Beautifully finished mug from Tim Hortons

This was a limited edition heavy (450g or 1 lb) white stoneware mug for sale in Tim Hortons restaurants recently. It exhibits fine workmanship and carries lessons for potters. Notice they employ a transparent food safe liner glaze. The outside decoration appears to have been done at the leather hard stage using a colored engobe, wax resist and ceramic transfers. The entire piece was likely dipped in a transparent glaze (in the bisque state). The handle has a simple and functional shape that could be emulated using our handle mold making techniques. The simple flared body shape lends itself well to jiggering.

Related Pictures

Souvenir mugs that demonstrate incredible workmanship, glaze recipes, use of decals

These porcelain mugs are sold at many tourist shops on the Alaskan cruize circuit. Made in China of course. But their quality is astounding. And they teach multiple lessons to potters - great skill in the use of decals (even inside), meeting different glazes at the rims, evenness of application, layering, the use of wax resist, etc. They likely have a glossy and matte base glaze and add stains (to get the black, blue, red, white, green). Notice they have an iron red (lower right) that is stable enough not to run and host an even more fluid melt second layer. They also have a stoney yet functional matte white (bottom left). You can make dipping glaze versions of all of these:
Black glossy: G3914A and G2926BL
Black matte: G2934BL
Iron Red: G3948A
White stoney matte: G2934Y2
Glossy colors: Add stains to G2926B
Matte colors: Add stains to G2934

The mold-making technique we have always needed

I wanted an easy way to make molds for slipcasting handles that mate perfectly to any shape mug (or pitcher, teapot, etc). I want to pair cast with thrown or jiggered elements and join them using just slip (even when the clay is stiff). We have developed a flexible CAD design that puts 3D printing of case molds within the reach of almost anyone. It requires so little tooling it can be done in a kitchen using spoon mixing and a paper cup! These PLA shells, for example, print quickly to only 11 grams and they peel away from the plaster with a heat gun to give fine detail and perfect fit. Multiple cycles of redesign and print are practical to achieve just the right shape and fit. Cast handles can be produced in quantity and stored in a damp box, removing one of the biggest hassles in the production of handled ware. The feel of the handle is the first thing customers notice, even a hobbyist can now turn a "wet noodle" handle into something designed and utilitarian. You can get this drawing on the downloads page. Worried about mixing or tuning your own casting slip recipe? We have lots of help on doing that.

3D printed three-piece jigger case mold complete

It is now practical to make true-round, perfect-fitting, all-in-one case molds for jiggering using a consumer 3D printer and PLA filament. This is a one-off test mold to demonstrate the method. The process: Create the drawing in 3D CAD (e.g. Fusion 360), print the three sections, glue them, turn the assembly upside down, fill with plaster, let it set and peel out the inside two pieces using a heat gun.

Things to note:
-This is very light and prints quickly, the walls are only 0.8mm thick.
-The shoulder (C) is printed solid and the PLA printed surface from A to D is left in place permanently, this enables precise and durable fit into the cuphead. I print the outside shell upside down, so no printed support is needed.
-The down-pointing flange (A) embeds it into the plaster providing a durable edge against which to fit the pour spout (F). The glue joint connecting A & B breaks when B & E are removed.
-B and E are printed upside down, no support is needed for B, since the top is open, it thus prints quickly.
-The base E has a flange that enables gluing it precisely into B. Debossed logos are practical. It prints upside down for maximum quality (print support is generated but because it is short it prints quickly).

You can get this on the downloads page.

Links

Glossary	Liner Glazing Step-by-step to apply inside and outside glazes to a pottery mug and get them to meet at a clean line at the rim.

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