Rachel Kingston on wed 27 jan 10
I make slipcast porcelain sheets on plaster slabs, often very large. I do=
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sometimes add some paper mulch depending on the thickness and appearance =
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I
am aiming for. I also dust the slab with cornflour with success. It allow=
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s
the sheet to shrink while drying, and also helps the sheet to release
smoothly when sliding the sheet off the slab afterwards.=3D20
I also cover the whole slab with plastic to retard the drying and keep a
close eye on it. The weather/humidity sometimes affects the results, but =
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my
sheets were paper thin and dried quickly so that may not be so much of a
concern for you.
How thick are your slabs?=3D20
I hate to mention it, but it may be pertinent if you are wanting thin
sheets, when I started using 1.0mm thick Keraflex Porcelain as a
drawing/printing canvas, (though you may be after a more monolithic slab,=
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instead of paperthin) it did give me the freedom to concentrate on the
imagery/surface without any loss rate at all.=3D20
But that thin crisp white sheet may not be what you are aiming for at all=
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.
It was the perfect solution for some of my work, as it was the type of sh=
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eet
I was already making, except crisp and industrial, like a sheet of porcel=
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ain
document paper, whereas my slipcast sheets had more of a handmade deckle
edged look. They each have their own uses, depending on the look I want f=
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or
a particular project.
Now that I mention my slipcast sheets - I bought a large quantity of
Imperial porcelain slip with me from Australia. I have plenty left right
now, but will eventually need to make the switch to a casting slip that i=
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s
available in the US. Any suggestions would be most welcome. I have used
Southern Ice and Limoges in the past, but preferred Imperial for my work =
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-
mainly for its color (I consider the color softer than southern ice and
whiter than Limoges) I am hoping to find a replacement before I run out t=
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o
avoid any withdrawal symptoms:)
Rachel
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