Post #462823 by MadDogMike on Thu, Jun 18, 2009 2:44 PM

Bowana & Squid, thanks for the expert advice

PDrake, you've been doing some really cool stuff. A swap would be awesome, especially since my base material is mud and yours is precious metal :D

Bill, love those masks. You are quite a ceramicist, why are you wasting your time over there in the carving forum :lol: (just kidding, you're doing some great carvings). Those masks are very close to what I'm trying for with slight glaze decoration and large unglazed areas to pick up smoke. I am trying to get reds and browns instead of blacks and grays. I have been burnishing my stuff, I didn't realize that it interferes with the smoke pick-up. You're right about the one with the scars, it's definitely a stand-out.

Lennieguys, I miss them too (I guess :) )

Now for the math tutor. I just finished 2 projects that needed to account for shrinkage. My little Moai bottle needed to shrink enough that the spout would fit snuggly and I made a tissue box cover that needed to fit a box of Kleenex. I added 13% to my measurements for shrinkage, but as Murphy's Law would dictate, the bottle neck came out a little too big and the tissue cover came out a little too small.

The tissue cover is hard-edge slab formed, rolled over a woven textured plaster bat. The tissue box fits snuggly inside but the cover is a bit short.

The mini Moai is molded. It turned out a bit smaller than I had intended, holds about 8 ounces. The neck is just a little too big for spout but I have a plan; I am molding another one right now, I'll make it a little thicker to the inside diameter of the neck is smaller. If your are interesting in some mini Moai bottles, PM me - I have a mold and I work cheap :) Can be glazed to your taste and personalized with the contents or your lounge name.