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This 3D printed shell encloses an entire two-piece mold for v 5.0 of our Medalta Potteries ball pitcher mold project - all that is needed is to fill it with plaster and peel off the PLA casing after it sets. We are still in the development stages so the fact that this will only produce one mold is fine. The membrane across the center is where the two mold halves mate (it also holds the inner model in place). The membrane has holes where natch-socket pairs can be mated for embedding into the plaster mold. The spare (shown lower right) will be rotated 90 degrees, it has a slot that fits snuggly over the membrane to hold it in place. We designed this to print a minimum of printed support. The handle is being done separately.
This handle mold is for v.5 of our 3D mold-making (and discovery) project for the ball pitcher. The process to make the 3D drawing is quite simple: Cut it out of the model (top left), draw and extrude side walls (top right) and slice off and remove the pointy parts (a step-by-step video coming soon). Bottom left: A ready-to-use mold. Notice how it fits perfectly onto the side of the pitcher form (bottom right). Because of the good fit, attaching these is just a matter of using some casting slip as the glue. Casting this handle separately affords multiple benefits: It simplifies making the mold of the pitcher itself, of extracting pieces after casting and it produces a more professional-looking product (without holes inside where the handles join). And, handles can be stockpiled in a damp box, ready to use when needed.
The center piece of this 3D printed assembly is the outside shape of a pitcher, the two fill holes correspond to openings at the top. This entire assembly is a case mold for a three piece working mold (there is an insert at the bottom for the base with embossed logo, there is a separate handle mold). This was printed as six light-weight units and then glued together (upper and lower outer shell halves, upper and lower model). The thin membranes defining mold mating points are printed onto the inside model, they extend out far enough to clamp between the flanges of the outer shell sections (suspending the model in the center). The membranes have holes to enable inserting natch-pairs. The assembly is filled with plaster to create a light-weight mold. After set the 3D print is peeled away and a ready-to-use mold emerges!
Projects |
Medalta Ball Pitcher Slip Casting Mold via 3D Printing
A project to make a reproduction of a Medalta Potteries piece that was done during the 1940s. This is the smallest of the three sizes they made. |
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