MAKE YOUR OWN BISQUE ADD-ONS! Using pottery clay and any one of the 56 flexible Penni Jo Add On molds you can create a dynamic range of embellishments! These molds are made from original sculptures designed and executed by Penni Jo right here in the United States. Simply press pottery clay into the desired cavities and let the part dry to the leather state and the piece will come right out. Alternatively, before the part is completely dry it can be removed gently pressed onto the surface shape it will be attached to and as it dries it will take on the same curvature of the object and allow a near seamless attachment using a slip "glue" made from pottery clay.
Each durable urethane mold is hand poured and trimmed and has the ideal flex for making beautiful three dimensional elements of pottery clay. The three dimensional nature of each element can be seen by light and shadow - the darker the shadow in the mold the deeper the sculpting, the more pronounced the dimension.
There are three common methods of filling a cavity.
First, be sure that your clay doesn't show any "seams" on the side going into the cavity and press in deeply to insure that all the detail is captured. For cavities that don't have "extremities" such a cross, roll the clay into a ball, place in the middle of the mold and begin pressing the clay outward toward the edges using your fingers or a blunt ended tool. This works well with smaller cavities. If you DO end up with a few seems simply use a small damp paint brush and smooth any seams away.
The second method is to press or roll your clay out to the desired thickness with the size being a bit larger than the opening. Then press the smoothest side of the clay into the mold and using fingers or a blunt ended object press the clay into the recesses of the mold. When the molds are new they usually don't need any release agent, however it can facilitate removing the piece especially if you want to remove it while it still has a bit of flexibility. Otherwise, as the piece dries it will shrink a bit and the piece will simply fall out of the cavity most times.
The Third method is to roughly shape the clay into the semblance of the cavity size and press into the cavity. A good example of this would be a shape with extremities such as a cross.
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About Penni Jo:With thirty years experience in the art of sculpting and working in a variety of media, Penni Jo has designed her line of durable flexible three dimensional molds in a wide range of elements and components that are perfect for all types of clay - pottery, metal, polymer and glass. They are ideal for very small decorative elements appropriate for all types of clay.