This was the initial "proof of concept" assembly. The question I had to
address was how the movement of the individual plates would interact with
each other. |
The plates are held in place with pairs of angle "L's" that are able to move
in all directions. This allows the entire diamond pattern assembly to move
like a heavy steel "blanket" of sorts. It can be molded into just about any
shape, including complex curves. |
The thorns are fabricated from casting a custom formulated high-fire black
porcelain slip. There are eight primary thorn shapes that I turned into 16
plaster molds. Here, I'm pouring the slip into the top of each mold, all
timed perfectly to ensure a consistent wall thickness. |
After the slip has been in the mold for 20 minutes, the plaster has absorbed
the moisture from the walls of the mold leaving a 3/16" thick wall of the
thorn. Here, I'm blowing out the excess slip from an upside down mold. |
After 2 hours, the thorn is firm enough to be removed from the mold. After
it is fully dry, the spout is cut off and the separation seam is sanded off
and wiped down ready for firing in the kiln. |
Here's my casting setup. |
The thorns fire at cone 6. |
