Post #621082 by danlovestikis on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 7:39 AM

The best part of making mugs are reading the comments, each is a gift.

MikeyTiki I always choose to make hard designs that require a lot of clean up. I have the need to make something that I personally like so it is worth it.

MDM thank you so much. I'm looking forward to your next clay project.

Beachbumz you are so right. One hour to clean it up now and one hour to sand and fine tune the detail top to bottom. It looks good now but I can make it even better. You do a wonderful job of detailing on your mugs.

Kele there are so many steps. There are no shortcuts other than less detail. This is why even mass produced mugs are a work of art. We think that Tiki Farm puts out quality mugs for prices so low it is a miracle.

hang10tiki I love that you have a Wendy shelf!

The Blue Kahuna thank you I'm looking forward to seeing you at Matt's.

Chuck Tatum is Tiki its always good to hear from you, thank you.

More helpful hints. I let any pieces of slip dry before removing because they pop off when dry. So before I start I get rid of clay that might not let the mold seat right or spoil detail in the mug.

A master mold maker told me to always wet the mold with a spray before starting. He said this begins a capillary action that will make the water pull out of the slip better and you will have good detail.

Try as hard as you can to make molds without lumps in your plaster. Those dry lumps will make weak spots. I'm not sure if that is what happened here but a piece in an important area broke off. To repair it I soaked the piece and sprayed the mold. I added some plaster dust and pressed hard. It glued it in place. I will add a bit more to fill the crack that shows and hope for the best.

I have two molds to open today. If that piece fell off then one mug will be ruined and I'll have to make a new mold piece. That is why I keep my original sculpt in-tacked until the project is finished.

Thank you all for taking this journey with me. Cheers, Wendy