How to Throw Ceramic Water Fountains

Throw the Pieces

• 1

  Center a large piece of clay on the potter's wheel. Open the floor of the piece to form a wide base, leaving a foot at the bottom of the piece and plenty of clay to pull up into a bowl shape. Pull the walls of the piece up to your chosen height. Remember that this will need to hold at least a pitcher full of water to keep the fountain pump running happily.

• 2

  Shape the walls of the piece to your satisfaction. For a deeper bowl, pull straight up and then flare the walls out slightly. Keep the clay moist by sponging water over it as you work. For a flatter bowl, flare the walls out and then put a flat rim on the lip of the bowl. Compress the bowl rim with your fingers or a piece of chamois cloth to prevent cracking and breaking.

• 3

  Cut the bowl from the wheel and transfer to a drying rack.

• 4

  Center a smaller piece of clay on the potter's wheel. Open the floor of the piece to the size you would like for the fountain insert. If you want a second bowl or a plate, make the foot of the second piece considerably smaller than the first piece. If you want a cone, open a cylinder. Pull the walls of your second piece up to the desired height.

• 5

  Shape the walls of the second piece to your satisfaction. Keep the clay moist by sponging water over it as you work. If you want an inverted bowl for your fountain centerpiece, make the bottom of the second piece rounded with long walls. If you want a cone, pull the wall of the cylinder up to the desired height and collar the shape in from bottom to top to make the wall narrower as it goes up. If you want a plate, make the circumference of the second piece at least 1/3 smaller than the first piece.

• 6

  Cut the second piece from the wheel and transfer to a drying rack.

• 7

  Cover both pieces loosely with plastic sheeting or bags and allow to dry to leather hard.

Trim the Pieces

• 8

  Once both pieces are leather hard, remove them from the drying rack. Pieces should feel cool to the touch, hard and leathery. The foot of both pieces should also feel fairly hard. If you can stick your finger into it, it is too soft.

• 9

  Invert the first piece and center it on the potter's wheel. Once the piece is centered on the wheel, secure the piece at three or four points with clay by pressing it over the edge of the piece and onto the wheel head. Try not to move the piece while doing this.

• 10

  Mark the outside of the foot of the piece, holding the pin tool still against the foot of the piece and allowing the wheel to spin slowly.

• 11

  Use a trimming tool to carve away the excess clay. Holding the trimming tool steady against the foot of the piece, speed the wheel up to medium/slow. Press gently against the foot of the piece until you have removed as much of the excess clay as you want to.

• 12

  Mark the center of the foot with the same pin tool technique. Use the trimming tool to carve a foot wall into the base of the piece. Do not go too deep or you will cut into the bottom of the piece. Trim away the base of the piece until there is a defined foot.

• 13

  Trim the second piece according to your fountain design. If you want an inverted bowl, trim the entire foot of the piece so that it is rounded. If you want a cone, remove the floor of the piece and trim the excess. If you want a plate, repeat the steps for the first piece.

• 14

  Put a hole or holes in the second piece where you want the water to come out.

• 15

  Allow the pieces to dry completely. Bisque fire the pieces together, preferably sitting as you would have the fountain assembled when it is finished.

Glaze the Pieces

• 16

  Choose a glaze, or glazes to decorate your pieces. Mix them thoroughly, getting all the glaze from around the edge of the container mixed into the solution.

• 17

  Dip each piece in your chosen glaze. Glaze both the outside and inside of each piece. Do not allow glaze to get on the bottom 1/4 inch of the piece. If your piece has a foot, do not glaze the foot of the piece.

• 18

  Check the bottom of each piece for glaze drips/splatters. Remove any excess glaze from the foot and/or the bottom 1/4 inch of each piece. Cones and inverted bowls must have the glaze removed from their bottom edges. No glaze should come in contact with the kiln shelf.

• 19

  Once the glaze is dry, fire the pieces separately, according to the glaze specifications.

Assemble the Fountain

• 20

  Put the pond pump in the bottom of the first piece. Attach the length of plumbing tubing to the pump end. Plumbing tubing should be long enough to reach from the pump to the hole in the second piece.

• 21

  Run the tubing through the hole of the second piece. Place the second piece inside the first piece, covering the pond pump.

• 22

  Fill the fountain with water and plug in the pump.