How to Make a Sweet Potato Ocarina out of clay, instructions on how to make a ceramic 10 finger hole ocarina... Ocarinas - clay whistle flutes, sweet potato. Ceramic musical instruments.

Ocarinas by K. Dunster

How to Make a Clay Sweet Potato Ocarina

Page Twenty Six






"Trimming" the Voicing and Finger Holes

Rubbing the the outside of the ocarina with water to smooth the surface will push clay over the edges of the voicing and finger holes. This gives an untidy appearance and can interfere with the tuning by making the finger holes smaller. So they have to be trimmed.

(Click on pictures for a larger view)

tuning 44

Note how the voicing edges overhang. (see inset) The arrows indicate the sides that need to be trimmed.
tuning 45

This photo shows how irregular the finger holes are in shape.

tuning 46

Use tool # 7 to trim the inside edges of the voicing. Be very careful when cutting near the beveled edge (the lip).
tuning 47

Use the fettling knife (tool # 4) to define the sides of the upper ramp and scrape it smooth. (pale purple area) Clean up any debris on both sides of the lip/beveled edge. (small arrows) Do this with care. If the beveled edge (lip) is damaged, this can affect the sound of the ocarina.


Next: Finishing Up >>



Introduction and Tools 1 | Forming the Body 2 3 | Making the Mouthpiece 4 5 6 | Position Mouthpiece-Cut Voicing 7 8 9 10 11 | Finger Holes 12 13 14 | Align Mouthpiece 15 16 | Adjust Voicing Size 17 | Attach Mouthpiece 18 19 | Tuning 20 | Assembling the Body 21 22 | Tidying up the Ocarina-Finishing 23 24 25 26 27 | Plaster Ocarina Mold | Clay Ocarina Mold | Make an Ocarina using a Clay Mold | Make an Ocarina Without a Mold | Glaze a Ceramic Ocarina | Glaze a Dragon Ocarina


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