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making stoneware clay bottles for beer


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Friend of mine asked me to make few bottles for his home made beer and I thought why not. The idea is to use stoneware clay and fire those around 1257-60C in electric kiln. For cap, we like to use swing top bottle closures like Grolsch has.

If he wants about 50 bottles, it makes sense to make a mold and pour the bottles.

Have you done this? Poured stoneware clay? What are the problems you run in to? All tips and recommendations are welcome :)

 

Cheers!

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Friend of mine asked me to make few bottles for his home made beer and I thought why not. The idea is to use stoneware clay and fire those around 1257-60C in electric kiln. For cap, we like to use swing top bottle closures like Grolsch has.

If he wants about 50 bottles, it makes sense to make a mold and pour the bottles.

Have you done this? Poured stoneware clay? What are the problems you run in to? All tips and recommendations are welcome :)/>

 

Cheers!

 

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Friend of mine asked me to make few bottles for his home made beer and I thought why not. The idea is to use stoneware clay and fire those around 1257-60C in electric kiln. For cap, we like to use swing top bottle closures like Grolsch has.

If he wants about 50 bottles, it makes sense to make a mold and pour the bottles.

Have you done this? Poured stoneware clay? What are the problems you run in to? All tips and recommendations are welcome smile.gif

 

Cheers!

 

 

Of course bottles explode if fermentation is still going strong and gases are produced by yeast. That's what barrels are for :)

 

 

 

 

 

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The flip tops should prevent explosions, they will release gasses. If the brewer has carbonated in bottles before, will know how much to prime each bottle for best taste which is below explosion pressures.

 

I've been working on throwing 1/2 gal stoneware growlers, getting the clay to fit the large flip-tops with shrinkage has been a challenge. I designed the bottle in Illustrator, enlarged 115% and printed it out. I take my dimensions off the printout when I throw. I have successfully thrown one but have not bisque fired it yet. The top looks like it will fit but I don't want to try it on green ware fearing I may break or chip it.

 

If you go for bottles, I would throw 22 oz. It's a good size for drinking and is standard for filling at brew pubs. The smaller flip tops would probably be a little easier to fit, they just have lugs on the side with a small hole in each for the flip-top to pull against. I would think getting the shrinkage factor into your mold design will be the primary hurdle.

 

-Brin

Growler.pdf

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Growler.pdf

post-20894-137036039481_thumb.jpg

post-20894-137036096575_thumb.jpg

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The flip tops should prevent explosions, they will release gasses. If the brewer has carbonated in bottles before, will know how much to prime each bottle for best taste which is below explosion pressures.

 

I've been working on throwing 1/2 gal stoneware growlers, getting the clay to fit the large flip-tops with shrinkage has been a challenge. I designed the bottle in Illustrator, enlarged 115% and printed it out. I take my dimensions off the printout when I throw. I have successfully thrown one but have not bisque fired it yet. The top looks like it will fit but I don't want to try it on green ware fearing I may break or chip it.

 

If you go for bottles, I would throw 22 oz. It's a good size for drinking and is standard for filling at brew pubs. The smaller flip tops would probably be a little easier to fit, they just have lugs on the side with a small hole in each for the flip-top to pull against. I would think getting the shrinkage factor into your mold design will be the primary hurdle.

 

-Brin

 

 

nice frit. T

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The flip tops should prevent explosions, they will release gasses. If the brewer has carbonated in bottles before, will know how much to prime each bottle for best taste which is below explosion pressures.

 

I've been working on throwing 1/2 gal stoneware growlers, getting the clay to fit the large flip-tops with shrinkage has been a challenge. I designed the bottle in Illustrator, enlarged 115% and printed it out. I take my dimensions off the printout when I throw. I have successfully thrown one but have not bisque fired it yet. The top looks like it will fit but I don't want to try it on green ware fearing I may break or chip it.

 

If you go for bottles, I would throw 22 oz. It's a good size for drinking and is standard for filling at brew pubs. The smaller flip tops would probably be a little easier to fit, they just have lugs on the side with a small hole in each for the flip-top to pull against. I would think getting the shrinkage factor into your mold design will be the primary hurdle.

 

-Brin

 

 

I guess with your last name you be an expert. (Lol)

 

But while,your at it can you guys post some images beer related glasses, mugs or "steins". That you've made. I'm looking for inspiration for a rugged ceramic beer vessel.

 

(While I enjoy a big hoppy IPA don't bring it to me in a delicate snifter.). (Or any beer for that matter)

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I guess with your last name you be an expert. (Lol)

 

But while,your at it can you guys post some images beer related glasses, mugs or "steins". That you've made. I'm looking for inspiration for a rugged ceramic beer vessel.

