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Maui Tiki Ceramics - New KALA Mug/Vase Page 14 |
MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
|  Posted: 2011-03-02 5:09 pm Permalink
Here is my "How to make a mold" contribution to TC... Lots of Photos, not so much words...
This mold was made from a slip cast mug that I modified and customized.
I wrap clay around the bottom and fill it with plaster to make the bottom part of the mold.
Carve some alignment holes in the plaster bottom. Next I fit it in to my custom ADJUSTABLE box and add a cone of clay at the top for pouring slip in and out. It should be a couple inches tall as the slip level drops about an inch during the casting process.
Another angle...Don't for get "divots" to help the mold line up correctly.
Pour plaster so that it's about 1.5 inches thick on the top of the mug. This plaster isn't very smooth because I spent too much time mixing, it should have been poured sooner and probably could have used more water. FOLLOW THE PLASTER MIXING INSTRUCTIONS!
I flip the box and remove the clay.
Paint on some "soft soap" so the plaster won't stick to itself and pour another layer of plaster. I mixed this plaster much better this time after learning from the other side.
When it's dry you can remove it from your box.
Take the clay out of the top and you should be able to pull apart the mold. Because I used a slip cast Mug as my master it soaks up the water from the wet plaster and becomes soft. It tears as the mold comes apart. Most of it easily peels out, but I have to hose "Power wash" out the rest of the remaining original.
Let the mold sit in the hot sun for a day before using it for the first time. I leave a fan on it too, to help the drying process.
Whoo Hooo!! now you have a mold. I pour slip, let it sit for 35-40 minutes before pouring out, then I let it sit for a minimum of 1 hour before removing it from the mold. Often I leave it overnight and remove the mug in the morning. Watch the slip level too, sometimes you need to add more slip if it starts to drop too low in the mold.
Good Luck!
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swizzle
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 649
From: Melbourne,Australia
| Posted: 2011-03-03 12:22 am Permalink
Hi guys,
We all seem to have a slightly different method going on here to achieve the same affect. Rob, your bottom part of the mold is something I might try next time, mine is not going to be like that at the moment, however the cone of clay is something that will be part of my mold but it will be a separate piece on top. Not sure if that makes sense but everyone will see the photos as I go. Your mold is a three piece with the third piece being on the bottom where as mine will have the third piece on the top. I'm actually curious to see how my mold will work out and whether or not i'm going to do it a different way if I make another. I'm going to get my teacher to check out these threads next week to see her opinion.
Now MDM, I dont know how to do a sketch to show what i've done but what my teacher has shown me is sort-of a combination of both your drawings. From what i've picked up here on TC the second diagram is what I expected to be doing. But it is effectively a cross between the two.
Yes there is clay below the mug, like the first diagram but it is really just two small round columns of clay propping it up about 1.5". As you can see in the photo the master looks like it's floating. The first pour of plaster goes underneath the master up to the separation line, we will do the second pour on top, and when that's ready the two columns of clay will be removed and some more plaster poured to fill the holes left by the columns.
MDM said, "Finally, the mold is flipped over, the clay is removed, and the rest is poured. This time there is no coating used so that the 3rd pour becomes part of the first pour". Exactly.
The final pour will be the cone on top which my teacher calls a "spare". As I mentioned in my post, to me it seems like a slightly simpler way to get the same result, with the difference being you are probably not using as much clay to pack it up as you are only using the two small columns and enough clay to seal the gaps where the box sides meet, and then you just have to do another small plaster pour to plug the holes.
I'll take another picture next week which will probably make it far more easier to make sense of than me trying to explain it. It's good we can all learn from one another and possibly find a method we haven't tried before that might make things easier, but ultimately I suppose it comes down to doing what works for the individual as long as you get the desired result.
P.S. Sorry for hi-jacking your thread.
[ This Message was edited by: swizzle 2011-03-03 00:26 ]
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MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
| Posted: 2011-03-03 10:20 am Permalink
Swizzle, keep posting photos and keep us updated, it will be good for us to see how they do it "Down Under".
Here is the link to Swizzle's mug/mold making thread:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=39105&forum=18&14
Sounds like your instructor knows what she is doing. Be sure to add me to your list of people who want one of your mugs!
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MauiTiki
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swizzle
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 649
From: Melbourne,Australia
| Posted: 2011-03-03 12:28 pm Permalink
Thanks Rob. Will do. Much appreciated.
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TikiKIrby
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 01, 2005
Posts: 91
From: SoCal
| Posted: 2011-03-03 9:12 pm Permalink
Nice walkthrough, mahalo... I like your adjustable box, it looks like it gives you better access to the mold. You don't have clamps in your way, keep up the great work..
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GROG
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Jun 21, 2006
Posts: 6267
From: Tujunga
| Posted: 2011-03-04 02:16 am Permalink
Only one day to dry your molds?
GROG usually let GROG' mold dry for the better part of a week before GROG start pouring. The drier your molds are before you start pouring, the longer they will last. If your molds feel cold to the touch, they're still wet.
[ This Message was edited by: GROG 2011-03-04 02:17 ]
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MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
| Posted: 2011-03-04 12:27 pm Permalink
Grog... Rob live on sunny rock in da middle of da ocean. Very dry and hot in Kihei. Mold dries fast.
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MauiTiki
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years) 
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6492
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2011-03-05 8:37 pm Permalink
Like this Swizzle?
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swizzle
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2007
Posts: 649
From: Melbourne,Australia
| Posted: 2011-03-05 9:33 pm Permalink
That's the puppy dog MDM. After the second pour that clay is removed and filled with plaster.
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MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
| Posted: 2011-03-07 7:34 pm Permalink
Da Big Puka Mug and the Spider mug are out of the kiln!!!
They came out darker than the last batch. I got the glaze on a little thicker. Check them out...
 
The Spider mug for Dale and Janet...
 
The rim of the spider mug has a flaw.
My friend thinks there may have been a tiny piece of plaster from the mold that popped during the firing. You can see how it flipped out of the hole. I'm going to try to file it down and re-glaze the rim and fire it again. I'll let you know how it goes.
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MauiTiki
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (3 years)
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 6492
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2011-03-07 8:00 pm Permalink
They look beautiful. There's a very good chance that spot will re-fire just fine.
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danlovestikis
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 3666 | Posted: 2011-03-07 10:15 pm Permalink
After sanding wash it really good so that there isn't any dust to make the glaze crawl. I bet you knew that but I couldn't help myself. I love your photos so keep posting them. I'm looking forward to my next mug when I can use your technique for the round bottom piece, thank you for teaching us that! Hugs, Wendy
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MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
| Posted: 2011-03-08 10:09 am Permalink
I rinse the mugs after bisque firing, but don't really sand or scrub them. Maybe I should. I'll let you know how the flaw repair goes.
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Makiki Tiki
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 07, 2010
Posts: 29 | Posted: 2011-03-09 12:10 am Permalink
Love the spider mug. The color and texture are awesome!
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MauiTiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 20, 2003
Posts: 680
From: A rock in the middle of the Ocean
| Posted: 2011-03-09 10:47 am Permalink
Thanks Makiki, Let me know if I can make one for you.
The repaired rim has gone back in the kiln this morning. I ground it down with my dremmel and there was a air bubble in the slip. There may be a small divot there but at least it will be glazed.
BeachBumz got a new Kobalt gravity feed "detail Spray Gun" so we sprayed some glaze last night. It works much better than a little airbrush.
Picking up a bucket of slip tomorrow so I can get some more mugs started.
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MauiTiki
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