Semi-production methods

While many readers will be concerned with only “one of a kind” ceramics, others may be interested in producing a quantity of ceramic pieces to sell. For this group of ceramists, here are a few suggestions on how to organize the work in the most efficient and profitable manner.

Multiple molds

For production purposes it is advisable to select molds of not more than three or four sections. Molds of more than four pieces require a great deal of time to assemble and occupy a considerable amount of working space. Although it can be done and is done; this is a specialized type of operation and, unless you plan to produce a small, expensive line, it is best to confine yourself to two-, three- or four-piece molds from which you can produce quantity work.

Instead of depending on one mold for each model, use a number of identical molds to cast many more pieces at one time. To speed up the casting operation even more, you can make or buy molds consisting of more than one cavity. This, of course, saves working space and will enable you to remove a number of cast pieces while opening only one mold. A mold of this type, with two or more cavities, is called a multiple mold and is used by most commercial ceramic plants.

To make a multiple mold, you will need a model for each cavity. Embed the models in the same manner described in Chapter III. The only difference in procedure is that the multiple mold will contain a number of models within the walled area instead of the single model in an ordinary one-cavity mold. Multiple molds are usually made from models requiring not more than two or three pieces.

Illustration 158
The ceramic duck, with its line design on a sponged background, could not be made quickly.

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