The moisture in the clay turns into steam, which, when released from the clay, causes the pot to explode.
    - An easy way to make small animals is to make small balls and put them together, then smooth down the attachment points.
    - Sometimes universities will give you enough clay to play with a little. You may even be allowed to work in their studio.
    - Ideally, you need to find someone with at least some experience to teach you. This is a very hands-on process, so it's important to have someone around who can lead by example and interact with you. This manual is intended as a reminder or rough instruction, but in reality, the position of the hands is different for each sculptor.

Ceramic vases, pots, tea sets, candlesticks, plates, whistles and even musical instruments - all this can be created independently.

To learn how to make ceramics with your own hands, the main thing is desire. Before becoming a ceramist, try molding the simplest knickknack out of clay, and you will understand whether it is worth spending money on buying equipment for work. If something didn’t work out, it doesn’t matter, soak the marriage and make a new figure out of it, before baking, the product can be modified endlessly.

What is ceramics made of and where to get materials for work

Ceramics is fired clay, which is the main material in the work of a ceramist. Unlike, natural is of natural origin, it is mined from the bowels of the earth without subjecting it to chemical and other types of processing.

Experienced craftsmen, in order to save money, extract and prepare raw materials on their own. This process includes several stages and hardly deserves attention if you are just starting out and living in the city.

Clay for the manufacture of ceramics must be oily and free of pebbles and other debris, otherwise the craft will crack during the baking process. The finished mass is stored under certain humidity conditions.

Natural clay is different types:

White - the most common, initially has a grayish tint, and after heat treatment it acquires a pleasant shade of ivory.
Red - contains iron oxide, which gives the raw material a greenish tone. The main color of the raw material is brown, after firing the products become red. It lends itself well to modeling, does not crumble, ideal for sculptures and large items.
Porcelain is gray when raw and white when baked.
Blue - more often used in cosmetology and traditional medicine.
Black or dark brown ceramic body - the hardest clay, acquiring an ivory hue after kilning.

Also clays for ceramics classified by temperature processing into low-melting, medium-melting, refractory.

It is most convenient to buy ready-made pottery clay, focusing on the fraction size, color after firing at different temperatures, and other characteristics and quality indicators. The cost depends on the manufacturer, packaging, texture. There are ready-made masses with additives for investing in various tasks - modeling, molding, potter's wheel.

In addition to clay, glazes and enamels are needed to cover products, pigments to give hand-made ceramics the desired shade, special additives to improve properties and heat treatment.

Used to glue parts slip mass- a kind of glue made from diluted clay. If you simply connect the elements, they can fall off when heated. All this is sold in specialized stores for ceramists.

Methods for the manufacture of ceramic products

There are several ways to turn the clay mass into a beautiful ceramic product.

modeling- the most affordable way to make ceramic products with your own hands at home. Souvenirs, sculptures, dishes, toys or other crafts are molded by hand, as if from plasticine, helping themselves with special stacks or improvised devices.

Pottery requires a rotating circle. With the help of this ancient craft, even today they create vases, jugs, pots, plates, cups.

warm-up- the easiest option for making ceramics for beginners. In the work, a plaster mold is used, in which soft clay is laid out, and after hardening, a figured product is removed. Gypsum molds are attractive because they absorb excess moisture, helping the clay product to harden and dry.

Casting- here they also use forms, but of a different plan. Diluted clay is poured into molds, blanks are dried, removed and painted.

Clay crafts gain strength only after firing - processing in pottery kilns at a temperature of 900 to 1300 degrees. Finished souvenirs are covered with acrylic paints or special vitreous glaze for ceramics. In the case of glazes, another firing is required after staining.

If you want to get a natural shade, milking is used - an unpainted baked ceramic figurine is covered with milk in several layers and baked again at lower temperatures.

Pottery kiln - types and preferences

Previously, kilns for firing ceramics were forges dug in the ground and heated exclusively with firewood. Modern pottery kilns are gas, electric and wood-burning. The latter, as a rule, are made by hand, they are suitable for use in private households. In the conditions of an apartment, it is most convenient to work with electric furnaces; for large volumes, you can choose a gas furnace.

In the metal case of such furnaces, a refractory brick or other material is hidden that retains heat and is not afraid of heating. Ventilation holes are provided to remove moisture, the process of firing ceramics is controlled by a software controller. Electric pottery kilns are not cheap. The price depends on the manufacturer, volume, power.

