10. TILE-Slab Construction

Material   — piece of gray pottery clay about 4" x 4" x 2"

Tools         - piece of cloth ½yard square; 3 sticks, ½" x 1" x 8"; plaster bat 6 x6,-knife

The making of a tile is an interesting ceramics problem in itself, but it also serves as a basis for making flat-sided pottery, and as a back­ground for exploring the decorative processes.
Wedge the clay thoroughly (see Introduction, page 12). Lay two of the sticks about 7" apart on the cloth which has been wet and stretched out flat on the table. Pat the piece of wedged clay down between the sticks until it is slightly higher than the sticks (Figure 1). Take the third stick and draw it toward or away from you, across the two sticks (Figure 2). Do this several times until the surface of the clay is even with the first two sticks. Remove the sticks and trim the edges with a knife to form a square tile 6" x 6" (Figure 3). Lay your plaster bat on the tile. Carefully rest one hand on the bat, and with your other hand pull up the cloth and flip the tile and bat over (Figure 4). Pull the cloth away from it and ex­amine the surface. Smooth any uneven points. Leave the tile on the bat until it becomes leather hard. On one side, cut squares or grooves, Vi" apart, into the tile to a depth of ⅛" (Figure 5). These will help prevent warping in drying and firing. This will be the back of your tile. Turn the tile over and apply any desired decoration (see Project XV). Tiles may be used as hot plates, or for decorative purposes inset in fireplaces, table tops, trays, and book ends.

Figure 1—Pat a piece of clay between two sticks set about 7" apart on a wet cloth.

Figure 2—Smooth the clay by drawing a third stick over it.

Figure 3—Cut a 6" square tile from the clay with a knife.

Figure 4—Lay plaster bat on top of tile for support and flip tile over on its back. Pull away the cloth.                     Figure 5-Cut squares or grooves on back of tile to a depth of ⅛".

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