Ways & How

How to Make Ceramics with Plaster Molds

How to Make Ceramics with Plaster Molds

If you love making ceramic pieces, then you might have used molds before. You can buy molds from craft stores, but you cannot customize the design. Keep in mind that a plaster mold allows you to make multiple copies. If you want custom molds, you can create your own plaster molds to multiple copies of what you want. To learn how to make ceramics with plaster molds, follow these steps:

  1. Get the following materials:


    Petroleum jelly

    Original object for the mold

    Box larger than this object

    Duct tape

    Rolling pin

    Long-handled wooden spoon

    Ceramic tools





  2. Create newspaper balls and place them inside the box.

    Make sure that the box is at least 2 inches larger on all sides than the object for the mold. Fill the bottom of the box with these newspaper balls to create a layer that is at least 3 inches thick.

  3. Place the original object in the center of the box on top of the newspaper balls, making sure that the object is facing upwards. Continue piling more newspaper balls around the object to hold it in place. Fill it halfway up the object. Set the box aside.

  4. Roll out a piece of clay into a flat slab that can fill the box. Cut a hole in the center, large enough for the original object to fit in. Place the clay slab over the original object, adding globs of extra clay to make sure that there is a smooth bond between the clay and the object. Squeeze the clay against the object so that the bottom half is no longer visible. This clay serves as the center dividing line in the box, as this will be the point where the mold will separate. Make sure that the clay is tightly sealed against the original piece. It should look like a flat piece of clay with half of the original object poking out from the center.

  5. Thinly coat the exposed part of the object with petroleum jelly to make sure that the plaster does not stick. Also, plaster does not stick to wet clay.

  6. Use a small round object to dent each corner of the clay slab so that they appear on the plaster mold. This helps you line up the two halves of the mold correctly during future use.

  7. Follow the instructions of the manufacturer on how to mix the plaster, and mix just enough to fill the box from the clay divider up to 2 inches above the clay. Pour the plaster mixture over the original object and allow it to set up overnight.

  8. After 24 hours, tear apart the box at the seams, but do not tear it completely because you still need it later. Make sure that you can duct tape it together.

  9. Place the flat plaster side of the mold on a flat surface. Remove the clay and the original object from the plaster.

  10. Duct tape the box to its original form and place the plaster mold into the box, the flat part facing the bottom. Put the original object back into the mold and rub a thin coat of petroleum jelly on all exposed areas of the mold and the object.

  11. Mix enough plaster to fill the box up to 2 inches over the original object.

  12. Allow the plaster to dry overnight and tear the box off the mold. You will no longer use this again. Use a ceramics tool to separate the two plaster pieces apart.

  13. Remove the original object and place the mold halves back together. Let them dry overnight. After 24 hours, you are ready to use the dried mold.

You can learn how to make ceramics with plaster molds for different kinds of objects. This way, you can make multiple copies of a certain object just by using a plaster mold that you made yourself.




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