SLIP-CASTING

Learning the basics

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INDEX
02. What is slip-casting?

03. Slip-casting manifesto

04. Making a ptototype

05. Planning mould sections

06. Making a casting mould

09. Casting

11. Glossary

12. References
WHAT IS SLIP-CASTING? 2

Slip-casting is a technique for the mass-

production of pottery, especially for shapes not
easily made on a wheel. A liquid clay body slip is
poured into plaster moulds and allowed to form a
layer, the cast, on the inside cavity of the mould.
For a hollow cast mould, once the plaster has
absorbed most of the liquid from the outside layer
of clay the remaining slip is poured off for later
use. The cast piece is removed from the mould,
fettled (trimmed neatly) and allowed to dry.
This produces a greenware piece which is then
dried before firing, with or without decoration
and glaze.
Advantages Disadvantages
This process was introduced into many European
porcelain factories in the eighteenth century, and Complex forms can easily be Slow production rate
was commonly employed for the casting of terra achieved Limited control over tolerances
cotta sculpture in the nineteenth century. Ideal for producing hollow ware Labour intensive
Does not require much finishing Moulds may be heavy to handle
(usually only fettling) Large scale production requires
Efficient use of material many moulds, which themselves
Slip is fairly inexpensive require storage
Lets itself well to small-scale
production runs or limited editions
SLIP-CASTING MANIFESTO
You cant learn ceramics in a
week
Dont come expecting to learn starting and preferably some
everything there is to learn
straight away. Take baby steps
and focus on one aspect at the
time
Come prepared You are going to get dirty Dont be scared of making
Have a design in mind before Dont be scared of getting
dirty. Use your hands, get
tools familiar with the material
3
mistakes
You are probably not going
to get it right the first time.
Experiment as much as pos-
sible as the best results often
come from experimenting and
making mistakes. Experience
comes with time
MAKING A PROTOTYPE
MDF
Easy to work and tool with,
more durable. Prototype is
safe and intact, great for
achieving sharp, transitional
lines and edges. Laminating
together with wood glue might
take a long to dry etc. but once
its glued, its firm and stable.
Clay
A model can easily be made
with clay. It is preferable to
allow the model to dry to
the leatherhard stage before
making the mould. You should
preferably use a clay body that
is similar in color to the work
after firing it to avoid traces of
clay of a different color in the
final piece.
Blue Foam
This is a material that is
relatively easy to handle and
very light. It is quite expensive
so use it reasonably. While
moulding it is very delicate and
can get scratches easily so
you have to handle it with care.
Otherwise it is ideal for more
organic shapes that can be
hard to obtain with wood.
4
Other Materials
A model may also consist
of very soft materials
such as mattress foam or
textiles. However, during the
construction of the mould,
deformation may occur due
to the weight exerted by
the mould. The material can
become compressed, resulting
in staggered mould seams.
PLANNING MOULD SECTIONS 5

Factors to take into consideration

Each undercut makes another mould section

necessary

Manageability of the mould is another factor

determining the placement of mould sections.

The weight of each mould section and of the

entire mould

The way the mould is filled and emptied

How to hold together the different sections One Piece
together (straps, tape or wires)
Ideal for hollow shapes
Where to position your pouring hole such as bowls or glasses.
This option is a time saving
How the mould is going to stand; its stability technique that results in an
and strength (especially when doing multi- accurate mould which also
sectioned moulds) minimizes seam lines.
Two or Multi-piece
The purpose of making the
mould in two or more pieces
is to permit certain shaped
castings, when leather hard,
to be removed from the mould
without breaking.
MAKING A CASTING MOULD
Prepare your cottles.
Rectangular cottles are made
from wooden planks, often
held together by clamps. The
wood should be soaped to
keep the plaster from sticking
and the cottles should be
sealed with clay to prevent
plaster from leaking out. Be
careful, as the pressure of the
liquid can be surprising
Fill the bottom half of
the mould box with clay
(preferably recycled) and
place your model on it.
Create a pouring hole by
adding some extra clay where
you are going to want an
opening.
Make sure your model is well
placed and that your parting
line is somewhat parallel to
your work cottles. When it is
in place, smoothen the clay
surface.
6
Carve a couple of keys into
the clay surface by using any
rounded end, such as a marker.
These round depressions will
help hold the mould together
when casting. Then, with a soft
brush, cover the model with a
thin layer of vaseline.

