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 Three






Making the Ocarina Body
without a mold - continued


(Click on pictures for a larger view)

pottery handbuilding-rolling out the clay

Turn the clay slab over, and bevel the the opposite edge. (black arrows)

handbuilding pottery-molding

The slab should look like this. The bevels are highlighted in blue and yellow to better define them.
The two edges will be be overlapped - A (blue) over B (yellow). Beveling will reduce the bulk of the seam.

handbuilding pottery-molding 2

Figure 1 Start at the wide end of the clay slab, and wet the beveled edges. Figure 2 Press the wet clay edges together firmly, side A over side B.
Inset shows close-up of overlap.

handbuilding pottery-molding 1

Support the seam from inside while pressing it closed. Continue working toward the narrower end.

handbuilding pottery-molding 2

Finally closed. There will be an opening left at the narrow tip. This will be closed later.
The fold of the clay will become part of the "bottom" of the ocarina.

handbuilding pottery-molding 1

Figure 3 Use your thumb to finish sealing the seam, and the fettling knife (#4) to smooth it. (Figure 4)


Next: Forming the Body - continued >>


Introduction and Tools 1 | Forming the Body 2 3 3a | 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 | Clay Ocarina Mold | Make an Ocarina using a Clay Mold | Plaster Ocarina Mold | Make an Ocarina using a Plaster Mold | Glaze a Ceramic Ocarina | Glaze a Dragon Ocarina



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