[Sca-cooks] Re: Slip Casting

[Daniel Phelps]

Was written:
>
>   Sorry Daniel, your friend is out of luck.  The reason that she has not
found any evidence for slip casting in period in Europe is simply because it
wasn't done.  There is good documentary evidence for slab moulds in period
ceramics at least in Italy in the 16th century (around the time Majolica was
at it's hight).  Slip casting is very much a modern commercial inovation.
You need several things to make it work 1) high quality plaster molds, 2)
clay slip of a defined composition which will flow into the molds and dry
without cracks/holes etc.   The middle eastern evidence I have seen into
mold use was also slab molding not slip casting.  Ceramic technology
travelled really slowly.

Well the one text I just pulled down is "Book of Ceramics" Pravoslav Rada
translated by A. Parfait, Spring Books, London no pub date.  The
Bibliographic entries are Danish, Chech, German, US, and English and none
date after 1954.  He says slip casting was introduced at Sevres in the 18th
century.  Thus more than 100 years out of period.

Snip

I can post your question to the SCA-potters elist but I doubt that I will
have anything positive to report.

Please do.

Daniel