In order to create these end products the ceramic matter needs to go through the traditional manufacturing process which goes as follows.
Ceramic mould making process.
In this excerpt from the march 2019 issue of ceramics monthly jackie head takes you through the plaster mold making process from making a prototype to pouring the plaster mold.
It is a combination of plaster mold casting and investment casting.
In this method ceramic particles are suspended in water an cast into porous plater molds.
From simple one piece plaster molds to more complex multi part molds plaster mold making allows the potter the freedom to experiment with ideas for form and surface because it takes away a bit of the preciousness of a one of a kind wheel thrown pot.
While it was once thought of as cheating using ceramic molds is a technique that is increasing in popularity among potters these days.
Milling raw material procurement the raw materials used in the process are milled materials typically found in mining sites that have been reduced from a large size to smaller sizes or even in some cases pulverized depending upon the end product.
Ceramic mold casting also known ambiguously as ceramic molding is a group of metal casting processes that use ceramics as the mold material.
Not only does ceramic mold making enable you to repeat a form over and over again it also makes individual forms lose their preciousness which frees you up to experiment more.
The forms can then be repeated and each one individualized through surface decoration and glazing.
There are two types of ceramic mold casting.
Ceramic mold making opens up endless potential for creative expression.
The process i developed includes sketching using drafting software making models with mdf then making plaster molds from those models.
Slip casting method is used to produce complex shapes.
The shaw process and the unicast process.