Thank you!! I enjoy the making process so much. Lol! I would not let anyone else do any step if I can help it!
I make all the pieces from handmade molds. I mostly use porcelain, from either Pennsylvania or George. Soon I am going to cast some finer pieces in English porcelain. I get the clay in dry form. I mix my own slip, what a learning process that was!! Cast my own plaster mold. I mostly slip cast. I do not use low fire, it seems too weak for my taste. I use only mid-fire(cone 6) for my pieces.
The last two photos in my last post are my newest are my newest sizes. Those I do a process called "press in". I take wet clay and, lol, press it in the mold!!
On my listings I state that "this, like any ceramic, will crack it frozen". The porcelain that I use has a water absorption rate of 1.7% when it's fully fired. Usually anything over 1% is bad and susceptible to breaking when frozen. Now, after all that being said, I have had many, many outside for years. None have broken yet, so I don't know! I live in Annapolis MD, zone 7a. We get snow and plenty ice here.
I have broken them in the freezer.
Let me know if that answers your questions!
Here are some of pic I have of steps(I really don't take a lot of pictures, my hands are usually wrecked!!)
I am starting the mold for this planter tonight
-Anthony
