Munich Maids Soon to be Reborn.............

[BryanD]

Plaster molds wear out from use. Sharp definition becomes dull. Even if used there could be ways to distinguished newer ones by small detail.
Porcelain ( kaolin ) clay is a mixture of :
5 parts kaolin
3 parts feldspar
2 parts flint
If you want it to be transluscent add calcined bone.
It is mixed with water into a slurry the mold is coated with a defloculant to prevent the clay from sticking to the plaster. The mold is held together with whatever and the slurry is poured in and set to start the casting process. The plaster pulls water out of the clay and thickens on the surface of the inner mold till about 1/8th inch thick and the rest of the slurry is poured out to use again. The molds are set aside to dry and when the clay is leather hard the mold is separated ,the mold lines removed and the piece is bisqued fired at 1850 degrees fahrenheit. After that it is spray glazed with a clear glaze and fired to 2340 degrees (cone 9) and bingo you have a figurine.
The molds must be master molds to make secondary molds to be exact copies but as stated they wear out quickly.
Can you tell I have been a potter?

[Napalm]

Plaster molds wear out from use. Sharp definition becomes dull. Even if used there could be ways to distinguished newer ones by small detail.
Porcelain ( kaolin ) clay is a mixture of :
5 parts kaolin
3 parts feldspar
2 parts flint
If you want it to be transluscent add calcined bone.
It is mixed with water into a slurry the mold is coated with a defloculant to prevent the clay from sticking to the plaster. The mold is held together with whatever and the slurry is poured in and set to start the casting process. The plaster pulls water out of the clay and thickens on the surface of the inner mold till about 1/8th inch thick and the rest of the slurry is poured out to use again. The molds are set aside to dry and when the clay is leather hard the mold is separated ,the mold lines removed and the piece is bisqued fired at 1850 degrees fahrenheit. After that it is spray glazed with a clear glaze and fired to 2340 degrees (cone 9) and bingo you have a figurine.
The molds must be master molds to make secondary molds to be exact copies but as stated they wear out quickly.
Can you tell I have been a potter?

Would have this been the exact above process in Dachau?? and what would they have they used in the firing process? Coke? Coall? Charcoal mix? etc? Tks for your time on this...

[BryanD]

Yes the process is pretty much the same. Any good kiln design would use any type of sustainable fuel . Wood, coal natural gas, Jews and Gypsys. The firing would take approximately 8 hours more or less depending on the weather conditions to reach the desired temprature and another 12 hours for the kiln to cool down enough to empty the ceramics out. Walk in beehive kilns that work well with coal will pretty much double to triple the time depending on the size. If you unload it to soon the ware will start making a pinging sound. That is the glaze slightly crackling it is called dunting. It is an involved process that requires a lot of work and understanding the fire. I guess that is where the talents of the craftsman comes in.