Slip casting was by far the easiest process I experimented with this worked by creating plaster moulds in sections that lock together to create a hollow form. Next liquid clay (AKA Slip) is poured into the mould and left to set for 30 minutes, during this time the clay begins to form a solid skin on the inside of the mould. Once 30 minutes is up (or longer dependant on the size and required thickness) the excess slip is discarded leaving the solid skin on the inside of the mould. This is turned upside and left to set for around an hour in this time the skin sets to a hard clay like texture and is easily picked out of the mould leaving a perfect form.
I initially wanted to create my own mould however discussing this with the workshop staff identified the high start up cost to create the physical mould would be ineffective with my context of experimentation. I decided to use a some of the ready made moulds already made available to use within the facilities. I found this process was significantly more difficult than it appeared trail and error identified that the skin needed a lot longer to set than instructed, especially with larger forms, when taken out too early these warped incredibly easily. The smaller moulds worked far more consistently however were very messy coming out of the mount and required alot of attention carefully cutting away the excess clay where the pieces of the mould joined.
This process is very easy to produce and is typically used for producing ceramics in mass quality, this offsets the high initial start up cost and ensures consistency within every item produced, conversely this makes it feel cheaper and less personal taking away some of the integrity of its ceramic form however is advantageous for high street suppliers where cost and uniformity is key.
 |
| Bisque Fired Slip Casts |
No comments:
Post a Comment