On sale there are models with vertical and horizontal loading and hood. According to the type of location of the heating element, pottery kilns are divided into muffle and chamber. IN muffle it is located around a container made of refractory material (muffle). In chamber heaters, the heater is located inside, which reduces heat loss and makes the equipment more economical.

If you try a little, you can make a ceramic kiln at home with your own hands, taking refractory bricks as a basis and something for the body, for example, an old washing machine.

Baking is the most important process that does not forgive mistakes. Sometimes even experienced craftsmen see a worthless marriage instead of the expected masterpiece. Products are never taken out immediately, they must cool in the oven.

How to choose a potter's wheel

Pottery wheels are needed for sculpting round objects, so this tool is not necessary to buy right away. If you are just learning ceramics, start with sculpting or punching. Circles come with manual, foot and electric control.

Pottery is one of the most unique and practical inventions of mankind. The environmentally friendly material from which the original utensils were created and are still being created makes them especially valuable. According to ancient belief, clay products have the ability to absorb negative energy. For this reason, before you start making the original little thing, you should tune in a positive way.

According to historians, the first pottery appeared around 10,000-18,000 BC. Initially, the dishes were used only for storing food. But over time, our ancestors came to the conclusion that fired products are particularly durable and impenetrable. Since then, they began to burn it on fire, thereby increasing the term of its operation.

The emergence of the potter's wheel during the Bronze Age greatly facilitated the work of potters. This event allowed to expand the range of products - jugs, pots, bowls, teapots, pans, cups. Food cooked in clay utensils has an unusual aroma and taste. Since the walls of the dishes hold heat well, this allows the dish not to boil, but to “languish”.

Preparing clay for work

Do-it-yourself utensils are always a mentally created product that keeps the special energy of the master. Having mastered some skills and patience, you can create a truly unique thing that will decorate the interior or become a wonderful gift for loved ones.

To do this, you need to know something about the properties of clay:

The most important step is the purification of clay from various sandy impurities, since this directly affects the quality of the product.
In order for the product to turn out to be of high quality, the clay must be plastic, without extraneous additives and air bubbles.
To increase the strength, lime or gypsum is added to the raw material.
Shortly before the creation of clay products, the clay should be thoroughly kneaded and left to "rest" for 7-10 days.

Work on the potter's wheel

The emergence of the potter's wheel had a huge impact on the improvement and variety of pottery.

During the rotation of a small disk, which is set in motion with the help of a flywheel rotated by the foot of the master, the formation of a clay product occurs. With the help of hands, a clay lump should be placed in the center of the disk and, having grabbed the workpiece, press it against the circle. The rotational movements of the circle will make it possible to shift the workpiece to the sides. This process is called prominka.

To determine the width of the future dishes, it is necessary to determine the center by pressing on it with the thumb of the left hand. To further deepen the workpiece, use the left hand to support the raw material, the finger of the right hand must touch the bottom.

The creation of the walls of the product consists in pulling them out with the help of the index and middle fingers, which should be located on the inside of the workpiece. Supporting the work with the second hand, the wall thickness should be controlled.

After separating the dishes from the circle using a special string, you need to trim the outer walls. To avoid damage, the clay creation must be carefully removed. Hands must be dry.

The next stage in the production of pottery is drying in several stages. A characteristic sonorous knock with light tapping indicates that the utensils are ready for firing.

Clay technique by hand

This master class discusses the method of modeling clay without using a potter's wheel. In the process, the oldest technique will be applied with the help of some improvised means. There are three most famous modeling techniques without a potter's wheel and professional tools. They will be used further.

How to mold a clay dish or plate with your own hands

Preparing for the sculpting process

We will need: kneaded clay, a glass of water, a rolling pin, a flat surface for rolling clay, a wooden spatula and a sheet of paper.

First you need to knead the clay to the state of an elastic dough so that it does not stick to your hands. Then start sculpting.

