What is Hobby Ceramics?

Hobby ceramics is a huge hobby industry just waiting for you to join in the fun and excitement of producing handmade ceramic pieces either in a studio or at home.

For the benefit of those of you who have never experienced a Hobby Ceramic Studio we will start with the basics.

The process starts with porous plaster molds - 1000s are available from mold making companies around the world such as Gare, Duncan, Creative Solutions etc etc. These moulds could be items such as vases, jugs, fairies, wizards, dragons, teddy bears and practical items like dinner services and kitchen utensils.

The porous plaster molds usually two pieces but sometimes can be as many as four are bound together with a special rubber band.

All molds have a hole known as a pour hole a liquid white earthenware clay known as slip is poured into the pour hole. The water in the slip is drawn into the plaster mold leaving a thin layer of clay on the inside of the mold this process can take 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size and how thick and heavy you want the piece.

As the water from the slip is drawn into the mold you need to keep the pour hole in the mold topped up to keep the layer of clay even throughout the piece.

After about 20 minutes you carefully tip out the excess slip into your bucket or machine so there is no waste and stand the mold upright for several hours to start the drying process.

Around the pour hole is a layer of clay. Using this piece you can judge how thick your piece is and how dry.

Once the piece of clay in the pour hole starts to feel like it is setting you can remove the rubber bands that are keeping the mold together. carefully lift off one piece and remove the item you have cast out of the mold.

Trim off the excess piece of clay that has accumulated around the pour hole and stand your piece to dry. Preferably on a wooden shelf or table never on a metal shelf.

Once the piece has had several days to dry out it will feel pretty solid but is fragile at this stage the piece is called greenware.

Now begins the cleaning process known as fettling using a special tool you then remove the seam line that occur where the two parts of the mold met.

Now is the time to make good any loss of design on the surfaceof the piece. You can at this stage carve you name and a date in to the bottom of the piece and its now ready to work on.

Some painting processes allow you to paint the piece as a piece of greenware before you fire it in the kiln. You have to be very careful with the piece at this stage it is very delicate I personally recommend that you get used to painting pieces after they have been fired before you spend hours painting a piece and then knock it and lose an arm or handle.

The greenware goes into your studio kiln and is fired to a temperature around 1040 - 1100 degrees once the piece has been fired it is called bisque. Now the piece is easier to handle and won`t crumble in your hand.

Your piece can be painted in acrylics useing 100s of bright colors glitters and pearls. These pieces are then taken home and not re fired in a kiln.

If you are using glazes they do have to be re-fired but the effects are truly amazing.

The new contempary ceramic cafes use bisque that is provided to them ready to paint. So they do not produce greenware like the hobby ceramic studios.

What attracts people to hobby ceramics is the fact that anyone can do it. No previous experience in pottery is required, you just need a good eye for colour, but even there we can provide you with a color wheel to help.

contact in the first instance

alansunderland@houseofceramicsfrance.com

we are here to help you succeed!