How to use: Letters & numbers
Letters and numbers are a set of cutters or stamps for marking and decorating your work: lettering on mugs, dates, monograms, signs and hanging tags. A cutter cuts through the slab or scores its outline, a stamp presses the whole character face into the clay. Here is how to work with both.
- 01
Lay out the set
Arrange the characters in alphabetical order before you start — hunting for a letter with clay on your hands ends with fingerprints all over the slab.
- 02
Prepare the slab
Roll the clay to an even thickness: 3-4 mm for cut letters, 5-8 mm for a surface you will stamp into. Smooth the surface with a rib.
- 03
Set the clay moisture
For stamping the clay should be slightly dried (leather-soft) — the impression is then crisp and does not smear. For cutting, freshly rolled clay works best.
- 04
Mark the baseline
Lay a ruler against the slab or score a light guide line with a stick. Align the letters to that line and plan the spacing from the middle of the word outwards — the lettering will come out centred.
- 05
Stamping
Hold the character upright and press straight down in one confident move, about 1-2 mm deep. Do not rock the stamp or the edges of the impression will blur. Put something soft, such as a piece of felt, under the slab.
- 06
Cutting
Press the cutter all the way through, lift it with the clay inside and push the letter out from the back. Push narrow parts (tails, dots) gently, straight onto the board.
- 07
Finishing the characters
Remove burrs with a damp brush or sponge. To emphasise an impression, rub underglaze into it after the bisque firing and wipe the excess off the surface.
- 08
Cleaning and storage
Wash the characters in lukewarm water with a soft brush, dry them thoroughly and keep them in a box in order. Dried clay in the narrow slots of a letter is the hardest to remove.
Frequently asked questions
- The letters press in unevenly
- Usually the fault of the surface underneath. Put felt or a piece of sponge under the slab and press straight down, without rocking.
- Clay stays inside the letter
- The slab is too wet. Wait until the clay is leather-soft, or wipe the character with a damp sponge before each use.
- Are the letters mirrored?
- Stamps carry the character mirrored so the impression in the clay reads correctly. Cutters are in normal orientation.
- How do I get an even line of text?
- Use our holder rail — slide the letters in and you are done. Without the rail, score a light guide line and start from the middle character, adding the rest alternately left and right.
- How do I highlight the impression with colour?
- After the bisque firing rub underglaze or slip into the recesses and wipe the excess off with a damp sponge, leaving colour only in the grooves.
- How do I wash the characters?
- Lukewarm water with a soft brush. Avoid hot water and dishwashers, which deform the print.