Making Slip for Slipcasting - Tiki Technical Tuesday 53 

Thank you! It was fun to put together, but it did add to the production time of this episode 😅

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Thank you so much! The clay gang was fun to make

Love this!! Mahalo!

Thank you so much! I’m happy the video helped!

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I’m amazed you can do it! I killed my drill trying to make slip in a bucket in my old studio

I guess the thing to check would be the "Duty Cycle" if it is listed. It is essentially what percentage of time it can be used out of the time the job is done/an hour. So a 100% Duty Cycle motor/tool/machine etc can be used at load constantly, but some tools etc may just be rated for "bursts".

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Thank you! The tank is a wonderful tool. I was casting for years before I felt I “deserved it” - but once I got it, I realized I should have made the purchase much sooner 😄

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😂

Yaaay! I should say this is one of the many things that can cause the pinholes. Another common culprit is not completely burning out all organic matter in the bisque firing.

Woah! Thanks!

It was a bit of a long break!

I’ve done the same! It seems like it should work, right? 😂

Thanks for watching and good idea!

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Sure thing! It’s a huge time saver

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I suspect it will need a deflocculant at the very least. I’d give Clay King a call to be sure! I’d hate for you to mix up a big bucket of mug that settles overnight 😬

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Aloha! The slip pump is always pumping. It sucks slip from the bottom of the tank, and has a spit outlet that goes to my hand nozzle or back into the tank. When I dont push the hand nozzle trigger the slip is flowing back into the tank, and when I push the trigger the slip comes out of the hand nozzle. Hope that helps!

The deflocculant has an almost instantaneous effect on the viscosity, so if the specific gravity is good and the slip is flowing well, I wait to see how long it takes the slip to gel. When the slip sits for a while, it will gel (think of ketchup in a bottle). The goal is to make sure there is enough deflocculant to prevent gelling before you plan on draining the slip from the molds. If you need 45 minutes of dwell to build up a wall thickness that you like, let the slip you are making sit in the tank/bucket and make sure it hasn’t gelled in 45 minutes. If it has, add a bit more deflocculant to retard gelling A bit more. Hope that helps!

@@vantikistudio yes that does make sense! Working on mixing up slip today!

Hooo that’s a tough one! You need a strong motor capable of running for several hours. I tried doing it once in a 5 gallon bucket with a cordless drill mixer and it was a disaster 😅

Aloha! I use Laguna slip, and follow their recipe for 50LB bags of dry mix.

Aloha! Thank you so much for watching! If you are using a prepared liquid slip from laguna, it should be good to go. You just need to mix it before pouring. I’ve never used the clay body you mention, but I did use prepared liquid S965 in buckets for years before I began mixing the dry laguna slip.

🥹 Thank you so much for replying - I messaged the company and haven’t heard anything - so I really appreciate your help! Yay! Okay I’m feeling confident now! Thank you! (Love your videos - I’m subscribed and excited for more 👍) Mahalo!

@@cewellartstuff sure thing! Good luck!

They are the best!

Thanks for watching! I have a Lilly Pond Big Puddle table by Glaser Ceramics

Thank you so much!

Aloha! It comes up quick in the beginning of the video: the table is a Big Puddle slip table by Glaser Ceramics. The mixer did come with the table, and I pour most of the slip down the center so the slope isn’t used too much - in between pours I scrape the slip drips back into the tank. I try to keep dried pieces out of the tank, but if they do get in they quickly re-hydrate, and the mixer breaks them up. Thanks for the questions, I love them!

Good question! It is normal for slip to gel after a period of inactivity (the whole thixotropic thing) - it fact, this helps to keep the particles in suspension. Gelling overnight is no biggie - mine does that too. I just mix it for 10 min before pouring. If I’m not casting for a while, I make sure to mix the tank and pump slip twice a week to keep things from going south. Deflocculant can become less effective through time - I know this is the case with sodium silicate - but I haven’t noticed it with Darvan (so far). Far more common is water evaporates from the slip over time - so be sure to check your specific gravity

Hmm - if you are doing something for the first time I’d see if you can buy prepared liquid slip. Sometimes you can just buy a pint or a gallon to practice with and learn from.

Hmm. You have mixed this same slip before and not had the issues? Does it cast the same as previous batches (meaning does it build up a wall thickness in the same amount of time)? I’d check the specific gravity to see if it has too much or too little water

@@vantikistudio I have mixed dry slip in the past with no issues, but I can't remermber if it was from the same company. The specific gravity is OK and it builds up as it should. It is only when I try to cast something with a lot of under cuts like a Christmas tree that the problem becomes evident. I have sent messages to the company but have recieved no response. I only have one 50 pound bag left and I can use it for less complicated pours, but I do like to keep dry slip on hand.

Nope - the barium content of my slip is extremely small - and after the firing and chemical reaction with the salts in the clay the amount of barium present in the clay is well below toxic levels

I like to keep the slip from going below 12” deep in the tank. I find having any less makes the pump work harder to draw it out of the reservoir. It’s really a personal preference, I know artists who fill their tank to the max, and some who barely have any in the tank. I like to have it about half full

Correct, I’ve substituted Darvan for the Sodium Silicate. It is much less damaging to the molds.

I don’t know what is in it - but you can substitute sodium silicate

I know they are currently out of production, and most folks I know that got one recently found them on eBay, Craigslist, or FB marketplace.

You can also use sodium silicate

Aloha! I know some things have substitutes (for example, I use Darvan instead of Sodium Silicate as the deflocculant), but I’m not sure - I just follow the directions for the clay I use. If you are buying a dry clay, I’d talk to the manufacturer about what recipe they suggest to make slip with.

If you are molding something small you can use a soft brush to apply the first layer of plaster, or use a straw to lightly blow on the first layer of plaster to force out bubbles

@@vantikistudio Will try that and thanks so much to replying.

Slipcasting slip is the perfect thing to call it. Here is the one I use in my studio, pre-mixed and ready to use from laguna: www.lagunaclay.com/product-page/s965-white-stoneware

It’s a Big Puddle slip table by Glaser ceramics.

Thank you

I’d check with the manufacturer instructions to be safe. I’ve never mixed dry prepared porcelain in the studio (I purchase all my porcelain pre-mixed)

Mahalo! 😄

The slip I make in this video I fire at cone 6

@@vantikistudio What temperature in celsius

couldn't agree more!

I could - but I like to monitor the levels of the contamination. 5 minute increments give me a great snapshot of how clean the slip is.

😂

Hello - I don’t know about shipping to Nigeria - you’d have to contact ceramic supply companies and see what they can do do get you some Darvan. I hope you can get some, it is great stuff!

@@vantikistudioi will thank you

You can totally make your own! I think it’s the best way to do it. I made mine by scouring the internet for as many articles, discussions, and recipes I could find about slip. I printed out the best ones and they became my bible!

@@vantikistudio yes please can you give as the bible hhh please

Ha! I did stop there - perfection is the enemy of ever getting things done in a clay studio 😂