Vase

Posted by parhad on June 28, 2001 at 18:45:03:

In case no one saw it over at ains, things were deleted so fast here it is again. The cut out on the right is taken from a book of Assyrian ceramics now housed in Berlin. It's a water color rendition, the oriinals are cracked and faded.

The one on the left is a plaster reproduction made on a hand lathe. I'll inscribe the design outlines next then make a three part plaster mold which will have those lines as a permanent part.

You pour "slip" which is a thick milk-shake like ceramic mix into the mold and wait for a residue to build up. The plaster mold acts as a sponge drawing out water from the slip. When the developing vase is thick enough, about a quarter of an inch, you pour out the rest and set the mold aside till the clay gets "leather hard,,,a little less actually. Then you open the mold, remove your eaxct copy in clay, with all the inscribed lines on the surface to guide you as you apply the glaze. The seams are cleaned up and the vase set aside to dry completely. Then it's fired once to harden it and then the a second time after the colors are applied.

I'll have a few made in Mexico and see if we can interest high end boutiques and such.