Week of studio

Wednesday 14th November Slight chaos is reigning in the studio I'm getting ready to fill a kiln on Sunday for a bisque firing, I've a mixture of slip cast  and press moulded peat slices. I've been using a couple of metal tools to explore metal tool marks on the clay, as the tairsgeir would mark …

Studio this week

I've been press moulding this week, as discussed last week I was worried that I'd lost the correct proportion when I cut down the size of the peat slice, and that the moulds were too square in section. I press moulded a few full sized crank peat slices, then started wiring them in half and …

Parian flasks

The parian flasks are ready for their bisque firing. I made around 5 in the studio Wednesday/Thursday, I exploded one in my hand while I was cleaning it, so I decided to open the slip casting weekend sweat shop at home to finish the other 10 or so. I found the parian slower and more …

Transferring the greenware to the studio

I moved the slip casting to the kitchen over the bank holiday to maximise time to make the flasks. Then I had to move the greenware to the studio today... The lugs in particular are very delicate so it was stressful to move them to the studio. I managed to re-attach all the ones that …

Slip casting with the new mould

I've spent the last few days slip casting with porcelain into the new mould. I had lots of problems, which turned out to be the mould hadn't dried out properly. I left it overnight, put it in the oven at a very low temperature and it dried out.

Making a new mould and -plaster flask

While I was on campus Richard helped me make a new plaster orginial flask, and a new 3 part mould. I wanted to slip cast from a new mould as the old one had problems with the neck. I wanted a smoother, thinner flask.

Moon flask disasters

I've not managed to get anything out of mould 2 intact. The thinner consistency and attempts to make more delicate, thinner skinned flasks haven't worked.   Greenware flasks and another failed attempt at mould 2 I'll fire the two greenware flasks from mould 1 and use them as a test for the shape and the …

Moon flask casting

A technical diary has been kept of the process during the last week of casting. To summarise, I've been experimenting using oxides sprinkled on the moulds before casting, and the Bath stone, which has been bisqued and crushed to a powder, with a bit of texture left in it. In order to replicate the patina …

Oxide testing

I cast the cylinder mould using stoneware slip and used it for oxide testing. I added some oxides then I'll put the cylinder outside to weather. Mixing oxides (Affleck) Photograph 11/01/18 I sectioned the greenware cylinder into 8 and tested 7 oxides, I mixed 5g oxide with 100ml water. After bisque firing (Affleck) Photograph 12/01/18

Jules Verne

I came across an illustration by Lev Kaplan for Jules Vernes Around the World in 80 days. https://www.behance.net/gallery/9084979/In-80-days-around-the-world  Website accessed 2/11/17 Jules Verne wrote the book in the second half of the 19th century when global travelling was opening up as more and more steam train lines were opening and steamer boat routes opened up. …