Customer Reviews

The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting (A Lark Ceramics Book)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In preparation for teaching mold making at Utah State University, I purchased 4 different mold-making books. After careful examination I decided that Andrew Martin's book is the one I'll use as my text for the class. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who is trying to learn to make molds without a base knowledge in clay and plaster, but, as a text book in an intermediate to advanced setting, this book is the one to use.

This book seemed to me to be a good start, but maybe was rushed to production. There are a number of significant issues with this publication:
* Poorly organized - rather than taking you through a step-by-step process for each important phase of mold making and slip casting, the information is scattered throughout. Including information on other artists adds to the value of this book, but detracts from fundamental goal of teaching you how to slip cast.
* Missing/minimized information - 'Begin with the water and .25 percent of sodium silicate.' How the heck do you get to .25 percent sodium silicate? Does it come only in liquid form, or is there a powder available? Is the liquid form measured by volume or weight? Is the liquid considered 100%, or is it diluted? The tile-making example looked really cool. But two whole paragraphs on the silly fill tubes? And nothing after pouring the slip into the mold. How long to wait? How do you remove the tile after you open the mold? What if the tile doesn't want to come out? And (on page 68) "Mix the Hydrocal and pour it into the frame." Ok - nothing - nothing about mixing Hydrocal. How much water? How long to wait? Is it the same as #1 Plaster? Also (page 19) "Then sand the whole exterior...Sand the interior surfaces as well..." Huh? Why do that? Is it optional, or a key step to getting a successful cast? Also, how long do you dry the molds before you can use them? It's a mystery....
* Instructions don't work - I followed the mixing and pouring of plaster and slip down to the last available detail, including the cone 7 Hensley/Polseno recipe. The casts won't come out of the molds. From Troubleshooting, suggests the mold is too wet (how long do you let the things dry?) or too much EPK, but I used the recipe in the book!
The author is obviously an accomplished artist, and I was inspired by the introduction, coming to see slip casting as a legitimate form of artistic expression. However, the book seems to miss the mark for novices just getting started. After some rather extensive efforts, I'm really frustrated, but I'm not giving up! Now looking for other references.
Good luck!

Finally, a mold making and casting book, as usual, the photos are well done, there is a great deal more information than I expected and the instructions are clear. Lots of inspirational examples of other artists work. This was well worth the wait.

I have read all the ceramic mold making books over the last 10 years. This book by Andrew Martin was, by far, the best I've read. Good explanations, plenty of pictures on how-to's. I first saw Andrew at NCECA doing demos with his molds. I really liked what was coming out of them. If you want to further your ceramic experiences with molds, this is the book to get.

Andrew Martin's "The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting" is simply THE definitive book on the process of making molds. The first edition was a challange to the beginner, but this new edition with many photos of every step really helps bring the art of mold making to every skill level. I use this book in the studio and refer to it all of the time.

Andrew partnered with Lark Books to completely redo the original version of this book. They made a great team and this updated book should be in the library of every serious ceramicist. All the copies at the Kansas City Art Institute are well-worn and we are proud that Andrew is a graduate of the KCAI Ceramics Department.

This excellent book is an ambitious and extremely thorough survey of mold making and slip casting. In re-reading sections of the book, I regularly uncover additional information that is useful as I gain more experience. In other words, this book keeps on giving: the more experience you have with the techniques, the more you can learn from Andrew Martin guidance and examples. Great trouble-shooting sections.

Randy Porter

This book is well written and shows very good photos. Mold making can be hard and very messy so having a clear idea of what you are going to be doing is important. Andrew Martin shows you step by step how to approach mold making beginning with very simple molds through to complex molds. Lots of lovely inspiring photos from master artists. This is a great book for any ceramics library.

I already knew a bit about rubber mold making, this book rounded out my knowledge on making ceramic molds. I especially like the primer on the different clay and slip types.

I have been doing ceramics for over 20 years, and I still learned things from this book. Excellent pictures to show what is involved. I would reccommend this book to everyone!