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Kum Dana
I have been making pottery for less than a year and have a lot to learn. I'd like to get this community's input on a problem I'm having with handles that keep breaking. My favorite handle shape is on a couple of mugs I've made in the attached photo, which also shows a mug that used to have that kind of handle (now broken off). The handles aren't breaking right at the connection point, but rather about a quarter-inch into the handle. This has happened to several mugs with this specific handle design (the broken one in the photo broke closest to the connection point). It takes only a mild clink with another dish from 2 inches away in the sink to break a handle off!
Another thing to mention is that all of these mugs use the same clear glaze (sometimes in combination with other glazes) and it regularly has the fine, consistent crazing throughout. I've been assured by other potters at the studio that the crazing is not the problem and shouldn't make anything weaker (and that in this case it is caused by people opening the kilns while they're still too hot).
Any input on why these break so easily would be greatly appreciated! I love this handle shape and it fits more comfortably in hand than any other I've tried, so I'm super bummed that they're not as strong as I think they should be. I make the handles with an extruder and handle them carefully. I trim my mugs as soon as I can safely do so, so they're still on the moist side of leather-hard when I attach the handles, which stay on very well through the rest of the process. I am wondering if bending the handles as sharply as I do (the pinched part, which I do slowly) compromises the integrity of the handle... or cutting the attachment ends at an angle with a knife perhaps stretches the clay more than a straight cut would? I'm so confused! Thanks for your help!
I have been making pottery for less than a year and have a lot to learn. I'd like to get this community's input on a problem I'm having with handles that keep breaking. My favorite handle shape is on a couple of mugs I've made in the attached photo, which also shows a mug that used to have that king of handle (now broken off). The handles aren't breaking right at the connection point, but rather about a quarter-inch into the handle. This has happened to several mugs with this specific handle design (the broken one in the photo broke closest to the connection point). It takes only a mild clink with another dish from 2 inches away in the sink to break a handle off!
A few other pieces of the puzzle are still missing. What type of clay are you using-what is its firing range? What temperature are you firing the glaze to? Looking at them, if you are firing in a range where your glaze is not fully vitrified they would be weak. Another thought might be the distance from the pot makes them up too much of a strain on the handle when the mug is full.
I am using white stoneware, firing to cone 6. These things are supplied by the studio that I rent space in, so professionals have picked out materials that (should) work together seamlessly. The glaze is mixed there. I'll be speaking with others there in more detail about this problem, but they seem confident that it's not the materials. I figured some folks in this community might have experience/knowledge in what attributes could make handles structurally weak. The handles have never broken when in use - always in the kitchen, usually during washing. And I'm actually quite careful when washing - It's been very surprising how gentle of a bump against another dish/glass will break these handles. Thanks for replying!
I think it's a stress problem - it's hard to tell from the picture, but the handles might be too thin for the size/weight of the mug. Factor in that they are filled with liquid, which is probably hot/warm, and the added weight and heat only accelerate the cracking. It might be too much for the handle to handle. Hehheh.
In general, I'd say they have mostly broken somewhere around the 15th washing - say, anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months after I bring the finished pieces home. I will try using a thicker die in the extruder next time and see if it helps. Do you know if bending the clay at a sharp angle can make it weak? Even if I have to use thicker handles, I'd still really love to be able to make them in this shape.
If your white stoneware has a firing range of ^6-10 and you are firing at ^6, then the clay is not likely to be vitrifying. That would create a weakness leading to the handles breaking. Yes, bending your extruded clay at a sharp angle will create a weak point. With your design, you could do a two piece handle that joints, via a diagonal cut at the top of the ear or "7", the two pieces. A diagonal cut would allow you to keep the shape and provide a large surface area for joining. You could work into your handle design a small ball of clay to reinforce where the handle joins the cup. A thicker coil will increase the amount of surface contact between the handle and the cup and should, hopefully, make for a stronger handle. Another alternative to consider is slip casting the handles.
I agree on the stress being the issue ... There is no place in your design for the handle to grab on securely to counter the force of the weight of the liquid or an accidental knock. Instead of straight joining ... by that I mean flat edge of clay to flat edge of cup ... Try using other techniques with a bit of clay for support under the joins. You could also google images of pottery mugs to see if someone else has solved the problem.
I think Dave the Potter may be onto something. The extruded handle blank will not have the clay particles aligned as well as a rolled or pulled handle. Couple that with making a major bend in the clay an inch or so away from where the handle breaks and it may be that the handle is getting stressed in the drying more than it can take, and possibly the clay memory is at play as well.
If you don't want to pull a handle, then roll a coil, and slap it down on the table to flatten it. That will also compress the clay some too. Then as someone else suggested, make the major direction change by cutting the coil into two pieces and joining it well by scoring and slipping. The area where you are getting the break is also one where it is easy to overwork the clay trying to get the angle just right; especially so if the clay is too moist. Make a few cups, and put 4, 6 or 8 handles on them to test different designs for the shape you want, extruded and coil. That way you will get a lot of practice without making a bunch of cups.
"Another thing to mention is that all of these mugs use the same clear glaze (sometimes in combination with other glazes) and it regularly has the fine, consistent crazing throughout. I've been assured by other potters at the studio that the crazing is not the problem and shouldn't make anything weaker (and that in this case it is caused by people opening the kilns while they're still too hot)."
I have to take exception to assertions by the other potters in your studio that the crazing you see is benign and that it is caused by opening the kiln too soon. Crazing happens because of a mismatch in the expansion/contraction rate of the clay and glaze. In this case the glaze needs to shrink more as it cools than the clay does and since the glaze is a glass, and cooled beyond the point where it it molten, it breaks. Crazing can be a great tool for letting you know just how big a mismatch there is between your clay and your glaze. The more widespread and smaller the crazing, the greater the mismatch between the glaze and body. Widespread, fine crazing is not caused by opening the kiln too soon. It can be made to show itself quicker by a faster cooling such as opening a kiln but the mismatch in expansion that causes the crazing will be there either way and eventually, maybe a week or month later, the crazing will show.
The crazing you see is a clear indication that you have a substantial mismatch between the clay and glaze expansion coefficients. This mismatch cannot be good for your pots and may be contributing in part to your problems with the handles. It certainly isn't adding any strength. I think that you should also examine the way you make these handles as others have suggested. I especially like the idea bciskepottery proposes. That cut and slipped joint would be strong.
I used to make mug handles which were not exactly extruded but made using a home-made loop tool pulled through a block of clay - these handles have proved to be less long lasting than the pulled handles I now make. Give pulling a try.
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