Funky Soap Dish

Rita Ryan makes a self-draining funky soap dish out of clay.

Funky Soap Dish

All About

Product Ideas

Materials and Tools:

high fire clay cone 5-6
high fire glaze cone 5-6
mottle blue and red-gold glazes
slab roller
high fire kiln
kitchen rolling pin
ruler
pin tool
water
sponge
clay template
handmade clay dowel for tilting the soap dish
hand made stamp
stair step clay template

Steps 1-4

Steps:

1. Cut a one pound piece of clay.

2. Adjust the slab roller thickness to 1/4 inch and roll out an 11-inch rectangle.

3. Smooth the clay with a rolling pin.

4. Add a decorative edge by rolling a handmade clay stamp along the smooth edges.

Step 5

5. Place a clay stair step template in the bottom left corner and trace around it with a pin tool. Remove the clay stair cutout. This will be the underside of the funky soap dish.

Steps 6-7

6. Turn the clay over. Place the clay dowel in the center of the clay, crosswise, flip the clay over the dowel and shape it into a soap dish. Pinch the ends of the clay together to form an open area where the soap can drain.

7. Let the clay soap dish dry for two days.

Steps 8-11

8. Load the green ware soap dish into the kiln for bisque firing to cone 05 (1891 degrees).

9. Unload the piece from the bisque kiln.

10. Wash the soap dish with clean water.

11. Mix two glaze colors thoroughly in separate containers. Dip one end of the soap dish in the glaze and wipe off excess.

Step 12

12. Allow the dish to dry for a few minutes and then dip the other end of the soap dish in the second glaze. Clean up any excess glaze from the bottom of the funky soap dish.