Just about anything can be turned into a rib for working with clay or on the pottery wheel, but the plastic in detergent bottles can be just the right hardness for a custom rib. It’s a great way to upcycle a bottle, and gives you the flexibility to make a specific shape for your studio. Here’s how to do it.
Equipment needed
Empty detergent or dish soap bottle
Box knife or X-acto
Scissors
Fine sandpaper, 150 grit or finer
Marker and other ribs for tracing shapes
Step 1
Wash and clean a detergent bottle.
Step 2
Carefully cut into a bottle with a box knife or X-acto, then make a rough cut of the plastic with a scissors. The flat planes of a bottle are best, but the curved areas may be useful too.
The scraps can be recycled.
Step 3
Trace an existing rib that you like with a marker and cut out, or draw your own shape.
Step 4
Refine the shape by cutting with your scissors. The final step is to clean up any burrs or uneven bits with sandpaper and you’ve got a new rib!
Tips:
> Plastic bottles have different characteristics—thickness, flexibility, etc—try this method on a variety of bottles to find the right ribs for your studio.
> It’s easiest to work with a clean bottle, but they do take a lot of water to rinse out. You can also clean the ribs after cutting.
> Be careful when first cutting into a bottle with your knife.
Related post: Make Metal Pottery Ribs
Do you make your own ribs? What do you use? Let us know in the comments.
