A clay potter’s wheel can be used to create a unique wine glass from a single piece of clay. Wine glasses that are assembled from separate parts often lack unity of form, while a wine glass made from a single piece of clay yields an integrated object that has weight and balance in the hand, and an attractive elegance. visual.

To start, take about two pounds of clay and center it in a 5″ tall mound on the casting wheel. Since the bottom of the wine glass needs to be trimmed to about 3″ in diameter, it’s a good idea to leave some extra clay on the bottom while you cast. Reduce the speed of the wheel and open the clay mound to about 2″ on center. It is important to find a correct balance in size between the glass and the stem, otherwise the wine glass may become too heavy when placed. Also, making a glass that is too large will not leave enough clay to form the stem, and a stem that is too thin can warp in the kiln as it cannot support the weight of the glass. center the clay and open it, define the inside and outside of the cup and compress the inside bottom with your finger to align the clay particles and avoid S-shaped cracks. Then pull the side of the cup up to your final shape, widening the lip slightly but not too wide (allowing too much wine to flow at once). Calipers can be used to check for correct diameter and height of just over 3″. Then use polish to finish the rim of the mug.

Then form the stem. You can use a throwing sponge to keep a clay surface lubricated. Once again, slower pitching wheels are used for this part of the process. Gently and slowly force the clay up the stem applying equal pressure with both hands on opposite sides of the stem. Don’t use more than a couple of pulls as this overworks the clay, making it prone to cracking. Then cut the base with wire and water and slide the wine glass out of the bat. After letting it dry for several hours, place the wine glass back in the center of the wheel and straighten it if it’s not vertical. Air dry overnight to the hard leather stage, at which point it is easy to handle and trim the wine glass to perfection. You can flatten the bottom with a trim tool so that the base of the wine glass is parallel to the head of the wheel. Start trimming the stem, and only when it’s complete, start trimming the stem of the wine glass. Starting at the foot, peel any lopsided clay from the stem to make a smooth, perpendicular, symmetrical stem. Turn the wine glass right side up from time to time to study how the finished glass will look and what additional trimming needs to be done. Then, with a finger or a damp sponge, finish the surface of the stem. When cooking a glass of wine over a fire, allow the oven to slowly heat up to the first 212°F (100°C). Be careful with the oven ventilation and do not stack glasses in the oven.