Slab bowl using a slump mold

How to make a slab bowl using a slump mold.
Finding Your Throwing Bliss with Andy Ruble is a multi-part web series designed to help beginning through advanced ceramic students improve their hand building and wheel throwing techniques.

[@fireflyexposed]

I use a sponge ... works like a charm. Ribs always leave me with deep gouges.

[@barbaraobata3392]

Very nice! Our class loved your workshop at College of Marin a few years ago. This will make a great lesson for new and experienced students. Thank you.

[@andyruble633]

Oh thank you Barbara! I'll come back any time Jason asks.

[@crissesoto1891]

I ust found your channel, I'm a beginner but I was able to follow your instructions very easy! thank you very much!!

[@andyruble633]

Thanks for checking it out Crisse! I hope it helps.Who knows someday I will make and post more videos.
-Andy

[@taleofawhale6964]

Awsome! What a great way to show how you do it.

[@andyruble633]

I hope it helps, and thanks for checking it out!

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

Awesome thank you 🙏🏻

[@desertpotter1003]

Thanks for the info

[@AlmaQuillian]

Excellent..exactly what I needed!

[@andyruble633]

Thanks fort checking it out Alma!
-Andy

[@marionjoy9475]

fantastic thank you

[@andyruble633]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video and good luck with the slumping!

[@graceepstein3113]

nice work in your website!!

[@andyruble633]

Thanks so much for looking! 🙏

[@radhasreedhar4381]

hi, thanks for the video. loved it. can you pl tell from where you got the wooden bowl? does it not need an agent like corn starch to prevent sticking? i prefer to use these simple tools rather than expensive forms sold in market.

[@andyruble633]

Hi Radha! I found this bowl at a second hand store. I sanded it until the oil type finish came off allowing the bowl to be porous once again. You can always put some thin canvas over the form to act as a release. An old tee shirt works perfectly.
-Andy

[@radhasreedhar4381]

@@andyruble633 thanks. will definitely try this

[@s.missizhippiew.1117]

Very nice!
I noticed that you didn’t oil your wooden bowl before you put the clay in there.. is it because it was a wooden bowl? If I use a different type of material, would I need to oil it first? Thank you…. Is oil better or cornstarch? Or plastic wrap? Plastic wrap leaves marks I noticed… 🤷‍♀️please advise…

[@andyruble633]

Thanks for watching! If it is a porous material such as wood, it is not necessary to use a release agent. I hope it works out for you!
-Andy

[@s.missizhippiew.1117]

@@andyruble633 okay thank you 🌸

[@bonniemoser3866]

Can you use a wood bowl that has been painted or should I strip the paint off first?

[@andyruble633]

I would strip or sand off the paint so the surface is porous so it won't stick. It will make this so much easier!

[@santonucci]

If you were looking to make a deeper bowl (think Ramen/soup), would you slump over the outside or inside? (I am a woodturner, so making the proper mold is easy.)

[@andyruble633]

Thanks for watching! I prefer to use the hump mold technique with the clay over the mold not inside. Good luck!
Andy

[@lynnretzlaff2656]

Does this work when using a plastic bowl? Will it still release the clay as easily? Thank you

[@andyruble633]

Hi Lynn, I wouldn’t place the clay directly into a plastic bowl, but you can use newspaper or an old thin tee shirt as a liner between the clay and the plastic bowl. Good luck!

[@lynnretzlaff2656]

@@andyruble633 Thanks kindly for your response. :)

[@salomekisishvili3881]

What criteria must the clay meet to make the mold for multiple uses for melting bottles? If you don't mined, share that information, please.

[@andyruble633]

Hi Salome, Glass has a very high expansion and contraction rate so it often will pull the mold apart. You can try adding a layer of alumina hydrate and EPK (kaolin) 50-50 to the surface of the clay which may help with this issue.
-Andy

[@salomekisishvili3881]

Thank you very much

[@barbbenedetti]

Will this method work with a deeper bowl with a less flared rim or is that where a person has to learn how to dart.

[@andyruble633]

Hi There! This method should work with any wooden or plaster bowl with slightly less than vertical sides. Its nice to be handy with darting as well! :)

[@barbbenedetti]

@@andyruble633 amazingly quick response. Thank you. I don’t know how to dart…any darting videos on the horizon? When I try to slump clay into a slightly less than vertically sided bowl form, I get a lot of bunched up clay and can’t figure out how to deal with it.

[@andyruble633]

@@barbbenedetti Try using a slightly thicker slab than normal, then work the clay down into the mold with a rubber, wooden or metal rib. It will feel like your are "stretching" the clay down to the bottom instead of pushing or pressing it down with your hands which will tend to bunch the clay up. There may be a darting video in the future, but I'm super busy with school and the SCU fire rebuild out here in California. Good luck!
-Andy

[@pottery59]

Thank you for this video and mostly thank you for just getting down to the business. Chatty potters and long videos lose my interest. You deserve a 'subscribe!' BTW, I love the design elements. You used the word 'elegant' in the video at the exact moment that word popped into my head. I look forward to checking out more of your videos.

[@pottery59]

BTW, I just saw your last name. There was a Randy Ruble in our group when I was a teen. Any Michigan connection?

[@andyruble633]

Thank you so much for the nice comment! :) You are the best. I will eventually be making a new batch of videos one I go on sabbatical from teaching all of the time . BTW no Ruble's in Michigan that I know of!
-Andy