Attaching Feet to Slumped Bowls
Although there are a number of ways to attach feet to slumped
bowls (many involving elaborate molds and challenging kiln firings),
perhaps the easiest way to do the job is to glue marbles
onto the piece after the final firing.
Generally, three marbles work best for this approach. Using
four marbles is much more difficult to level, and can cause the
piece to wobble once the marbles are glued in place. Three
marbles virtually guarantees that the finished piece won't wobble.
Large marbles (up to 1 inch/25mm) make the best choice for
most bowl sizes. To prepare the marbles, you'll need to grinding
them flat on one side. A wet belt sander works best for this
process, but other kinds of cold working equipment can also be used.
The objective is to create a flat surface on one side of each
marble. Ideally, the flat surface would be about 1/2 inch
(12mm) in diameter.
Once you've gathered the right items and prepared your marbles,
it's time to begin the task of gluing them in place. Aside
from the finished slumped bowl, you'll also need some silicone glue.
It also helps to have an omni-directional level and a felt marking
pen.
Click here for information
on the leveling and gluing
process.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
Special thanks to Brock Craig
for helping with this tip.
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