In the Potter's Kitchen: Designed Juicer Lindsay Oesterritter
Appears in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated.

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Editor's Note
In the Potter's Kitchen
In the Studio
Pottery Illustrated
The traditional wide-bottom glass juicers took up too much space and were not easily stored, the hand-held juicer would roll around and was not much better than my own knuckle, and a few of the overly designed juicers, while beautiful and minimal, just didn’t work well. The impetus for making this juicer was wanting something that took up less space than the classic glass juicer, was beautiful enough to be stored on the countertop, separated the seeds, was easy to use, and worked well in different food situations.
The two basic components of the juicer are the lid with reamer and the base. The lid is made using a plaster press mold. I made the original positive for this press mold by handbuilding a reamer and attaching it to a curved wheel-thrown form. The original reamer that I used to make the press mold is now the bisque piece that I use to press and shape the inside of the reamer.
Note: The form can be made with a combination of handbuilt and wheel-thrown parts if you don’t have a plaster press mold. The base of the juicer is thrown on the wheel. Because the top is made with a press mold and is relatively standardized, I like wheel throwing the base because it allows more variety in the height and width of the juicer.
Pressing the Lid and Reamer
Using the center piercing (made when using the circle cutter to cut it out) of the circular piece of clay as a helpful guide, center the slab of clay on the mold. Gently press the slab to match the shape of the mold, and paddle the area where the clay of the reamer is scored and slipped to make sure you have a secure connection. Use a soft rubber rib to clean up the surface of the slab.
8
Lastly, finish the interior of the reamer. Cut a small circle of clay out of the center of the slab you just attached so you can see into the reamer again. Cut this hole to loosely match the shape of the reamer (6), then for the last time, press the bisque mold positive into the reamer to finish refining the interior shape and to assure the two parts of the lid are successfully attached (7).
After the lid has set with the mold, and the clay is firmer, pop the clay off the mold, and smooth the seam (8).
Throwing the Base
Start with a – pound ball of clay. When I throw the base I don’t intend to trim the bottom—it’s a flat bottom before going into the wall. Generally, I want the shape of the base to reference the shape of the reamer, and be a soft, supported curve. It’s important to leave extra clay at the rim in order to form a wide lip on the base. The edge of this rim should have a curve that mirrors the curve of the juicer lid (9). The three key considerations for the base all relate to the rim: Leave extra clay at the rim and match the lid’s curve, finish the exterior wall shape of the rim with a concave or freed curve (because the rim will include a pouring spout), and use calipers to know how wide to make the rim of the base.
Once both the base and lid are done and leather hard, I like to have them sit together under plastic until the moisture content equalizes and they are wet shrinking at the same rate.
Fitting the Lid and Base
Using extra clay slabs, make two keys, one slightly bigger than the other. Attach one key onto the lid, realign the lid onto the base, and cut the rim of the base to fit the key. Repeat this process for the second key (11). Having two keys allows the juicer to be used in both directions without slipping. The larger cutout in the rim also becomes the spout to pour from. (Because of this hidden spout, it’s important when making the base that you make sure the ending curve below the rim on the base is concave.)
The last step is to make the holes at the base of the reamer (12). I angle these punctures about 45° because I think it looks better to have them slightly hidden, but the angle also helps to catch the lemon seeds.
Lindsay Oesterritter is an artist and educator living and working in Kentucky. Learn more at http://loceramics.com.
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