making of ocarina

Making of Ocarina

We only use fine white ceramic material to manufacture our flutes, as it has proven itself best over the years and can be worked out particularly finely.

First, a small ball of clay is turned into a...

...modelling the shape that the flute will later take.

The mould is cut open lengthwise with a wire,...

...and the two halves are moulded into two shells, which are then put together and the edges are worked together to form the final shape of the flute.

The windway is pushed into the now leather-hard mould of a flute using a finely and thinly filed piece of wood. The clay lying on the small piece of wood is cut away up to the beginning of the sound hole (labium) that is about to be created. (see also photos below)

Piercing the sound window

Cutting out the window

Finish cutting the window to the first sound

Now cut a rectangle into the clay body with a thin, narrow knife in the place where the sound hole (labium) is to go; as can be seen in the drawing above, the cutting edge must now be freed of clay residue with the knife so that it is as smooth and sharp as possible. This creates the basic clay. You can now blow into it once. When the body is plaster-hard, it is tuned. This is done via the size of the finger holes.

Smoothing the surface

The only thing missing now is the pattern design of the flute

The flutes are prepared for the kiln.