D. Kim Lindaberry on tue 12 may 98
Hello All,
I have become very interested in ancient Chinese ritual bronzes and the
casting techniques and technology used to make them. What's this have to
do with ClayArt you may ask? Well the Chinese used to cast their bronzes
in piece molds may from clay. I have become interested in this to the
point that I'm thinking about trying a metal casting or two using a clay
piece mold. The research I've done to date has showed me the basics of
the process and I'm filling in the blanks with my own practical
experience. What I need is a clay body from which to make the mold and
core.
This clay needs to have some specific properties.
* It will have to be bisqued, but not necessarily as high as what we
normally consider bisque temperature.
* It needs to have a very fine texture/grain.
* It needs to be "easily" crumbled or broken up once the casting is done
so the core can be removed from the casting.
* It needs to be able to withstand going from room temperature to about
1700 - 1800 degrees F in an instant without shattering into a million
pieces.
My first thoughts about the clay body is to use a raku or stoneware body
that has only been bisqued to 012 - 010, maybe even lower. I've also
considered a clay body used for making crucibles. One friend has
suggested something high in flint content. Does anyone have any thoughts
about a clay body that might work? Does anyone know a reference that
might mention what kind of clay the Chinese used to use? I'm planning on
going to the local museum to do some research in their library but I
thought I'd throw the question out in this forum too.
TIA
cheers
Kim
--
D. Kim Lindaberry
Johnson County Community College
12345 College Blvd.
ATB 115
Overland Park, KS 66210-1299
USA
to visit my web site go to: http://www.johnco.cc.ks.us/~klinda
to send e-mail to me use: mailto:klinda@johnco.cc.ks.us
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