To create a ceramic frame, wall tile, or a plate or platter with a decorative molded edge, I use a pottery trimming tool like a router for woodworking.
Designing and Trimming
Start by sketching out ideas for the edge profile (1) based on your available trimming tools. I’m a handbuilder and only have one trimming tool (a Kemper 1¾-inch (4.4-cm) loop tool), so a cove edge, which has a quarter circle cut out from the corner, was the perfect design for my ceramic resistance frame.
After you roll out your slab (mine is 0.7 in. (2 cm) thick to allow for carving), use a pin tool and wooden shims to mark guidelines (2) for the vertical and horizontal spacing for your edge profile (my edge starts 7 mm up from the bottom of the slab and is 12 mm wide).
To rout the edge, hold the trimming tool vertically and use one hand to keep it firmly down on the wooden shim (use caution to avoid cutting yourself). Align the trimming tool with your guidelines and push the trimming tool away from you (3) with your other hand as if it were a router. You will likely need to do a second pass with the trimming tool coming toward you to clean up the routed edge. Smooth the profile with a sponge to create your final decorative molded edge (4).
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To create a ceramic frame, wall tile, or a plate or platter with a decorative molded edge, I use a pottery trimming tool like a router for woodworking.
Designing and Trimming
Start by sketching out ideas for the edge profile (1) based on your available trimming tools. I’m a handbuilder and only have one trimming tool (a Kemper 1¾-inch (4.4-cm) loop tool), so a cove edge, which has a quarter circle cut out from the corner, was the perfect design for my ceramic resistance frame.
After you roll out your slab (mine is 0.7 in. (2 cm) thick to allow for carving), use a pin tool and wooden shims to mark guidelines (2) for the vertical and horizontal spacing for your edge profile (my edge starts 7 mm up from the bottom of the slab and is 12 mm wide).
To rout the edge, hold the trimming tool vertically and use one hand to keep it firmly down on the wooden shim (use caution to avoid cutting yourself). Align the trimming tool with your guidelines and push the trimming tool away from you (3) with your other hand as if it were a router. You will likely need to do a second pass with the trimming tool coming toward you to clean up the routed edge. Smooth the profile with a sponge to create your final decorative molded edge (4).
For more tips and updates on Melisa’s work, follow on Instagram @mwypottery or visit mwypottery.square.site.
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