Making a Ceramic
Baker’s Muffin Pan
teXt & Photos
by bill Van Gilder
ways; sift, screen, mix, or blend. We then
form something with the mix, sometimes kneading it first. Next, we might
glaze or decorate it, then finally bake or
fire it. One we will eat; the other we’ll eat
from. Food and clay are like brothers and
sisters: each emerges from similar making methods, but manifests with very
different end results.”
Fig. 1
D
Necessary Supplies
Optional:
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•
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8-oz. piece of clay [support for pointer]
a pointed chop stick
a texture tool
an edge-rounding tool
round cookie cutters
The Project
Making a muffin pan involves a bit of repetition throwing, and some handbuilding and
assembly … nothing too challenging, but the
end result is seldom seen and always gets
a ‘That’s so cool!’ reaction. That reaction
makes the project not only useful but very
marketable, if that’s where your interest lies.
Your students can partner up for the making
of their pans with one doing the throwing
while the other prepares the hand-built
parts. Our claywork is often a solo event,
so creating partnerships to get things done
gets everyone involved, no matter what their
skill level.
With your class, clay, tools, and a small erasable board at your wheel, share these two
thoughts with your class: “There are lots of
similarities between making pots by hand
and baking food. Both start with a recipe
of some sort, which tells us what materials
we’ll be using. We weigh or measure the
materials, then combine them in similar
Then talk about the techniques of making multiples of similar pots; “Once
you’ve established in ‘your mind’s eye
what you’re going to throw, use the first
pot to establish the details: the height
and width, both top and bottom; the
shape of the rim; and the pot’s overall
form. So, make your first pot and use
your ruler and other tools to establish its
size and shape.”
It typically takes making a couple of
cups before the proportions and measurements are completely sorted out
and a rhythm of making is established.
Here’s a tip that I think I’ve talked about
in a previous CT column; “To make pots
that look alike — and that’s the goal
when making your muffin cups — start
by using the same quality and weights
of clay. Then use the same tools, in the
same order, with the same hand motions. Note that if you vary one or more
of these from pot to pot the end results
will also vary.”
At this point, pull up your small erasable board and diagram the project (Fig.
2). It’s important that students follow
the measurements that you draw and
describe. Why? Because a muffin recipe
is measurement-specific, and we want
to create cups that are sized to hold a
complete recipe mixture: not too big and
not too small. Students will need to refer
to your board drawings to get the needed
sizes as they move through the project.
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• (8) 10-oz. pieces of throwing clay
[to make the cups]
• (1) 4-lb. piece of clay [slab]
• (1) 1-lb. piece of clay [trimming pad]
• (1) 6-oz. piece of clay [for attachments]
• water and a small sponge
• a ruler
• an undercut rib tool
• a cut-off wire
• a trimming tool
• a piece of canvas
• (2) small ware boards
• a rolling pin and 2 sticks
• a fettling knife
• a short, ½"-diameter dowel
o you like to bake? Or do you have
students who like to bake? If that’s
the case, here’s a simple and very
use-specific project to share with your class:
making a baker’s muffin pan (Fig. 1).
In Form I Teaching Techniques
Pre-holiday Kitchen Project
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