Slide 5: Direct Pull Technique II - Forming Rim and Pulling Bottom Half of Pot

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After smoothing the walls of the pulled form with a piece of corn cob, broken calabash, or wood with rounded edges carved specially for the purpose, the potter forms the rim of the jar. Using the same tool, she flares the rim outward by gently scraping the inner edge in a horizontal direction. She must work gradually, constantly moving around the pot, to prevent the clay from cracking.

The potter has now completed the upper half of the pot and begins the pulling process over again in another spot, leaving each newly formed upper half to dry overnight. Using the same technique, the potter forms the bottom half of each pot. Again, she begins with a thick ring of soft clay on the ground and, backing around her work, pulls the clay upward, thinning and raising the height of the walls. She again gradually works the upper section inward, but she continues to work until the hole in what will be the base of the pot is just large enough to admit her fingers. This is then filled in with a dab of clay and the entire surface is scraped smooth.

The two halves of the pot are left on the ground to harden, looking like jars that have been partially buried in the earth. When the clay if firm enough that the work can be handled without warping, the two halves are joined together to form a complete pot. The clay at the seam is carefully worked together to form a solid joint that will not split open during the firing, and the outside of the pot is scraped smooth.

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