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 Eight






Cutting the Voicing

The next step is to mark, then cut the voicing (the opening that produces the sound, sometimes called "the whistle hole," "sound hole," or "window."

(Click on pictures for a larger view)

voicing1

Insert the slot stick (masking taped end first) into the mouthpiece through its larger end. The stick should extend out a little through the opposite (narrow) end.
Lay the mouthpiece (with the slot stick still inside) into the cut out in the ocarina bottom.

voicing2

As shown in the inset, the slot stick should stick out of the mouthpiece approximately 1/2 (one half) of its width. This part of the slot stick will be traced around. Use the needle tool (tool #6).

voicing3

With the mouthpiece and slot stick held in place, cut through the clay only across the end of the slot stick. (indicated by the arrows) Use tool #7.

voicing4

Remove the slot stick from the mouthpiece. Hold it along the already cut line. Use the same tool (#7) and slice the sides of the voicing. The slot stick acts as a stop, preventing the the sides of the voicing from being cut beyond its (the voicing) end. (The left cutting line is indicated by an arrow.)

voicing5

The white "box" in each of the voicing openings helps to define the shape. The voicing opening should look like figure 1 (rectangular). In figure 2, the opening is too square.


Next: Cutting the Voicing >>



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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