Looking for body mould

[Peg]

Last year, while firing a batch of 'normal' cab type jewellery, I had a bit of spare shelf space and a heap of scrap.. and I put together a sort of 'neckpiece', (about 5 x 2 inches) which I've been wearing a lot. Needless to say this random creation got more 'oohs and ahs' than anything that I made any real effort in making.
So now what I want to do is make some more, but larger, neck/body ornaments.
Does anyone know of a ceramic (or steel) mould in the shape of the neck and upper chest (above the parts where, er, gender becomes apparent) that I could use to slump the pieces to fit the body? Flat simply won't work in the sizes I'm thinking of.

Cheers
Peg
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[Ron Coleman]

You could cover yourself in clay and hold very still for a few days while it drys.

Or you could look for a dress form or mannequin and cover it with plastic and then a layer of clay to make a form. Allow it to dry and then bisque fire.

Ron

[Brock]

Wet felt over a dressmakers dummy. That's how I slumped this:

http://www.averyanderson.com/Brock-torso.htm

Brock

[Geri Comstock]

You can make your own body mold from investment.

To do this, pick a "victim" to make the mother mold from. Cover the area you want to cast with vaseline to keep the mold from sticking to the skin or body hair. Use the strips of plaster inpregnated material like doctors use to make casts from. It's a good idea to cover the area to cast cast with a thin layer of plaster before applying the strips to get a smooth even layer.

This will make a mother mold for your investment mold. Let is dry completely before comtinuing. Cover the inside of your mother mold with vaseline or a mold release...a layer of plastic wrap will work even better if you can get it smooth enough. Mix up some investment and pour it inside the mother mold. Let dry. Remove it. Warning, if there are undercuts in the mother mold, you won't be able to remove the investment mold. Check it carefully to make sure it's free of undercuts.

This will be the slumping mold you can fire on. I don't know how many firings it will take before it starts disintegrating, though.

Geri

[Lauri Levanto]

Geri gave a good description of the procedure.
To make things easier, your "victim" might have
an old T-shirt over the vaseline as a further protection.
It also makes it easier to hang on the plaster bandage.

If you need it around the neck, make it in two parts

-lauri

[maggie may]

Brock,
I was just reading through bulletin board. How do you make the mold using wet felt?
Thanks for your reply.
Maggie May

[Brock]

The Wet Felt, or Moist Pack comes saturated in Rigidizer in a sealed plastic bag. You pat and mold and gently shape the wet blanket over your mold, (put some kind of release on your mold, Pam or Saran Wrap) and allow the vehicle of the Rigidizer to evaporate. You can just wait, air drying takes a few days, or you can force it at low heat., say 200F.

When the shell is dry, gently remove it from the mold, and fire it up to 1200 or so, I don't think it's critical. After cooling, you can shape, sand, smooth the mold, then apply kiln wash, refire, and it is ready to use. In a low temp slump program, you may never have to kiln wash it again.

They are relatively fragile, I broke my original torso mild by unthinkingly picking it up with one hand by the edge. Crushed it. It's a good idea to have a dedicated shelf, if you have a spare, so you don't move it a lot. Also, you can fill hollows in the back with wet plaster, and let it set. Keep the whole plaster supported mold on dedicated shelf, and it will last for tears. That torso was 11 years old.

[Peg]

Thanks for all the info on mould making - I've since found that the reverse of the gently sloping rim of of a large round platter (about 40cm wide x 3cm deep) gives a good enough curve to the glass.

Or maybe I've just got an odd shaped body...

Peg

[Alecia Helton]

The Rio Grande Tools Catalog has a necklace mandrel made out of harden steel. I don't know its temperature tolerance, but it is strong enough to forge metal on.

Alecia

[jerry flanary]

Is a big, non-flexible, hunk-a-glass really something you want to put around peoples necks? (This question is not intended to spark political conversation! )

[BobB]

I was in Sam's the other day and noticed a stack of women's bathing suits they had on close out. Each of them was on clear plastic molded in the shape of a woman front "parts" neck to thighs.
I was thinking you could fill one up with plaster or clay to make a mold. Then drape glass over it.

BobB

[Peg]

Is a big, non-flexible, hunk-a-glass really something you want to put around peoples necks? (This question is not intended to spark political conversation! )

If they wanna buy them then I'm willing to sell them.
The pieces I've made so far aren't exactly 'hunks', and aren't very heavy. I've yet to try them at my usual gallery, so I'm not sure what the response will be. I'll post some pix when I get my act together...
Peg