BuzzinBee Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 Hello Everyone! Newbie here. I have a question regarding the handling of extra large molds. My mom use to do a lot of ceramics back in the day and now, slowing down in her age, she would like to get back into it. She has extra large molds of a christmas tree and a rearing up horse. So pouring would be no problem but the sheer size and weight to move it and pour out the slip would require body builders! Which we are NOT. Anyways... is there a piece of equipment that is used to deal with these huge molds? I was actually thinking of getting an engine hoist from Harbor Freight, just under $200. How do the "not so muscled up" individuals deal with large molds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 Rather than lifting the entire thing, could you just roll it over? A hoist would do the job, but you'll have to figure out how to attach the mold to the cable in such a way that it would be secure as well as be able to rotate. That gets tricky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 Any way you could make an opening at the very bottom of the molds with a plug fitted in? Pull the plug to drain the mold into a bucket then touch up the area once it's removed from the mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted February 10, 2021 Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 that huge christmas tree mold is really heavy! the lady in the ceramic shop back in fairfax, va in 1972 used a double laundry tub sink with boards made into a grid that she would place on top of the tubs. she filled the mold with a helper who put one bucket of slip in and then the owner put hers in. after it was filled and topped up, they tipped the whole thing into the tub. the slip was caught in a large container. it was a struggle to tip that mold over and it dripped for a long time. it was a mess, it was very heavy and it filled the kiln with only one piece done at a time. all in all, she stopped doing it because it was so hard and not profitable. nothing else could be done in her shop while both of them were making the trees. can you tell i think it might be easier to do smaller, more current molds that might be more popular? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuzzinBee Posted February 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 On 2/9/2021 at 5:52 PM, neilestrick said: Rather than lifting the entire thing, could you just roll it over? A hoist would do the job, but you'll have to figure out how to attach the mold to the cable in such a way that it would be secure as well as be able to rotate. That gets tricky. Thanks for all that replied. I appreciate all the feedback. I'll have to do like "The Thinker" statue by Rodin. LOL Neilestrick you're right about the hoist as far as an attachment issue, and Min making an opening is something I will look into, thanks. Oldlady, you're absolutely right that thing is massive and I agree making it for profit wouldn't be beneficial. Until I figure out a way to manipulate these large molds I'll just enlist the help from family members. I will try and figure a way to manipulate them. I am like a dog with a bone giving up just isn't in my nature. I'll keep y'all posted. Thanks Again!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 strap them to oversize plywood rounds (circles) then fill them and when time to drain roll them -seen this before on large molds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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