Bridget Leger

Slabbing

Slabbing

- Slabbing is a versatile technique. It can be challenging. More prone to problems than other methods. Pay close attention to detail. Make thickness uniform. Used to make tableware, boxes, sarcophagi, and roof tiles. Soft clay slabs are flexible, allowing considerable manipulation of the material. Hard slabs call for precision and close attention to detail during construction.

Lidded Box

- Thoroughly wedge a block of clay and form it into an Approximate square. Use the length of the rolling pin. Beat the clay to reduce the size. Force out any trapped air. Use evenly weighted strokes and work systematically from one side to the other. Roll the block, starting from the middle. Dont roll the slab in one maneuver. This causes distortion and causes stress. Aim to keep even pressure. If there is resistance turn the slab over. Flip it over so it can be rolled in the opposite direction. Rolling on plastic reduces moisture loss. The clay must be soft. Keep rolling.

If bubbles form, pierce them with the needle tool. Keep repeating the process until all bubbles are eliminated. Roll until the slab is bubble-free and the correct thickness. Allow the slab to dry to proper thickness for cutting. Dry to the leather-hard stage. Cut out cardboard templates for each section of the box. Place templates on the slab as evenly as possible. Remove unneeded pieces of slab so that all the sections are ready for the next stage. Transfer all sections to a separate area. Score and slip one edge of the base section and the long edge of a side of the section. Ease them together. Check that both are accurately aligned. Since the slab is firm, you do not need to support any sides. Continue to slip and score all the remaining sides. Check that the panels align. Paddle the corner joints together to strengthen them. Squeeze out any remaining air. Air is most often trapped in the joints where splits frequently occur. Reinforce the joints with coils of clay. Ease each soft coil along each joint. Dont apply too much pressure; it can force the joints to open up again. Neaten the coil with the round modeling tool. Smooth over each side of the box with a metal scraping tool. Turn over the box to smooth out the bottom of the box. Make sure the joints are well sealed. Turn the box back over and fix the lid section into place on the box, sealing it completely. Pinch the seams together gently. This is the trickiest part of the technique.

Draped Slab Plate

Finish securing the edge by paddling all the edges. The lid section is more vulnerable than the rest of the box, so handle with extra care. Draw a curved line on one side. Cut along the line. Repeat the process on 3 remaining sides. Turn the box on its side and cut carefully along the scored line. Lift off the lid carefully. Cut the lid as cleanly as possible. Reinforce the lid section with a coil. Blend in well. Cut out four strips of clay, and attach on the inside of the box. Remove excess slip. Test the fit of the lid. Cut out four squares for feet. Make small decorative marks in each foot. Mark the position, then slip and score each one to attach to the bottom of the box. Make any desired decoration to the outside of the box.

- Roll out a slab. Cut out a template for the plate,, or make a free form shape. Cut the slab to size with a knife. Place the mold upside down on a table. Center the slab on top of the mold. Cover it with a thin sheet of plastic if it is not nonabsorbent. Use your fingers to smooth the edges of the slab.