Pottery

Pulling Spoons

A while back I shared how I made spoons from a mold. I still have the plaster molds, but after awhile, I found them to be clumsy and frustrating. I’m not patient enough to wait for the mold to release the wet clay. So over the past few days being cooped up inside do to nasty weather, I’ve started back at spoon making without the molds. Instead of pressing clay into a mold, I roll a wedge-shaped coil, press the thicker end around the bowl of an existing spoon and pull the handle. My process is changing and evolving, but these are my basic steps for pulling ceramic spoons.
 

How to make spoons out of clay using your own kitchen spoons:

paige puckett pottery spoons

 
Select a spoon from the kitchen with a bowl shape you want to achieve or use as a starting point. Also grab any texture you may want to add and a pony roller (this one is similar to mine: Norpro Deluxe Pastry and Pizza Roller). If you plan on having a hole, get your hole punch. I have this hole punch set: Jack Richeson 4-Piece Clay Hole Cutters 
 
 
measuring spoon and clay
 
measuring spoon and clay

 

Roll a small clay coil with a bulbous end, with enough volume to press around the end of the selected spoon.
 
measuring spoon and clay

 

paige puckett pottery making spoons
 
Press the bowl of the spoon into the bulbous end and evenly shape the clay around the bowl paying attention to any cracks that might be forming and smooth those out.
 
paige puckett pottery making spoons
 

By either holding the clay spoon by the bowl (“real” spoon still attached) or laying it on the work space, narrowing the handle by gently pulling and shaping being careful not to stress where the handle connects to the bowl. I do about half the pulling with the spoon attached and half later while supported on the work space. You can support the “neck” with one hand to keep it from pulling. 
 
paige puckett pottery making spoons

 

The trickiest part by far is releasing the clay from the bowl of the “real” spoon. If you have a slick metal spoon, a little water will allow you rotate and slowly pull it out if you make sure you limit stretching the clay bowl. If you used a wooden spoon, this may not work.

paige puckett pottery pulling spoons
 
The bowl and stem are then cleaned up to remove cracks and get the thickness I want. If the clay ball on the end was much larger than the “real” spoon’s bowl, I will continue to shape the bowl as I would a pinch pot.

 

rolling pin

 

paige puckett pottery making spoons

Use your texture and a pony roller to gently press in the texture. I like to wrap lace just barely around the sides.

paige puckett pottery pulling spoons

 

 

Punch the hole and clean it up.

 

paige puckett pottery making spoons

As the clay firms, clean up the bowl and rim to get the shape you want.

paige puckett pottery making spoons
 
I let mine dry imprint and rim side down and give a final few smoothings to the handle and slim the neck a tiny bit more.
 
paige puckett pottery making spoons
 
So there are all the pulled spoons drying on the kiln shelves ahead of bisque firing. I think they may turn out stronger than the molded ones as they began with a fresh, solid ball of clay where air was not introduced in the process. 
 
And here is the finished product in a Faux Shino and white glaze:
 
Handmade Ceramic Spoons
 
 
 
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