I STARTED Early--Took my Dog--And visited the Sea--
The Mermaids in the Basement Came out to look at me
--Emily Dickinson

Monday, March 20, 2017

Bullseye Cane Bonanza, Part One: The Lace Cane




Behold the bullseye cane.  A simple cane, really.  Roll a log of clay; roll out a sheet of clay; wrap the log with the sheet and...ta-da!  A bullseye cane.  But it's also a versatile cane.  Pull up a chair and I'll show you.

First up...the Lace Cane.


You can use any color(s) you like for this cane, but I like the white/translucent combo.  After it's baked, sanded and polished, there is a lot of nice depth to the finished object.  So. Roll a log of translucent clay and roll out a sheet of white clay (I used a log of translucent about 1/2 inch in diameter and a sheet of white on a medium thick setting.


Wrap the log with the sheet of clay to make a bullseye cane.  A tip...lay the log on the end of the sheet and roll until the end of the sheet covers the log and just touches the top of the sheet.  Roll back...see the very slight indentation on the sheet?  That's where you want to make the cut.




Make the cut, then finish rolling the log in the sheet.  The edges should just meet.  If it needs trimming, do it now.

Reduce the cane until it's about five or six times the original length; cut the cane into five or six equal lengths. 



Put the pieces together rather haphazardly...nice and neat is NOT the goal.  We're looking for something a little more organic and irregular:




Reduce to two or three times it's length and cut into a couple (or three...or more!) pieces.  Again, we're going for a rather irregular look.  Put the pieces together and reduce once again (I don't usually trim the ends until the final assembly of the cane):


Aaaannd, one more time!



Roll the cane smooth.  You can reduce another time or two, or reduce a time or two less.  It depends on how fine or coarse you want your lacy cane to be.
Lace Cane...ta-da!

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