Method one:

Roll a clay ball with a diameter of 7 - 8 cm.
Make a hole in the center of the ball.
With gentle movements, slowly turning the ball counterclockwise, press the recess with your thumbs, and with each movement try to stretch (increase) it. Thus, it should look like a bowl. With the same movements, you can give this bowl any desired shape. For convenience, it is necessary to place a sheet of paper under the product, which can be rotated during operation.
After the product has reached the optimal shape, it is necessary to form even edges. To do this, take a wooden spatula, attach it perpendicular to the edge, and rotating a sheet of paper in a circle, give the dish a neat look. If there is no spatula, the same can be done with a finger moistened with water.
The next step is to make the inside of the bowl smooth. To do this, moisten your fingers with water, and with light movements (from top to bottom), smooth the product step by step.

Method two:

Take a small piece of clay and roll out a tourniquet (sausage) from it with a diameter of 0.7 - 1 cm. You will need several of these harnesses.
Roll the tourniquet with a snail as tightly as possible. And so wind the snail to the desired size. Thus, the bottom of the future plate is formed.
When the desired size is reached, the resulting snail should be smoothed out. As described above, wetting your fingers in water, smooth the surface with light movements (from the edge to the middle).
Further, the sides of the future plate are formed from the same sausages. A clay tourniquet is taken and wound along the edge of the bottom to the desired height. To make a classic-shaped plate, you need to wind the bundles, slightly shifting them to the edge of the previous one.
Then you need to align the inner (in this technique and the outer) side of the product again. Smoothing the surface with wet fingers.

How to mold a clay mug with your own hands

The principle of making a clay mug is the same as the technology for making a plate or dish. These techniques can be used to sculpt any product. But there is another option for making dishes with your own hands. It will require a form, food paper, a rolling pin, a knife and a stencil. A glass bottle or any other narrow vessel is suitable for the form.

Method three:

Roll out the clay into a layer 0.5 - 0.7 cm thick.
Using a stencil (if not, you can do without it), cut out a strip of clay 5–10 cm wide and a circle with a diameter equal to the diameter of the bottom of the mold.
Turn the form upside down and wrap with food paper.
Then attach the cut out strip of clay around the shape so that part of the strip goes beyond the bottom. It should be noted that the length of the strip should be such that when it is applied to the form, no excess clay remains. And the strip was connected butt to butt.
Next, you need to take the part of the strip that goes beyond the border to the bottom of the form. And then put a cut out circle on the bottom.
All parts must be well fastened to each other and smoothed with wet fingers.
The next step is to carefully turn the product over and carefully remove the form and food paper.
At this stage, the last processes of preparing the product for drying take place. You should align the edges and give the desired shape to the future mug. It remains to form a handle from a thin bundle and attach it to the product, making two small, parallel recesses.

Drying and firing the product in the kiln

After the product has acquired the desired shape, it must be left to dry for a day. The next step is to fire the product in a kiln. The approximate time required for firing until the product is completely ready is 8 hours. The temperature in the oven must be increased gradually so that the product does not crack. Approximately 100 - 200 degrees every hour. The maximum firing temperature should reach 900 degrees.

If you do not have a special oven, then the product can be burned at the stake. To do this, you need to carefully overlay the vessel with small firewood and set it on fire. The firing time is also 8 hours. This method requires great vigilance and caution.

Clay dishes are a great solution for every home. This cookware will last a long time. She is not painstaking in care and has her own unique style. And besides, such dishes will be a good gift for any occasion.

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There was a period in the history of our country when the harsh reality forced us to do something with our own hands, namely the lack of the necessary product in the distribution network, and the only way to become the owner of this or that item was to make it from something at home.

The main ingredient for ceramic tiles is clay.

Now, modern industry and trade provides consumers with any range of goods, including satisfying the needs of buyers in the market of finishing materials. Ceramic tiles are presented in all conceivable and unimaginable types, sizes and colors.

It would seem that it’s easier: come, choose, buy, install, but this option does not suit everyone, in our rapid age of standardization and standard solutions, I want to highlight my individuality at least in the decoration of a particular room. And this raises the question, is it possible to make ceramic tiles at home with your own hands, realizing your own ideas, designing the interior space of a bathroom or kitchen. We will not languish. We answer. Yes, you can, but subject to certain simple conditions, which are described below.

What is needed to organize the production of ceramics

First of all, it is necessary to have a great desire, patience and confidence in a positive result, as well as to have the necessary materials, tools, fixtures and equipment available. Perhaps not everything will work out right away, but the efforts spent will eventually make it possible to be proud of yourself, demonstrating to friends and acquaintances such a rather technological product as ceramic tiles made of clay with your own hands.

