Making
The pots are made from thrown and slipcast components. The teapot bodies are thrown in 2 halves, upper and lower, then joined and turned to final shape. The slipcast spout and handle are then joined to the body, with clay fillets worked in to ensure a smooth transition from one to the other. Slip is subsequently sprayed onto these transition areas to enhance this effect.
Decorating
After biscuit firing and glazing internal surfaces, the external surfaces are decorated by applying a vitreous slip and stains so as to achieve variations in colour, tone and texture from the salt firing. The vitreous slip is sprayed on as a thick layer for the smooth surface effect and very thinly for the characteristic saltglaze ‘orange peel’ effect. The colour is obtained by then spraying on various mixes of blue and black stains.
Firing
The handles have to be supported during the salt firing otherwise they will slump. For small teapots this is achieved using a false lid and a pillar of clay rising from it to the underside of the handle. For larger teapots two thrown ‘towers’ are set either side of the pot which carry a 15mm ‘joist’ cut from kiln shelf across it underneath the handle. A short clay pillar rising from this joist supports the handle. To prevent slumping as a result of their small bases some pots are set tilted forward to bring the centre of gravity over the body’s vertical axis.