 

 

 

Maybe you have heard of my Uncle Stein? He would have been a great potter if he had put his mind to it. (Lol)

 

For ideas, I found an old Schlitz printing press die probably from a newspaper. I thought it would make a great sprig mold for some 16oz thrown glasses.

 

-Brian

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post-20894-137037402005_thumb.gif

post-20894-137037407749_thumb.jpg

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The flip tops should prevent explosions, they will release gasses. If the brewer has carbonated in bottles before, will know how much to prime each bottle for best taste which is below explosion pressures.

 

I've been working on throwing 1/2 gal stoneware growlers, getting the clay to fit the large flip-tops with shrinkage has been a challenge. I designed the bottle in Illustrator, enlarged 115% and printed it out. I take my dimensions off the printout when I throw. I have successfully thrown one but have not bisque fired it yet. The top looks like it will fit but I don't want to try it on green ware fearing I may break or chip it.

 

If you go for bottles, I would throw 22 oz. It's a good size for drinking and is standard for filling at brew pubs. The smaller flip tops would probably be a little easier to fit, they just have lugs on the side with a small hole in each for the flip-top to pull against. I would think getting the shrinkage factor into your mold design will be the primary hurdle.

 

-Brin

 

 

Glad to see someone else uses a drawing program for planning. Personally, I prefer Corel Draw for this even though I taught adult night classes in Illustrator. Adobe products were too expensive for me in the long run, and I like the measuring and scaling tools in Corel Draw that Illustrator did not have at the time. I find the working with a draw program or even a 3D program allows me to plan things out better than by paper pencil-so easy to play what if.

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  • 1 year later...

I had an instructor once who made his own beer and cone 10 stoneware bottles. If your friend is carbonating in the bottle,you need to be very conscious of uniform wall thickness, make sure there's no areas that are too thin, and compress your clay well. Ie throw with at least one, if not two ribs. Carbonation build up can cause too thin, under-compressed bottle to give out, even with a grolsh style closure. Also, make sure your glaze fits like a glove, and your clay as vitreous as possible. Martin told us to avoid shino type glazes on the inside, he said he noticed a difference in flavour and how it fizzes.

50 bottles is definitely a project, but I'd be inclined to throw them, to get the compression.

 

And BigLou, I'm posting some of my beer steins to my gallery. They're still green, but I'll update in about 2 weeks when they're glazed.

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Getting the shrinkage right is the hardest part. This form will works best I think as slip cast as it will have even wall thickness. which is good for pressure.You may as well put a logo on the mold to add some style-very easy to do.

Mark

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I have many years of slip casting under my belt and will tell you that it isnt a hard thing to do as long as the viscosity is right for your clay body. The trickiest part is the timing for the preferred thickness of your bottles body and making sure the insides are completely covered with food safe glaze.  Any air bubbles or pinholes in the glaze body will not turn out well for storing the beer.

Something you might find handy before you finish desigining your mold would be to look at a site {like Bing.com} and check out images for ceramic beer bottles and mold manufacturers.  Could be inspiring and maybe save you some work.  I'm not into slip casting much these days prefer slab work. Hope this gives you another avenue to explore

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Ebay may be another good source for inspiration. Ceramic beer bottles are a big collectors item. Most of them were made for local brewery's.

If I were to make 50 I would buy a couple of different bottles and see hands on how they were made.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I have been searching all over for a source for the large flip top bottles.  Unfortunately I have found 4, but the cheapest that I have found is about $10 per lid.  The absolution cheapest price was $9.23, but they have a S&H charge of $5!

 

If anyone finds a source for the large swig top lids in Ceramic let me know.

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Ceramics monthly magazine this month has an article on growlers from a company out in Washington. They cast and then finish on the wheel. Some of you might like their use of the Griffin Grip! :huh:

 

Link is here to article repost in the Ceramic Arts Daily area:

 

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-art-and-artists/functional-pottery/clay-growlers-for-ceramophiles/

 

Best,

Pres

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  • 2 weeks later...

Your cast from a mold is clay specific as far as attaching hardware is concerned.  If you change your slip and it has different shrinkage your hardware may not fit.  It looks like the growler company in Oregon cuts there mold masters out of blocks of plaster on a lathe.  The slip hast to meet stringent quality control standards.

 

It you make a master bottle and then make molds from it.  rather than cut another master, you may want to change your clay to fit your mold.

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Small world. He and i had this same discussion once upon a time. He told stories of some dramatic failures in his early trials. The clay vitrification and glaze fit can make it or break it. Pun intended.

Do you remember how he was capping/sealing his? (It's been years)

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