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News and Troubles of Jürka's Tiki Factory |
Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
|  Posted: 2013-09-23 5:33 pm Permalink
Well, I think I take two of them, special ones, put on some additional coat of glaze... and send them together with next army, which is coming pretty soon... and then I'll see what kind of result I will get... If it's good, maybe I will fire again also others... I'm afraid that second firing may not do good for them always (just what happened with Hibiscus... glaze is melted and looks different than any other of them)... I have to think little bit of my wallet, it hurts already pretty much... But thanks for respond!
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-09-30 6:31 pm Permalink
Skull, Tangaroa and Kane molds has been dried enough for now and today I poured first of them...
Unfortunatelly Tangaroa had some dint on it, so I had to throw it away... And I was disturbed of idea that I won't get my first Tangaroa today, so I took few more hours to spend and poured it again... When I tried to open it... First part came off well, second part was problem... It looked pretty dry already, but... and I waited more and tried more and easily... with extra caution... ve-e-e-ery slowly... and for some unknown reason one part in middle section just hadn't been dried at all and was stuck to the mold and it rubbed that place off... So I had to throw this second Tangaroa away too! 3 hours to wait for nothing... Yes, I was (still am) pissed off! And I still have no any Tangaroas...
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-02 12:06 pm Permalink
There's a strange thing going on... Lono mold and Tangaroa mold has both some weird spot (without glue or any holes nor anything different) where clay always wants to get stuck... Everywhere else clay dries open, but these little weirdo spots where clay doesn't want to dry and stucks to mold and when I open it, it rubs of the part of tiki... It's a strange, strange world in ceramic business...
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-03 3:07 pm Permalink
I do not understand!
I've made Tangaroa for three times and I still have no any Tangaroas!
One spot above the right eye gets stuck to mold (I opened left part the same day I poured and right part I had to keep on through the night)... And last time when I opened, right side of the face is totally bubbled, left side is totally okay... I can't understand, what's the difference... Mold looks exactly the same, right side or left side... Maybe Maori god doesn't want to fit in the quartet of Hawaiian gods... Should have made Kanaloa instead of Tangaroa, everything would be fine... I guess...
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danlovestikis
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 6895 | Posted: 2013-10-03 9:51 pm Permalink
I pour my slip in and let it sit an hour. Then I pour out the excess slip and keep the mold upside down overnight. I open it the next day and take it out of the mold. No problems when you go slow. Wendy
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-04 03:18 am Permalink
I started to open it after 1,5...2 hours when I found out that while shrinking the mold broke of edges of clay sculpture...
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danlovestikis
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 6895 | Posted: 2013-10-04 09:16 am Permalink
Maybe your slip is too thick and needs water added. I always mix in water and stir it up with my hand until it has the consistency of buttermilk. Wendy
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-04 10:06 am Permalink
Nope, that's not a case... These times I've put much more water... I think I've found out the right relation... "More water" are like magic words...
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danlovestikis
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 6895 | Posted: 2013-10-04 1:03 pm Permalink
Have you sanded those areas in case mold soap is on those spots? Wendy
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-04 1:26 pm Permalink
Sanded? You mean to burnish with sand-paper? Well, I tried little bit, but it didn't seem to help with dense one, but I was afraid to try coarse paper... But it really can be mold soap there... Sounds logic... Hmm... Something to remove soap? Thinner? 
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MadDogMike
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Mar 30, 2008
Posts: 8619
From: The Anvil of the Sun
| Posted: 2013-10-04 1:48 pm Permalink
Jurka, I have scrubbed molds with soap and water and a not-to-stiff brush to get rid of mold soap. You have to be careful not to scratch the plaster and you will have to let it dry for a week or so afterwards.
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-04 4:09 pm Permalink
Umm... You use soap to wash off another soap???
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-11 4:16 pm Permalink
At Wednesday I did send the third army of tikis to first-time-kiln. This time I made 1 special... palmtrees and sun (or moon, however you like to see it)... and I'm not really sure for who I made it... I hope it will find its owner by itself somehow...
