Wednesday, October 25, 2017

WORK IN PROGRESS

From time to time I intentionally make lidded pots without their lids to see what I can come up with using other materials or even found objects. In the past I have used wood, copper, tin, aluminum, cast acylic but wood seems to be the most natural especially when making mizusashi inspired water jars. The accompanying work in progress video slideshows shows the simple steps getting the lid correctly fit, sanded, prepped, "painted" and having the knob attached. Since I am not a wood worker by any stretch of the imagination, getting the lid cut in a perfect (?) circle is beyond my skillset and tools on hand so a friend of a friend, a cabinet maker provided the blank and I set about carefully sanding the piece to fit exactly in to the gallery. The upper part of the edge is sanded to a round contour and the bottom has a bevel to match the pot. This is not my first use of a "homemade" wood lid and not likely be my last but I think it adds a distinct look to the pot that a ceramic lid or a bought, commercial mizusashi lid would fail to provide. Thanks for watching.

2 comments:

  1. love this idea, a ceramic lid can easily be knocked on the edge and chipped whereas a wood one would better withstand an occasional hit

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  2. Oh I was just reading about ebonizing wood the other day wanting to make a plinth for a ceramic statue I made a while back. first the wood is rubbed with tannin and then a vinegar and steel wool mixture that has been left to rust up and draw out the rusty iron, apparently ebonizing penetrates deep into the wood so if something stains the wood like on a piece of furniture it can be sanded and will still be the rich black color.

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