- Preparing a Slip Cup
At the slip decorating workshop, Mary Ferrell of Westmoore Pottery had made slip cups of various sizes (they look like redware “pears” in the picture) for us to prepare. To do this, we needed to select a slip cup and find a feather that fit in the hole. The end of the feather was cut to size and cleaned inside so that the colored clay slip could flow in the desired patterns on the piece. In the picture, I am testing a feather to see if it is the right one. Visit my website at www.hearttohearthcookery.com
Heart to Hearth Cookery 
There are two types of slip cups, English and PA German…
The main difference between the two was that the English slip cup was closed at the top with a small air hole where the thumb of the potter would be placed to regulate the flow of slip. When the thumb was placed over the air hole the flow of slip would stop, and when the thumb was removed the slip would again begin to flow freely from the quills. The Pennsylvania German slip cup was open at the top, similar to the appearance of a coffee cup. The slip would freely flow from the cup when the quills were tipped forward and would continue to flow until the quills of the cup were tilted upwards.
By: Tammy Wilkinson on June 18, 2011
at 1:30 am