Handmade Clay Ceramic Tiles

Raw material selection

Everyone probably knows what any ceramics is made of, the main component is clay. But about what types of clay exist, their properties and the possibility of using it for making ceramic tiles with your own hands. According to the composition, properties and applications, clays are divided into four groups:

Coarse ceramic. They contain a large amount of impurities in the form of pebbles and sand, as well as gypsum and lime inclusions. It is used for the manufacture of bricks, tiles, dishes and expanded clay.
Refractory and refractory. They have a high alumina content, good ductility and a high degree of refractoriness. They are used in the manufacture of refractory bricks and various ceramics.
Kaolin. Low-plasticity clays are used in paper and rubber production and as an additive for the manufacture of faience products.
Montmorillonite. Their main feature is their high ductility, they are used as drilling mud, in metallurgy and food industry.

Plasticity is the ability of clay to take any shape and retain it as it dries.

Clays are also divided into "fat" and "skinny". The former are plastic and products from them can be given any shape, but in order to make ceramics with your own hands at home, it is necessary to prepare the clay, for which the source material is diluted to the required composition with sand, fireclay or ground pumice.

You should not take too “fat” clay, medium-plastic is better

Choice of tools and materials

Having decided to make a tile, or ordinary ceramic tile with your own hands, you will need:

raw materials: clay, filler for dilution, in case the clay is greasy, water;
form for the production of future tiles;
a cliche for the formation of an imprint of a drawing or a bas-relief on the front side of the product;
spatula, scoop, trowel;
mesh for reinforcing the product.

Stages of making ceramics

Do-it-yourself technology for the production of ceramic tiles consists of the following steps:

Clay of medium plasticity is taken, poured into a container and filled with water. After several days of soaking, the clay is stirred and kneaded. Then, through a fine sieve, the material is ground into another container and then the mass is distributed on old newspapers or a rag with a layer of 10-15 mm. When the clay reaches the desired density, it is mixed and put into a plastic bag.
The material prepared in this way is placed in the molds and compacted, this must be done so that the level of the molding mass coincides with the edges of the mold, for which the excess material is cut off with a knife or cutter.

The most high-quality forms are made of polyurethane, the products are quite even with the same parameters.

Further, the technology for making ceramic tiles with their own hands goes into the pre-drying stage. It lasts until the mass acquires a lighter shade and this period depends on the ambient temperature and humidity. The result is a raw tile. If something went wrong with you, then at this stage you can still correct the situation, for which the spoiled semi-finished product is soaked with water, and the molding procedure starts over.
The process of burning raw tiles is the most technological stage, because the semi-finished product must be exposed to a high temperature of about 1000-1200 degrees, which will require special equipment. To make ceramic tiles with your own hands, you can limit yourself to a temperature of 850-900 degrees, which is achieved in an electric muffle furnace. The production technology allows this, provided that the composition of the clay mass contains pumice, which is sintered at the specified temperature. Such primary firing is called biscuit for some similarity in the obtained finely porous structure of the workpiece, after evaporation of water from it. At the same time, the ceramic workpiece has already acquired the necessary hardness and strength. Such a product is called terracotta.

Stages of technology: making raw materials, firing ceramics and applying a decorative layer

If you want to make majolica with your own hands, that is, fired ceramics, glazed on the front side, or, more simply, tiles, then the production technology does not end there. It is necessary to make one more firing, but with glaze, for which a multicomponent mixture is prepared, the main components of which are glass, kaolin and tripolephosphate in powder form. All components are mixed and diluted with water. The resulting mixture, with a brush or by pouring over the workpiece, is distributed over the product, and a second firing is made.

Particular attention should be paid to the control of the process temperature, it should not be higher than the primary firing temperature. Otherwise, the glazed surface may be damaged or the terracotta blank may be sintered.

This tile manufacturing technology allows you to create unique compositions on the glossy surface of the product, for which different glaze compositions are used. In the case when firing glaze is not suitable for you for some reason, then you can make an attractive, smooth and shiny surface with your own hands by treating the workpiece with enamel or varnish.

And so, if the article has been read to the end, and the difficulties of making ceramic tiles from clay with your own hands, reflected in this manual, did not frighten you, then honor and praise be to you. After all, knowing what and how to make such a unique finishing material, the originality and individuality of the lining, as well as the delight of your friends and acquaintances, are provided to you.