How to make ceramic slab box from scratch

Video includes slab making without a rolling pin and how to create a gallery for the lid. You can use whatever method you prefer to make the slab. I dry and fire the lid and the body together at all times. This includes when doing the glaze firing in order to keep the shape. Enjoy making!

[@CynM.]

This is a great video. Nicely informative. I like what appears to be your sleeve covers.

[@leesaewon]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@rebeccatodd414]

I want to thank you for this tutorial. I made this and I am so pleased! Thanks so much. Looking forward to watching more.

[@leesaewon]

So good to hear you made one!! Thank you so much for watching and for letting me know :)

[@MariamYebalih]

Thank so much for this video I take a ceramics class in high school and this video is very helpful since we’re making a slab box

[@leesaewon]

Thank you for watching and glad to hear it is helpful!!

[@user-mp6tg7wb2d]

Beautifully detailed instructions. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and sense of perfection

[@leesaewon]

Thank you! Good to hear it is useful :)

[@stelleldir]

That was amazing! Thank you so much for showing us the whole process!

[@leesaewon]

Thank you for watching! Please give it a go :)

[@Positive8738]

Nice work

[@kdixuebw7884bfb]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing

[@leesaewon]

You're most welcome and please try it!

[@GabrielMaiaH]

Great Content! Thanks for sharing!

[@leesaewon]

Thank you for watching!

[@micass3561]

Beautiful ❤

[@leesaewon]

Thank you for watching!

[@user-oi8ev2pi3y]

Умничка спасибо за мастеркласс❤

[@OsimiriElue]

Great video :) I’m feelin inspired by the imprints on your rectangle box

[@leesaewon]

Happy to hear! Thanks for watching

[@amyharry3071]

You are so talented! Many thanks. I learned a great deal, especially as a new slab builder. It seems a sharp, thin knife is a very important tool. Mine is quite thick. May I ask what knife you are using? Kind regards.

[@leesaewon]

Thank you! Glad to hear it is helpful. That flat knife is actually a leather worker’s knife. It is thin and has nothing on the knife so can cut deep without any obstacles. Check online?

[@amyharry3071]

@@leesaewon I wanted to show you the box I made after watching your tutorial. It is my first attempt at a closed shape and only my 2nd slab built piece...a bit rough, but I loved making it! Thank you. Alas, I cannot seem to figure out how to add a few pics...

[@leesaewon]

@@amyharry3071 great! It took me about the third box to look good. My email is [e-mail] Do drop me an email with photos!

[@suebiddle5379]

Your tutorial is very nicely done and quite inspiring. Do you have any tips for how you glaze and fire without the pieces fusing to one another?

[@leesaewon]

Thank you for watching! It is good to know how your glaze reacts (how much it runs or not) to know how much to clean where the bottom box and the lid meets. So I clean all gallery, inside of the lid depending on the height of the gallery and rim of the lid plus a bit outside the lid rim so it does fuse. I generally use wax wherever I don't want glaze to cover but a good clean does the same job. You can fire seperately but I fire all the boxes together if a better fit. Please try!

[@kathrynwade5112]

I noticed you do not bevel the ends. Do you find your approach better for clean edges?

[@leesaewon]

It depends how you want the pieces to look. Most of my tableware bottoms are all bevelled finished as I want them to look slightly lifted and not to have any sharp edges. Thank you for watching!

[@bkirstie]

do you know about how thick slab is? We have a slab roller in our classroom.

[@leesaewon]

Hi, I think my slab was just 4-5mm. It is better slightly thicker than thin so the walls don't warp.

[@lolademilo7474]

It’s a comb for dogs or cats. 😁 I use a lice comb.

[@leesaewon]

Indeed! It’s a lice comb for kids!

[@bkirstie]

also how long did you let slab dry before assembling box?

[@leesaewon]

Generally, if the clay is soft you don't always need to add a coil on the joints but I always do so that the joints are strong. Your two questions are connected as the coils you are referring to are the ones that joins the slabs, right? The slabs are leather hard so that they don't warp during assembling. Therefore, the coil added on the joints are necessary to strengthen and to seal the two slab lines. I have tried with slightly wetter slabs and it makes the assesmbling process tricky and unnecessarily difficult. Also, the shape is not as good. It would be worth trying different dryness of clay to see what you prefer. Happy making!

[@bkirstie]

@@leesaewon no, not the coils. i was wondering how long you let the square slabs dry to get it leather hard. do you put in front of a fan?

[@leesaewon]

@@bkirstie Yes, I know you were asking about the slabs. I will depend on the temperature of your studio so I can't say how to get to leather hard state. I will air dry the slabs so it will dry evenly. You let your slab dry accordingly and check them as you dry it. Trial and error!

[@bkirstie]

i’m sorry, i missed that part of the video you explained that.

[@bkirstie]

41:09 wow did you just eyeball that? i feel like i can never get a straight line 😂

[@bkirstie]

ok, i e finally begun my box! the four pieces were pretty leather hard, but i forgot to add coils and now the box is a … box! do you think it will strong enough? everything else i’ve made has stayed together, so here’s hoping.

[@leesaewon]

Hi Kirstie, great to hear that you had a go! It should fine as long as you have pressed hard on the sides as you were joining. The coil is an extra layer of support. Also, the glaze will further seal the areas so just finish the whole process and see how it comes out. Please let me know how it goes or send me a photo when you finish :) enjoy!!

[@bkirstie]

@@leesaewonwow, thanks for responding 2 years after you made the video. i’m not sure i can send a photo via youtube.

[@bkirstie]

@@leesaewondo you have a video of these boxes after you glazed them by any chance?

[@leesaewon]

@@bkirstie thank YOU for using my video! I have been a bit slow in uploading but KZbin is my main social media platform :) please do drop me an email: [e-mail]