| Clay molds can be used to easily make identical | | | | plate to its rim, in order to insure that the finished |
| ceramic plates with a professional look. You can | | | | plate doesn't wobble or tip. Place the clay balls |
| use any low- or high- fire clay body you like, and | | | | evenly on the base of the plate in the drape |
| an appropriate non-toxic glaze that is certified for | | | | mold, and mark their location. Score the feet and |
| use on dinnerware. AMACO ceramics hump and | | | | the spots on the plate where the feet will be, and |
| drape molds are commercially available from the | | | | attach them to the plate with slip. If instead of |
| same art supply houses which sell clays and | | | | feet you prefer to use a coil base, roll out or |
| glazes. You will also need a knife, wire clay cutter, | | | | extrude a thin coil and attach it to the plate with |
| needle tool, slab roller or rolling pin, scissors, paper, | | | | slip. To insure a good join, it is best to use a |
| pencil, sponge, chamois, and any texture tools you | | | | pottery wheel and a hand-held modeling tool to |
| like. First step is to cut out a paper pattern a bit | | | | seal the inside and outsides of the coil to the base |
| smaller than the size of the drape mold. Then, roll | | | | of the plate. You can insure that the finished plate |
| out the clay slab to about 3/8" - 1/2" thickness, | | | | will rest snugly upon its feet or coil base by |
| and big enough for cutting out at least one plate | | | | placing a wooden bat or a piece of plywood |
| from each slab. Put the paper pattern on the slab | | | | across the four feet, or the coil, and pounding |
| and cut the plate out with a knife, saving leftover | | | | gently several times with your fist in the center |
| clay for feet or a coil base. If you want to | | | | of the bat to make sure it is even all around. |
| texture the slab, you can use a texture tool such | | | | When the plate is dry enough to handle, remove |
| as rubber stamp, wooden stamp, or found | | | | it from the drape mold, invert it, and smooth and |
| objects such as leaves to impress a textured | | | | curve the edges with a wet sponge. The surface |
| surface onto the back of the plate. | | | | of the plate and its shaped edges can be further |
| Place the textured slab onto your hump or drape | | | | smoothed with a wet chamois, squeezing out |
| molds, centering it and gently pressing down on | | | | most of the water first. When the plate is |
| the slab until it acquires the curvature of the mold. | | | | thoroughly dry it can be bisque-fired to the |
| To make feet of clay, roll out four 1" diameter | | | | appropriate temperature for that clay body, and |
| clay balls of identical size. The feet should go at | | | | then glazed and fired to the appropriate |
| least 2/3 of the way from the center of the | | | | temperature for the glaze used. |