Put some water into a clean
bowl. Avoid lumps and make
sure to have enough water.
Slowly add plaster to the
water until you start seeing
small islands that dont sink.
Place your hand in bottom of
bowl and shake it from left to
right (to remove lumps and air
bubbles).
7
Fill the mould box with plaster. Turn the mould over and Gently clean the surfaces and
The plaster should cover at proceed to lift off the clay from remove any crums or lumps.
least 1 inch over the highest model and plaster half of the Add some vaseline to the
point of the model. Let it mould. Make sure to keep the model.
set for around 20 minutes. It clay in the pouring hole and all
should start feeling warm when the cottles in place.
it is dry enough to handle.

Once the second half of the
mould has been filled, let it set
for around one hour. Once it is
dry, remove the cottles.
Remove the clay from the
pouring hole with the help of a
knife, making sure not to ruin
the mould
Pour some water in the mould
and let it rest for a minute or
so. This procedure should
facilitate the opening of the
mould.
8
Carefully open the mould. With
a soft brush, wash both halves
with water, making sure to
remove any remainders of clay.
Set it to dry in a warm place.
The time it takes for the mould
to dry depends on a lot of
things but, to be sure, let it rest
for at least a couple of days.
When it starts to feel warm,
you will know it is almost if not
fully dry
CASTING
If you buy an already-made
slip, make sure to stir it well
before using it. It is always
good to pour some (better too
much than not enough) in a
smaller pitcher. Make sure to
sieve it. This is necessary to
remove any dry bits that might
have falled into the bucket.
Seal the mould parts with
either straps, wires or tape.
It doesnt really matter what
you use, as long as you make
sure they dont move. Once
the mould is sealed, set it in
a vertical position with the
pouring hole facing upwards.
Pour the slip into the mould.
You will notice that after one
minute or so, the level of the
slip will lower. This is because
it starts to set inside the
mould. When this happens,
pour more slip into the hole.
9
While the slip is drying, remove
the excess slip that spilled
outside of the mould with a
knife. The longer you leave
the slip inside the mould, the
thicker it will become.

Once you believe that your
product is thick enough, gently
tilt the mould and slowly drain
out all the excess slip into a
container. Position it upside-
down, vertically, and place
it on two parallel pieces of
wood. Leave it there until the
slip stops dripping. Make sure
that the outflowing slip does
not block the gate.
After 10 minutes, whe the
slip stops dripping, turn the
mould straight up again. Let
the mould rest in this upright
position for 30 or more
minutes.
Lay the mould on a side.
Remove the straps and gently
tap the upper mould piece
before lifting it all the way. Use
the help of a knife if necessary.
Cut off the excess clay from
the pouring hole. See if the
casting will lift out by hand. If
it is too fragile, let it rest for
10-15 mins before carefully
removing it and positioning it
vertically
10
After the removed casting has
dried 30 mins, fettle it until the
surfaces are even. If there are
any air holes, they can be filled
by hand with soft clay. Set the
casting away until it is bone-
dry. You may then sandpaper
the surfaces very gently, where
necessary. It is now ready to
be fired in the kiln.
GLOSSARY 11

Bisque: Pottery which has been fired once, without glaze, to a
temperature just before vitrification
Bone Dry: Completely air dried
Cottle: The word used for the device that holds the liquid
plaster around the mould
Earthenware: A low-fired clay, often red, white and buff colored.
More porous in nature than stoneware
Fettling: Trimming, carefully removing the seam lines left by the
meeting of two moulds
Fire: To heat a clay object in a kiln to a specific temperature
Leather hard: Stage of the clay between plastic and bone dry.
Clay is still damp enough to join it to other pieces using slip. For
example, this is the stage handles are applied to mugs.
Maturing Point: The temperature at which the clay becomes
hard and durable
Pouring hole: Opening in mould to pour slip into
Slip: A slip is a suspension in water of clay and/or other
materials used in the production of ceramic ware
Stoneware: A semi-vitreous or vitreous ceramic ware fired
at high temperatures. Particularly hard and less porous than
earthware.

Glaze: A thin coating of glass. An impervious silicate coating, Undercut: A curve in the form which makes it impossible to
which is developed in clay ware by the fusion under heat of remove the mould section without damaging the form
inorganic materials

Greenware: Unfired pottery. Ready to be bisque fired

Keys: Round or oval shape depressions with matching

counterpart usually on flat section of parting line of mould

Kiln: A furnace of refractory clay bricks for firing pottery and for
fusing glass
REFERENCES 12

My Blog: http://virginiadecolombani.wordpress.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slipcasting

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/earthenware-vs-stoneware.html

http://www.jnevins.com/glossary.htm

http://www.lagunaclay.com/support/art-of-ceramicmoldmaking.php

http://www.basic-stuff.com/hobbies/ceramics/slip-casting.htm

http://kissmekateceramics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/moulds.jpg

http://www.dezeen.com/2010/07/05/pixel-mould-by-julian-bond/