Plaster Mold Making · Custom Firing · Ceramic Reproductions

To get your custom ceramic item manufactured, you will need a plaster mold.  The plaster mold is made from an original, called a model.  The model is usually made of plaster but can be made of ceramic, wood or other material, such as metal.   As long as the model does not have undercuts in it, a plaster mold can be made from it.

The model will have to be larger than the finished product.  This is because clay bodies shrink in the manufacturing process.  The shrinkage may be from 6% to 17%.  Low-fired clay slip, such as used in ceramics, will be at the low end of the spectrum, at about 6%, and high-fired clay bodies, such as porcelain, bone china, stoneware, can shrink to 10% to 17%.