Version 2 ceramic beer bottle block mold

This time I printed the block mold, rather than the case mold, in six pieces on my consumer 3D printer.
Top: I printed the two halves upright (creating them in the slicer rather than Fusion 360). Because the print lines run concentric the quality is so much better than the previous version printed flat. The ribbing inside made the halves strong so they did not go out of shape when filled with plaster (to give them weight).
Second: The mold halves were simply laid against each other - they mated perfectly (and stayed in place because they are full of plaster). The four rails were then clamped in place.
Third: The PLA was soaped (using Murphy's Oil Soap) and rubber poured in (Smooth-On PMC-746). The next day it easily pulled out.
Fourth: The finished rubber case mold. The sides are pretty flabby so I make them rigid using the four rails (placed upside down).
Right: Using a plaster mold created from this rubber case mold I slip-casted a bottle using my L4768D recipe, glazed it with GA6-B and fired it at cone 6.

Related Pictures

Slip cast leather-hard full-sized beer bottle

This is a black buring porcelain (it has 10% raw umber), the L4768D recipe (I also use a red burning one, the L4558A recipe). As a starting point I use water/Darvan proptions outlined in the "Casting Recipe" section of the M370 data sheet. This piece is leather hard, just out of the mold. By the time it is fired it will be 10% smaller and will match the glass one on the right. The pads are positioned firmly and correctly for the swing-top stoppers. These are presenting few problems, I am making bottles by the dozen (from multiple molds). The narrow neck causes issues for fast-casting clays if drained too quickly - inverted draining creates suction that can pull the soft walls away from the plaster. I made a large 3D printed pour spout to provide a reservoir to accommodate the fact that the slurry level drops during casting, that turned out to be a double benefit because it acting as a gauge of when the drain.

Ceramic beer bottles - Can you test some for us?

One hundred years ago Medalta Potteries made beer bottles (until glass ones took over by 1930). At Plainsman Clays I am making master molds to create them again (using the slip-casting process). These are beyond cool! There is a glass one in this group, I'll bet you cannot pick it out! I have a few dozen in testing stages right now, all of them employ these swing top stoppers. These are stoneware and fired at 2200F. The clay is dark-colored (like our Coffee Clay) and the glaze is actually made using 80% of a clay we mine in this area (it is called Alberta Slip), it is extremely durable and has a chemistry akin to that of the glass in a regular beer bottle. I have more in process that will be fired at 2350F, the glaze will be 100% Alberta Slip. Do you make beer and live near our plant? I will give you some bottles to test if you can pick them up. Contact me using the link below.

Links

Glossary	Side Rails
Projects	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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