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v7 Classic beer bottle mold in OnShape
Make authentic-looking beer bottles that are better than glass
Available as a Product on the Downloads page
The slip casting process is so much more accessible than in the past because of 3D printing. Why not start with this? This bottle has all the same dimensions as my v6 (done in Fusion 360). But, because this is done in OnShape, one click here opens it directly in a browser window with all the power of a professional CAD system. If you have a free account there and are logged in, one more right-click can export it in 3MF or STL format for 3D printing. Or a "Copy Workspace" menu choice will move it to your account to enable editing and setting variables, adjusting the shape, etc. This works in your browser, there is no software to install and OnShape is free for hobbyists. This mold works with my pour spouts (no spare is needed) and natch system (no registration keys are needed). So just insert the clips and embeds, pour in plaster, remove the PLA plastic with a heat gun and you have a working mold. When dry, glue in the natches, attach a spout (using slip) and fill the mold with casting slip.
Need a stoneware slip casting recipe? L4768E or L4768H are a good choice. A glaze recipe? How about GA6-B (or similar)? Go full DIY with this, you will never turn back. Need a guided help to make this happen? Sign up for an Insight-live.com group account and we can work together to make this happen for you.
Available as a Product on the Downloads page
Related Pictures
This GA6-B glaze is better than beer bottle glass
This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
Ceramic glazes, like this GA6-B, are actually just glass. But they are not like bottle glass. The latter is formulated to work well in forming machines (harden quickly), melt and stiffen quickly, have low melt viscosity and resist milkiness and crystallization on solidification. The chemistries to accomplish this have adequate resistance to leaching and adequate durability for a few uses. A stoneware glaze melt needs to be much more viscous (to stay put on vertical surfaces). And, it must have a lower thermal expansion (to match common clay bodies). And, it must resist crystallization much more (since it cools slowly). Fortunately, meeting these needs brings along big benefits: Greater durability, hardness and resistance to leaching. Stoneware glazes and bottle glass share a common trait: They have about the same amount of SiO2. But the similarity ends there, stoneware glazes have:
-High Al2O3. Three to five times more! It is the key oxide for durable glass. And it stiffens the melt (that disqualifies high levels from bottle glass).
-The same fluxes (CaO, MgO, K2O, Na2O). But they distribute very differently (half the CaO, half to one third the KNaO, much more MgO). Other fluxes like SrO, Li2O are also common.
-Low KNaO (which they call R2O). In glazes, it produces crazing, 5% is a typical maximum. But bottle glass can have double or triple that (the high thermal expansion is not an issue, and its cheap source materials supply lots of melting power).
-B2O3 melter. It is expensive but can be justified because the glaze is just a thin layer. Glazes at the low end of the stoneware range have 5% or more boron.
Far right: A glass bottle. Left: Small test bottles made from dark and light burning stonewares. Third: A production ceramic bottle. Notice how much the dark body darkens the GA6-B glaze.
v6 Beer Bottle Drawing
Fits standard swing top stoppers.
Available on the Downloads page
This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
3D print this, pour in plaster to make a slip casting mold! My previous work on this project assumed a smaller 3D printer (making it necessary to print flanged PLA mold sections that clip together). But larger 3D printers are now common, making the CAD work much easier. This OnShape drawing is parametric for height, body diameter, wall and plaster thickness, and neck height (for the full bottle set body=160mm, neck=96). This uses my standard natch system. Neck vertices are proportional to height, so resizing works well. The top end is filleted to permit the longest possible mold on the print bed (diagonally). The bottom inside perimeter is chamfered, strengthening the default 0.8mm side wall junction to the base (that being said, be careful not to flex it too much when removing it from the print bed).
Doing this smaller size is for prototyping and testing. Casting plaster on a 3D print creates artifacts; these were not an issue. This PLA mold prints quickly, it has a hollow back side, permitting easy removal with a heat gun. There is no spare, it employs a pour spout, making the mold shorter and producing a better lip.
Need a stoneware slip casting recipe? L4768E or L4768H are a good choice. A glaze recipe? How about GA6-B (or similar)? Go full DIY with this, you will never turn back.
A classic beer truck for ceramic beer bottles
A classic mid-1900s delivery truck!
AI generated with a prompt to make a beer truck like an old milk truckThis picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
Imagine if we could treat beer like they did milk decades ago. Trucks delivered it to people's homes every day, picking up the empties for washing and reuse. People left their doors open and the milkman went right into the house and put the milk, which was in glass bottles, into the fridge!
A 3D Printed Mold Spout
Better Than a Spare for Slip Casting
Available on the Downloads page
This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
Glue one of these on top of your slip casting mold (using slip) and enjoy the many benefits. These are intended for people who make their own molds using the 3D printing techniques taught on this website. Among the advantages are the following:
-Less mess.
-Smaller, simpler molds (they don't need a spare).
-Overhung lips, more precise lips.
-Visible indication of casting progress.
Swing Top Stopper Mechanism:
Getting the measurement right
This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
Early in the process, I needed to predict bottle neck diameter at the holes. I measured the gap on all of the ones I have and got an average to work from. Then I 3D printed several iterations of the neck, fired size, and settled on one that enabled being able to snap on the metal stopper fitting without stretching it too much. That being said, the wire assembly is bendable and can be adjusted for size.
This 3D printed test was designed to determine positioning in 3D space for the mounting holes. The ceramic bottle won't have this exact design; they need a thickened section on each side of the neck for the hole.
Regular bottles of beer looking humble beside the ceramic one
This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.
This is v2 ceramic beer bottle in a common-sized 6-pack case. Of course, our case will have our logo and artwork. I paid $19 for it. They threw in the bottles of beer for free! That is a ceramic bottle that has bumped out the ordinary glass one and is showing off its size and superior character. But it is a tight fit in this case - it appears to be 4mm too large in diameter. I am sworn not to have another beer until it is served in a proper ceramic bottle like this. So if you live in my home town and want those six unneeded bottles, let me know.
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Beer Bottle Master Mold via 3D Printing
A project that took several years of failures and blind allies and is finally coming together - so much simpler than expected! |
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