Very soon I'm gonna send my factory to "vacation" again to earn some money. At spring I'm gonna have much bigger ideas, but I cannot be sure anyhow if it ever happens... Also Tangaroa and Kane and skulls I leave to next year... And also I guess I should start pouring some real coctails... buy stuff and everything... I guess that Fog Cutter would be my first one because I guess its parts are easier to find and cheaper to get. This time I hope to receive my tikis from kiln and glaze and send back to kiln together with two extras from last time again to give them better shiny coat and if it goes well I would like to send away my present-tikis if I have time to do it... Anyway... This terrible nightmare-summer has been as progressive that my one-of-the-dreams to make and have at least 1 (one!) tiki-mug has come true and it gives hope that also real crazy dreams could come true if balls are made-of-steel and if I would just dare to start with 'em.
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2013-10-22 3:52 pm Permalink
I received my third army of mugs. Result is okay, but not perfect. Being glossy/matt is something between first and second army... Not as good as first, but not so bad as second. Hibiscus is f*cked up, it has been three times in glaze-burning-kiln and crack is still there. The mug got pretty much of its shine back, but on the face there are few lumps and as big that the glaze has given up and cracked in that spot also. So, yeah... I will leave it to remind me bad things to learn in my future life. But. If I'd come back in spring, I have true plan to make the new one, new Hibiscus. If something can't be fixed, must make the new one. It feels for me like this Tiki is alive and reflects the real life. I sure have a lot of fantasy.
Anyway... Janni's mug is better now, though the red glaze on letter "J" has been melted and flown to spot where it should not be, but... it doesn't ruin the view. I leave it like that because there's nothing I can do to fix it and I've learned that putting too many times into kiln may cause additional problems... Just like happened with Hibiscus, the most beautiful of my all armies with only one crack... After second try it was with crack and matt... And after third time it's now with crack, not-so-matt-anymore, but f*cked up. That's what I've learned of mug-making-business and of life. Cracked, not-so-matt-anymore and f*cked up. Amen.
Anyway... The last special I made... Well, it looked li'l bit better before glaze... Too thin lines are bit dangerous to glaze... The thinnest (the farrest actually) palmtree is not as straight as it should be... Also I don't like the edges where red meets brown, they appear white... but there's nothing to do with it. That's how it works. This effect doesn't catch the eye so much where red details are bigger, robustious. Well, but otherwise not so bad. I still miss the real shiny glaze like it was in first army.
And here are my all specials so far. Next summer I would like to do maybe 5 different ones more, cause I have some too great people around me...
Oh yeah... And tomorrow I will put Dixie, Janni and Spade to post. I use only one box per each. For softening I use peanuts. Put one layer on the bottom, then I fixed it with a plastic which is meant for packing food... Then another layer of peanuts... Tiki... Peanuts again... Plastic... And peanuts again... as much as it goes... and close box, tapes... I'll print out addresses together with clear fragile-sign (I hope that "this-side-up" sign is not so important in this case)... and place it on top under filmy tape to prevent getting wet. The box is small enough, so I will put only one of it on top. Hope they'll arrive in one piece. 700...800 grams each. Two pieces to Finland, one to Greece...
[ This Message was edited by: Jürka 2013-10-22 15:53 ]
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Jürka
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Posts: 79
From: Estland
| Posted: 2015-09-03 11:37 am Permalink
So, now I've found time (it's a lie, I didn't, but I still managed to finish it) to complete my Hawaii Gods quartet... plus skull shot mug. Now they are ready. They came out well, all of them, much better than Ku and Kane... Why? Because of glaze... This time it just happened to be suitable glaze (same manufacturer, same seller, same everything, just different color)... Here they are...
Kane is here...
This is Kanaloa (although it looks like Tangaroa, my bad, but that's how it is now)...
And one of my favorite... Skull Shot mug...
About Kumuhonua with Hibiscus mug... I said that I'm gonna do it again after the first version was totally ruined after three firings... And I did... But it came out also bad... Lines are not as sharp as necessary and still there ain't same glossy surface as it was on the very first firing... It's again matt... I have no idea how to achieve the glossy glaze there... But if I will have time for it, I want to make it again one day... I really should... again till it WILL come out perfect from bottom to top and all around, outside and inside... and will be the most beautiful tiki in the world in it's own level...
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