fanniev Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 Hi! i just recently took my third pottery class and got quite ambitious! I wanted to make a tray so I used a Styrofoam tray that you get meats on from the grocery store as my mould. I moulded the clay to it. It looks beautiful. I was so proud except the step by mess was to put something between the Styrofoam mould and the clay. So now I’m sitting here with the clay drawing in this beautiful tray that I created and I don’t know how to get the Styrofoam mould apart from the clay, any suggestions or is this just a wasted project and I should go back to the drawing board thank you for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 It may dry and pop loose. If it's too stuck it will crack as it dries and shrinks but there's nothing much you can do about that now. Worth a try just letting it dry. Once it's firm enough you may be able to peel off the styrofoam. In the future, lay a piece of newspaper or paper towel between the clay and tray, or dust the clay with corn starch before putting it on the tray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanniev Posted February 2 Author Report Share Posted February 2 Thank you! Ughhh I guess live and learn. I’m going to try and be patient and let it dry Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 If you don't care about the tray you could melt it off. I believe it is lacquer or paint thinner, you find the info on the internet. Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted February 2 Report Share Posted February 2 (edited) How dry/firm was your clay? Are we talking about applying a firm-ish slab to a drape/press mould or building up wettish clay in some sort of "slip" mould? If you abandon this first effort make sure you find out where & how it's sticking (e.g is it surface to surface or some sort of shape interlocking). PS Googling pottery mold styrofoam turns up lots ideas to compare-and-contrast with your technique, for example Using a Common Styrofoam Mold for a Platter, with Stoneware Slip over Kentucky Brown Bear Clay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0yB3Uv3-pU ... a fairly arbitrary choice, the slab looks overdry to me but I cannot imagine it sticking in that mould. Edited February 4 by PeterH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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