"Carving" a bonsai pot?

darrellw

I found this site, the text is in Japanese, but the pictures tell the tale:

http://www.ryuen.com/sub702.htm

Bascially he is carving a pot from a solid block of clay! I guess there won't be any joints to worry about cracking....

Anyone know where I can get molds like he has for the feet?

-Darrell

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stonemonkey

darrellw

This seems like an interesting way to make a pot and while I can respect the hard effort and time that goes into making a pot this way, I can't help think that there are easier ways to construct a pot.

But informative nonethless.

Regards

Andy

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darrellw

[QUOTE=stonemonkey]I can't help think that there are easier ways to construct a pot.
/QUOTE]

Having just carved out the feet on my first bonsai pot (from the turned foot), I can't image the effort to carve an entire pot! I think part of my problem was that I should have let the bottom dry a bit more after turning, but I anyone has any tips, tools or tricks to share, I'd like to hear them.

Darrell

Boondock

The feet I've made on my pots are very simple. But I've seen some cool pictures of hand-made pots with detailed, carved feet.

Maybe a press mold could be used to make identical feet?

Nomatch1

Darrell,
You can make your own mold for feet, as he probably has. Make whatever shape you wish, remembering that you have to be able to remove the clay after you press it into the form. (avoid undercuts)
Make/carve/form the original and fire it or at least let it harden. Pressing it into another piece of clay that will become the negative. Firing this one to bisque will make it a permanent pressmold.
Any form you can find may be used this way. Nuts, seashells, beads, seeds etc could be used to make your mold.
If you wanted, you could pour a plaster cast into an animal's footprint, use that to make a mold. You would have an exact replica of a real foot.