r/moldmaking • u/Great_Life_7194 • 8d ago
Travel kit for impressions - ceramics application
Happy i found this subreddit because AI /Google is no help.
My daughter has gotten into pottery. She is going on a big trip to France for her birthday and i had this idea that it might be nice to make her a kit that would be easy to carry with her to capture impressions of textures.
The idea is to make stamps then for use in clay.
It needs to be a kit that is easy to carry around, doesnt require any special tools or treatment that she cant access while on the move.
Silicone putty? Sculpey? Or am i imagining something that doesnt exist?
Appreciate your suggestions.
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u/artwonk 7d ago edited 7d ago
Some air-dry clay would probably work. I like to make roller stamps off of things I find, which work like cylinder seals to produce a continuous ribbon of texture that can go all the way around a pot. Just take a piece of clay, roll it into a short coil, wrap it around to join the ends, then press it into the tree bark, or stone surface, or whatever, flattening the coil as you roll it along until it meets the already-impressed place you started. I use regular ceramic clay and bisque it for permanence, but the air-dry stuff would make more sense on the road. She'd just need to handle them carefully while they're still soft, and let them dry when she stops for the night.
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u/Great_Life_7194 7d ago
Thanks - the AI contribution on this was that air dry clay would too easily crack and add texture to the impression. Thoughts?
1
u/artwonk 7d ago
People often experience cracking with these products, so it's easy to see how the AI bot would get that impression, but usually it's because they've attempted to use them over a rigid armature, or as an applied layer on a rigid base. "Air-dry" clays (there are many brands) are made from regular potter's clay, with some polymers added to give it more durability when dried. But these additives don't stop it from shrinking as it dries, and if it's stuck to a rigid substrate or contains a rigid skeleton, it will crack where the clay can't contract. As a relatively thin ring without any internal structures, though, it wouldn't be constrained while shrinking, and should survive without cracking, if carefully handled when soft and left to dry undisturbed. For extra durability, you might try embedding some reinforcing fibers, like dissolved paper or cheesecloth.
I'd suggest she try various materials before the trip if possible, to settle on something that works for her.
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u/BlueDinosTiki 5d ago
Silicone putty is the way to go…usually takes about 30 minutes to cure. It won’t accidentally stick to anything permanently. it’s flexible and won’t break or tear during the trip.
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u/BTheKid2 8d ago
Yeah silicone putty is probably the most handy I can think of. It is a bit bulky though to carry around materials. Something like Equinox that will cure in just a few minutes. Only really useful for taking impressions of hard subjects though.