As I was writing articles for this website, I had flashbacks to my beginnings in the world of ceramics. It seems like just a wink and a nod ago, but it was actually quite a few decades since I was a child and doing ceramics as a craft with my mother. I remember her handing me a little dog, a brush and a bottle of paint and telling me to ‘slap it on’. I didn’t know and I didn’t care about the process, it was just something to do with my mother. We did these projects together for a few years off and on, nothing major for me anyway. I would rather be outside playing “Red Rover” with the other kids in the neighborhood. It was some years later before I really became ‘hooked’ on ceramics.

It wasn’t until I had my own children and settled down somewhat that I happened to go with a friend when she picked up some of her ceramic projects from a neighborhood studio. I saw a piece of greenware I liked and I purchased it in hopes I could talk her into making it for me. When I asked her to do it she said, “No way. I’ll help you, but I never make anything for anyone.” Well, not wanting to waste my investment, I finally went with her to ‘classes’ and found out what ceramics was really all about. I was very lucky in that the instructor was really great-knowledgeable and patient. She gave me the foundation that I have built on and patterned in my own teaching as I explored the world of ceramics.

After getting a taste of how much fun it was and that “I” could be creative, I couldn’t get enough of it. Classes one night a week grew to two then three and finally I was bringing things home. I soon found out that if I was going to make 10 or more multiples of anything (gifts), it would be cheaper to buy a mold and cast my own. Oh my, the ceramic monster got a good hold on me. I found a supplier close by and became the proud owner of my first mold. I had NO idea what to do with it. The ladies at the supply house laughed at me when I asked “How to….?” and then they very kindly took me to the back of their shop and showed me how to cast my mold. A couple hours later, I walked out with a couple gallons of slip, tools, my mold and my first cast piece. I could do this!!

As with all people who suffer from OCD (Obsessive CERAMIC Disorder) my one mold grew and multiplied. This one ‘little’ mold was the parent of many. Each one larger than the last. Each one leaving me hungry for more. It was and still is like Christmas to open the first casting of a new mold.

As many beginners do, my kitchen was my studio. I cast my molds on the kitchen table, draining them into buckets, clay crumbs falling on the floor and into the stew pot. Yes, I lived, breathed and ate ceramics. This went on until the day of my baptism. You really are not a true ceramist if this hasn’t happened to you at least once. I had a pretty good sized mold sitting ready to pour on top of my table. It took all my strength to lift the bucket of slip to fill it. I kept filling and kept filling and my arms were shaking from the strain, but the slip did not seem to be raising to the top. All of a sudden I sensed this GUSH and the mold split and all of the slip spilled out………over the table, down the sides, over me and onto my carpeted kitchen floor!!! A couple gallons of slick, slippery goo everywhere. What a mess!! Have you ever tried to clean up a couple gallons of slip off a carpeted floor? I can only say, I wish I knew then what I know now…it would have been some what easier.

From that day forward, my casting area was no longer in my kitchen.

Would love to hear from you about your experiences and comments.

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.

To read the rest of this article, click here.