Make my own tiki mug?

(I searched the forums and didn't find anything at all regarding this - please let me know if I missed something - apologies if a duplicate of sorts.)

Basically, I was wondering if anyone has experience going through the process of creating their own mugs? I guess what I mean is not just hand carving a piece of wood into a mug, but making a mold to where you could create multiples of the same mug?

I have some experience in sculpting (bronze, plaster, wood) and the process to create things such as bronze sculptures, where you carve your design using wax, then create a mold using cement around in, then pour molten bronze into the mold, resulting in a rough version of the carving, which then has to be cleaned and finished.

I saw that the shag disney ETR goblet was carved out of wax to begin with so I'm guessing that its a similar process to what I'm familiar with.

Can anyone provide a background on this topic? Whether from the design or manufacturing perspective...

Thanks.
Trader Matt

I am also interested in this process. Additionally, once the sculpt and mold are made, how/where can you make, glaze, and fire the mug in very low volumes (1-10)?? There must be ceramic workshops, colleges/universities, etc. that you let you use/rent their equipment?

Scotty

Get a book at the library. It will show you the whole process.

In order to do mugs like the traditional ones where the inside matches the contours of the outside you must do a slip mold.

To do low runs try going to a small ceramics place, you know the kind usually ran by little old ladies. Or if you live near on of those places where people can come in and paint plates and cups then fire them themselves.

A book is the best way in my opinion.

Hi,

I am in the process of doing this. A model of the mug can be made out of a number of things: oil based clay, wax, plaster, wood, and clay in the moist, dried, fired or glazed stages. I am going to send out a fired clay model to someone to make the mold for me then cast and glaze the mugs myself.

"The Clay Lover's Guide to Making Molds" by Peirce Clayton is a great book. It took all the mystery out of mold making. I got a used copy off amazon.com for around $8.00 including shipping.

If you havn't read it already, here is the post about my first mug:

This is a long-awaited thread. YYK, thanks for the book title, though I think there will be a rush at Amazon for it.

Cool, thanks for the info and book title. Will have to check that out.

I guess the step that I am missing is the step that allows you to make more than one of something. My background is more of a sculpture background, which yields one piece at a time.

I'm familiar with plaster carving and clay work (kiln firing, etc), but I'm still missing the insight that gives me a way to reuse a mold... I'll have to think about this more.

Are mugs usually made out of liquid plaster, poured into a mold, set, then painted, then fired???

Ok, ok, I'll get the book.

I think getting the book is alot easier than anyone trying to explain it to you. The visuals alone are worth the money. On I side note I sent the guy that makes molds an email asking for price qoutes on several different methods of reproduction. After I did this my computer died and is beyond fixing. Because of this I can't check my Outlook Express email so I can't see if he replied yet. I'm using the computer at work but once I gain access to my Outlook account I will post the methods along with the prices to give you guys an idea. Till next time.