The process of pouring ceramic molds is called casting or slip casting. Before you begin, it is a good idea that you know how the mold works. Ceramic molds are made of plaster as opposed to other molds being rubber, sponge, metal or plastic. The reason is that plaster absorbs water.

Slip is liquid clay, it has a lot of water in it (see “What is Ceramic or Clay Slip”) and in order for it to hold a shape, the water needs to be removed. Enter the plaster mold.

There are many kinds of plaster molds, ranging from one piece to two piece to multiple pieces that fit together and form a cavity to hold the slip. Most common, and addressed in this article, is the two piece mold. These molds are designed to fit together tightly to form a cavity with a single opening that is used to receive and expel the liquid clay. See “What is a Ceramic Mold”.

When you fill your mold with liquid clay, the plaster begins to absorb the water and the clay platelets begin to stick to the sides of the mold. This creates the shell that will ultimately form your finished item. The longer you leave the slip in the mold, the more water that will be drawn out and the thicker the shell will be. When the shell is as thick as you want it, you then drain off the excess slip and you are left with a hollow item.

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The technique known as Spatter Ware or Sponge Ware was developed in England early nineteenth century. It was a very popular technique for inexpensive pottery and ceramic ware. Even today, if you peruse the home interior and accent catalogs, you will see evidence of this technique in current decorating trends. The technique lends itself to most any decorating theme and though blue and brown was the most prevalent colors, modern day artists and decorators utilize a multitude of color choices.

The process is relatively simple and requires little skill. Color is applied in a web-like pattern using a sponge.  Silk, or natural sponges work best as they have a coarser weave (pattern of holes). The artist can opt for all over application or selected areas. Though originally intended for use with glazed items, it can be modified for use on non-fired finishes.

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Primarily, ceramic slip is clay that has been thinned down with water and sometimes additional chemicals to be used for various purposes in the field of clay arts. It is clay mixed with water to a smooth gravy-like, liquid consistency.

In pottery, it is used for decorating or coating the crafted items as well as acting like a glue or paste to adhere parts together.  In ceramics, it is used to cast plaster molds creating images and shapes as well as various finishing techniques.

It is called slip because of its smooth, slippery consistency… a texture without roughness, smooth to the touch.  The term comes from Middle English: slime, from Old English: ‘slypa’ or ‘slyppe’ and also has Indo-European roots: sleubh. Just step in the middle of a puddle of it on your floor and you will understand completely. It is well named.

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In a nutshell, greenware is raw clay. Clay that has not been fired or ‘baked’. Potters throw pots and until they are fired, they are greenware. It does not matter if an item has been sculpted by hand, cast with a mold, earthenware, porcelain, stoneware or any other form of clay, until it is fired it is raw or greenware.

While in the unfired state, it can be broken quite easily. Most fragile is cast porcelain, then cast earthenware, then sculpted bodies.  This is primarily because of the density and thickness of the item as well as the fragility of the clay body.

When handling raw clay ware, it is important that you support the bottom rather than trying to pick it up from the top as the weight causes stress and can cause the piece to snap and or crumble.

In its raw form, most clays can be crushed and recycled; however once fired, they cannot. There are two major differences between clay bodies - Low-fire and high-fire. Low-fire clays are those that require lower temperatures to reach maturity as opposed to those which require higher temperatures.

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The most important thing about caring for your mold is to understand  that they need to be kept clean and dry.

When you get a new mold from a manufacturer, it can often arrive wet. You need to make sure they are thoroughly dry before you begin casting them. There are several ways to do this, but the best way is to let them dry naturally. Options to speed the process would be to set the unopened, still banded mold on a pad of thick paper, or chalk board, or carpet. These ‘pads’ will help absorb and draw the moisture out of your mold. Every few hours, turn the mold over to one of its sides. Repeat this for a day or two. Your mold should dry by then.  You can also set your mold, again banded and unopened, in the sun, rotating it every hour or so. DO NOT leave it in one position in the sun all day, it will dry unevenly and could warp.

DO NOT - open the mold and dry it with the parts separated
DO NOT - put it in or on your heated kiln or oven to dry

Drying your mold too fast will only result in warping and/or stress cracking the mold.

When not in use, you should clean the mold inside and out and store them tightly banded on wooden shelves. If wood shelves are not possible, then line the shelves with thick layers of paper, chalk board (what is used for walls-cut to fit) or other absorbent padding. Store the mold with the pour gate (openings) down if at all possible. This will prevent dust and little critters from crawling inside. See casting instructions to learn how to clean your mold. If you can, you might want to use cut up boxes or card board and cover the pour holes, anchoring them in place with your bands.

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A ceramic mold is made of plaster. It is made to create a shape or object using clay or slip (liquid clay).

A mold can have one piece, referred to as an open pour, open cast or press mold. Most commonly, molds have two or more pieces which fit together like a puzzle creating a casing to hold liquid clay or ‘Slip’. Open pour or press molds are one piece molds that can be used with slip or by pressing clay into them.

The clay takes on the shape of the cavity of the mold and is then removed, processed and fired.

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Lusters (Mother of Pearl, Mardi Gras, Halos) are chemically induced special effects that create a touch of elegance to glazed items.  These are iridescent over-tints of varying color and degrees of translucency.
Applied unevenly which is its purpose to create the greatest effect.  Can be applied to any color of glaze with differing results. No two pieces turn out the same.

When EPA and CPA got involved in the field of paint production, many of the wonderful lusters were taken off the market in the USA; however some manufacturers are making great strides in duplicating some of them.

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Fired Gold, Platinum, Silver are somewhat tricky to learn. Not difficult, but touchy and temperamental. These precious metals are suspended in a liquid and do not look at all like you would expect. Different brands have a color agent in them to help you see where you paint them. There are different grades, especially with the gold. Some is 14k, 12k, 10k etc. The metallic is released during the firing process. The resulting sheen will be affected by the sheen of the glaze. Gloss glazes will give a high sheen and Matte glazes with give a satin sheen.

Metallics are intended to go over a glazed item, but may also be used on prepared, fired porcelain bisque. The final results will never be shiny, but rather a matte, antique, burnished effect.

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Long before glazes were discovered, the primitive potter learned to make their objects more appealing by polishing the clay before they baked it. This polishing produced a soft satin sheen. It was accomplished by vigorously rubbing the surface of the item before the clay was completely dry using a smooth stone or soft piece of leather. It was found that by painting the pots with assorted colored clays that had been liquefied, multicolor effects were possible. Polishing specific colors made them stand out more than the ones not polished. American Indian potters still use these same methods to finish much of their wares.

The hobby ceramist can take advantage of polishing the underglazes without having to search out the different clays and making their own. Ordinary greenware can be polished to a fairly high gloss and pieces painted with regular commercial underglaze colors will also accept the polish because many of them are made from a clay base. Items made with the clay polish are porous when they are baked (modern term is fired) and should be used for decorative purposes only. The interior of vases, jars, and other containers can be glazed to make them more functional and easier to clean after use.

The best tool to uses for polishing process is an absolutely smooth stone such as a piece of quartz or agate. Any stone with a glass-like surface can be used. You can often find suitable stones alongside river or creek beds. As an alternative, you can use a soft, lint free cloth such as T-shirt material. There is, or was a product on the market called underglaze conditioner that can be of great help with this technique.

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