Mold making using 3D printing

An ordinary consumer 3D printer has many exciting possibilities for making many types of molds, it is a place where people having both artistic and mechanical abilities can get a double the dopamine!

Related Information

Make pottery in Mexico. What should you take?

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These bars show a clay from St. Ignacio, Sinaloa, fired at cones 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8. Although it appears this would make a nice red and even metallic stoneware, all have very high porosity. LOI is high, impurity particles gas and cause glaze blisters and pinholes at stoneware temperatures. Better to do what Mexican potters do, focus on low temperatures where glazes fire with fewer defects.
Here are some suggestions:
-Plaster is available everywhere there so make yourself a plaster table.
-If you can bring a 3D printer you can make molds and really impress them.
-They know how to make burner systems, get their help to make a simple kiln.
Bring the following (for materials bring the SDS to show to security or customs officials):
-Tools needed to characterize their clays.
-A propeller mixer to make slurries and grind clay (or purchase a kitchen blender to do blender mixing).
-A 30 mesh Tyler sieve will remove pebbles and organics from a slurry, 50 mesh will remove grit, 80 mesh will remove sand, 200 mesh will produce porcelain smoothness. You'll need to make a vibrating sieve.
-Some bentonite, 1-2% additions can greatly improve plasticity of short clays.
-250g of barium carbonate (in case of soluble salts in their clay).
-250g of Veegum and CMC gum to mix brushing glazes.
-Supplies to make variations of G1916Q base clear glaze and L3685Z3 white engobe. Bring Zircopax to opacify and stains to color the glaze.
-If you need to build a kiln: Sodium silicate to make kiln mortar (likely available locally).
-Tissue transfers, brushes, underglaze colors for decorating white engobed ware.
-Cone 06, 04 cones and supplies to make L4543 clay to make shelves, posts.
Interacting with locals to find supplies and expertise will force you to learn Spanish better. You will find that Latin and South American countries have a much deeper ceramic tradition than we do, so you will discover many new things.

Links

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!
Projects	A cereal bowl jigger mold made using 3D printing A new way to 3D-print your way to making jigger molds and templates. The molds are encased in a 3D printed shell that makes them fit perfectly into the cuphead. And the template is precise and very effectivwe.
Projects	Coffee Mug Slip Casting Mold via 3D Printing A potter can now use AI, 3D CAD, 3D printing and custom clay bodies to slip-cast beautiful quality stoneware pottery mugs. It is efficient and practical.
Projects	Cookie Cutting clay with 3D printed cutters We are finding more and more applications for this simple process of cookie-cutting shapes in ceramics. You won't believe whats possible and how easy it is to get started.
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.
Projects	Nursery plant pot mold via 3D printing

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