February 19, 2010
Forget the Plaster! How to Make a Surprisingly Durable Hump Mold out of Unfired Clay
We ceramic artists use plaster
for everything from drying or wedging surfaces to stamps or molds for
slip casting. But potter Lauren Sandler has been making hump molds for
her work out of unfired clay. This way she doesn't have to deal with
the mess of plaster, doesn't have to wait for her molds to dry and be
fired, plus, if she gets tired of the form, she can reclaim the clay
for some other use. Now, I don't mean to diss our good friend plaster,
but I do love the simplicity, speed, and versatility of this method.
December 28, 2009
Going Industrial: One Potter Shares his Experience with the Mass Production of his Pottery
Why would someone who has spent most of his adult life pursuing
excellence in handmade pottery enthusiastically pursue mass production?
That's the question David Pier asked himself when he faced the conflict
of wanting to meet high levels of craftmanship and design, but still
keep the pricing on his pots affordable. In today's post, David tells us all
about his forays into mass production.
December 23, 2009
(Slip) Cast Party: Creating Unique Double-Walled Forms Using Mold Making and Slip Casting Techniques
Today, Hiroe Hanazono shares her process for slip casting double walled forms, from making the pattern and the mold, to the casting part. The rest of her process, including her subtle mishima decoration, is featured in the January/February issue of
Pottery Making Illustrated.
June 19, 2009
Tile Making Video: How to Make a Ceramic Tile Model with Relief Decoration for a Plaster Press Mold
In today’s video, an excerpt from
Handmade Tiles, Frank Giorgini demonstrates how to make a ceramic tile model with relief patterning to use as a prototype for a plaster press mold.
December 12, 2008
Mold Making Video: How to Make Plaster Sprig Molds for Ceramics
In today's video, our own Holly Goring demonstrates how to make a simple plaster sprig mold. Simple though they are, these molds are great little tools for adding interest to pottery. Why not cast a motif you are fond of in plaster so you can use it over and over again on your work? In addition to the video, we'll show you some work with sprigged decoration and present some step-by-step photos and instructions on how to use sprig molds. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor.
November 14, 2008
Mold Making Video: Making a Plaster Reclaim Slab
Whether you work in a shared studio, at a community arts center, in a luxurious private studio or in a corner of your basement, chances are that space is at a premium. Today Holly Goring shows us how to make a reclaim slab that doubles as a wedging board, saving space, materials, time and effort. You will need some basic plaster know-how, but luckily Holly has already covered a lot of this in her previous video feature Plaster Mixing 101. Today's feature is a lot like making a one-piece plaster mold, except that it's flipped on its head and the object being cast is actually sunk into the plaster after it has been poured. Genius! — Sherman Hall, Ceramic Arts Daily
September 26, 2008
Mold Making Video: Making a One-Piece Plaster Mold
Hey everyone, Sherman Hall here (I'm the guy on the left at the top of the page). I have three things to announce today; First, our managing editor,
Jennifer Harnetty (the one in the middle), just went on maternity leave, so a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to her and hubby and the new one.
This brings us to the second announcement, which is that you're stuck with me and Bill (you guessed it---he's the one on the right) for a few months. Don't worry, this scares us as much as it scares you, so we came up with announcement number three: our invaluable editorial assistant, and resident plaster whiz kid, Holly Goring, made a video on making a one-piece ...
September 16, 2008
Plaster Mixing 101: How to Mix Plaster for Ceramic Molds
In this video, ceramic artist Holly Goring, demonstrates how to use the "sea level" method for mixing plaster. So you don't have to take notes during the video, we've also posted 10 Steps for Success with Plaster and a Plaster to Water Mixing Chart for your reference.
