on Cane Getting a Handle

by Frank James Fisher

Teapot with modied cane handle, stoneware, red to cone 10 reduction. Includes an assortment of ready-made handles, a coil of common cane and a coil of dyed reed.

very teapot needs a handle. As talented potters, we could make a beautiful ceramic handle. But sometimes a teapot needs a little natural wood to contrast the ceramic surface. Wood handles provide a friendly warmth thats inviting and appealing to hold. There are ready-made handles of wood, bamboo, rattan and cane available through ceramic supply stores. Im partial to cane for my teapots, either English or Chinese cane. The English cane seems to have a smoother surface as far as blemishes are concerned. The Chinese cane is slightly thicker in diameter and sometimes has a natural or rough look to the surface. Because the Above left: Teapot with modied cane handle, porcelain, Chinese cane is considerably less expensive and is com- red to cone 10 reduction. Above right: Teapot with modipletely covered for this project, its the practical choice. ed cane handle, porcelain, red to cone 10 reduction. Cane handle styles include the horseshoe, the oval and the square cane.
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Glued and sanded cane handle.

2
Insert cane through cane handle opening.

3
Begin wrapping coils around cane tip.

Supplies Needed
Ready-made cane handle 6-foot length of common cane, 1 mm. 1-foot length of at oval colored reed Bottle of Insta-cure, gap-lling, cyano acrylate adhesive (Super Glue) Bottle of Insta-set, rapidcuring accelerant Scissors and hobby knife Basin of water approximately 89 inches in diameter to soak the cane

4
Cane tip secured with wrapped coils.

5
Align the colored reed ahead of next coils.

Ive relied on a variety of ready-made handles for years, but I admit to feeling a tad guilty when I dont make the handles myself. After all, I spent a great deal of creative energy on the body of the teapot only to clip-on a ready-made handle at the end. The results looked ne, but I didnt feel ne. I created a unique custom teapot and used a generic handle. The answer came through a mix of family and friends. My mother weaves baskets and wove several wonderful handles from willows. As nice as these handles looked, they didnt reect the tightly controlled aesthetic I wanted for my teapots. A fellow weaver suggested using the ready-made cane handles and adding some innovative cane wrapping. This approach resulted in a rened, sturdy handle that functioned well and could be customized for each teapot.

Attach the Handle

To begin, attach the cane handle. First, dip the ends of the cane handle in boiling water for a minute to soften the cane. Bend open the ange ends and slip through the ceramic loops of the teapot. Bend the ange back into place against the handle and secure tightly with the woven cane loops. Set aside to dry. When dry, cut and remove the woven loops and discard. Check the t where the cane ange meets the cane handle. This transition at this juncture needs to be smooth; no bumps where the two pieces of cane come together. Youll be wrapping the cane over this area in future steps and any misaligned joints will show. If there are bumps, sand the transition smooth. Once satised with the dry t, apply the Insta-cure gap-lling cyanoacrylate adhesive and press together. There should
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Secure the end of the reed with several coils.

Pass two coils under the reed.

Pass one coil over the reed.

Repeat over and under to the other end. The nal wraps over the reed.

be a little give at this point to align the joint perfectly and give the joint a spray of the Insta-set rapid-curing accelerant. Hold a few seconds and everything should be solid and secure (gure 1). Repeat where the handle attaches on the other side.

Wrapping the Handle

Place the lengths of cane and reed into a basin of room temperature water approximately 30 minutes before you begin the next step. The 6-foot length of common cane should be damp and pliable (so it will not crack). Begin by poking the end through the open bend just above where the cane handle is attached to the teapot (gure 2). Press approximately one inch of the tip along the handle and begin to wrap the length of cane from the opposite side

around the handle and the cane tip (gure 3). This is the hardest part of the project, so dont become discouraged. It is clearly a task designed for persons with three hands. The trick is to have pliable cane and proceed slowly using your nger tips to trap the cane against the handle as you begin to wrap. Once you have three wraps completed, the cane will bind itself into place. Your goal is to get six or seven wraps tightly wound (gure 4). You may need to dip your ngers into the water basin to rewet the cane should it begin to dry and stiffen. As you are wrapping, try compressing the coiled wraps together to get a tighter t. Hopefully the original cane handle will be covered completely by the wrapped cane as you progress along the handle. After six or seven wraps, its time to introduce an accent color of reed. Place the tip of the reed on the up-

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Trim the reed close to nal coil.

11

The last ve coils are looser than the previous coils.

12

Insert cane through cane handle opening.

13

Trim the cane end into a narrow point.

per surface of the handle with the tip of the reed in the path of the next cane wrap you will make (gure 5). Bring the cane around to catch just the tip. Continue around with your cane wrap for three wraps (gure 6). Stop and take a look at the position of the reed on the handle, you may need to wiggle it back and forth to get it parallel with the curve of the handle. When satised, wrap two more times but pass the cane UNDER the reed (gure 7). Then make one wrap passing the cane OVER the reed (gure 8). Then two more UNDER followed by one more OVER along the entire arch of the handle. When you reach the spot that is equal to where you began your accent reed on the opposite side, make three consecutive wraps OVER the reed (gure 9). Cut the reed as close as possible to the last coil of cane (gure 10).

Finishing the Handle

The nal run of approximately ve wrapped coils are done slightly looser than any of the previous wraps (gure 11). When the last wrap is made, take the cane and pass it through the open bend just above where the cane handle is attached to the teapot (gure 12). This is the reverse direction of how the handle was started in gure 1. To nish the handle, cut the cane with about twelve inches remaining. Trim the end of the cane with scissors to form a long point (gure 13). This will be used like a needle. Place the tip along the handle, under those last loose wraps of cane and thread it up and out (gure 14). As you pull it tight, gently rotate those loose coils in the direction needed to tighten them, moving toward the handle end (gure 15). Take up the slack
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and pull the needle-like end tighter still. With a little twisting and prodding, everything will snug up tight. Pull out the Insta-cure gap-lling cyanoacrylate adhesive and place a drop where the cane pokes through the coiled wraps. Give a spray of Insta-set rapid-curing accelerant to harden the glue. Trim the cane from the wraps with a knife blade (gure 16). Now the handle is complete. Frank James Fisher has been a potter for more than 25 years. For more information, visit his website at www.frankjamessher.com. Send comments and questions to frank@frankjamessher.com.
Frank wishes to thank Lindas Gallery for the generous use of their facilities for the location photography.

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Threading the cane under the wrapped coils.

Tips
Its important to wet and rewet your cane with your ngers during this entire process. Dry cane is difcult to work with and will crack or split. Choose a thin cane, 1 mm or less, to wrap the handle. The thinner diameter allows for tighter wraps on the cane handle arch. Check the wrapped coils every two or three passes to be sure they are tight against each other. Compress them toward the previous wrapped coils with your ngers. Try to match the accent reed color with one of the glaze colors. On this teapot, it was a dark brown. The range of colors available is truly impressive. If youre looking for an unusual color or precise match, dyes are available to stain to your preference. You may wish to spray a clear urethane nish on the wood to protect the natural wood colors from stains. There are many styles of ready-made cane handles. I shop the internet for best price and lowest shipping. Aftosa has a wide range of styles and sizes. All the weaving materials are from a local basket shop, Lindas Gallery in Milford, Michigan. None of the materials are expensive. The cane and reed are sold by the foot.

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Twist and tighten the loose coils then pull the cane up tight.

A wide range of reed colors.

16

Trim the extra cane close to the coils.

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