MELTING CLAY CASTING

[Tikiguy]

I am new to ceramics. I have been teaching myself how to create and cast and glaze. So I am researching different methods of casting my mugs. I saw a special effects artist cast clay from a crockpot and laddle it into a latex or silicone mold he took from a life casting. Would the cast clay that's been melted down and cast this way be good for making mugs?

I am carving my mugs and then I want to make detailed molds, silicone or latex would be optimal for detail. I am looking for lots of different methods to learn in my new hobby.

Thank you

[justanassembler]

whatever he or she was casting out of a crock pot was not clay--most likely wax. When people cast in ceramics, they are using slip, which is cast into plaster molds and then fired. Google "slipcasting".

[AtomicAxe]

I am new to ceramics. I have been teaching myself how to create and cast and glaze. So I am researching different methods of casting my mugs. I saw a special effects artist cast clay from a crockpot and laddle it into a latex or silicone mold he took from a life casting. Would the cast clay that's been melted down and cast this way be good for making mugs?

I am carving my mugs and then I want to make detailed molds, silicone or latex would be optimal for detail. I am looking for lots of different methods to learn in my new hobby.

Thank you

 

 

What justanassembler said is probably what it is. If the mold were latex or silicone, using melted wax would produce a mold blank to make another plaster mold from and thus the more you have, the more you could make at one time.

 

silicone and latex are good for epoxy or resin casts, but not for ceramic slip casts since they don't absorb moisture. if you need to have many of the same mold, making a urethane mold to produce wax castings is always a great idea as you can then have any number of molds to make your ware. but stick to plaster for slip casting.

[Tikiguy]

I am new to ceramics. I have been teaching myself how to create and cast and glaze. So I am researching different methods of casting my mugs. I saw a special effects artist cast clay from a crockpot and laddle it into a latex or silicone mold he took from a life casting. Would the cast clay that's been melted down and cast this way be good for making mugs?

I am carving my mugs and then I want to make detailed molds, silicone or latex would be optimal for detail. I am looking for lots of different methods to learn in my new hobby.

Thank you

 

[Tikiguy]

Thank you both for your replies. After justanassembler's reply I went to work researching a bit deeper into that video. I turns out this man is a special effects artists who uses what's called "TexClay". It is an Earthen clay mixed with a special wax to help in casting from silicone and latex molds and doing build-ups. It is a special formula for effects guys, not pottery. It would just melt like animation clay if fired.

Thank you for your posts and help. I have been studying slip casting, and learning how to make the plaster molds, I am just more familiar with silicone form my past miniature work. I have fairly detailed sculptures for my mugs so I was looking for a way to make detailed molds.

So I guess my next step is to learn about "multi-piece" plaster mold making.

If anyone has some good references I'd appreciate a list of how-to's.

Wish me luck and Thank you.

[perkolator]

I have fairly detailed sculptures for my mugs so I was looking for a way to make detailed molds.

plaster should be able to give you this detail since it has the ability to cast as fine of details as fingerprints and hair. what it will not be able to do is cast you objects with undercuts...which I'm sure you already know based on the comment of multi-part molds. good luck.