My experience in ceramics is pretty limited. I took a few classes at UWM, but really didn’t do much outside of school. If I want to blame someone for my renewed interest in clay, it would probably be Bryan Cera. (Though Jeff the Ceramics Area Champion at Milwaukee Makerspace is also a great clay enabler.)
One of the classic maker projects seems to be coasters, and there are many methods of making coasters. I’ve used laser cutting in the past, but I wanted to explore clay, so I modeled a Makey cookie cutter and press and 3D printed them in PLA plastic.
Jeff showed me how to use the roller to flatten out the clay to a consistent thickness and gave me some tips on pressing and cutting. (Thanks, Jeff!) I rolled out six of them, some turned out better than others, but I guess they are all unique, right?
Jeff gave me the lowdown on what to do next, but sadly he had a trip scheduled that would take him out of town before Maker Faire, which meant I would not be able to fire these before the event. No worries… I know other people who know things.
Luckily I work with Bill Pariso at Brinn Labs, and he’s got a Masters Degree in ceramics. I basically said “Bill, I need help!” and he took over and kept an eye on them while they dried out, then got them fired, and glazed, and presented them to me the weekend of Maker Faire Milwaukee. Awesome!
I may experiment more with clay. It’s a very inexpensive material, and I love exploring cheap things for art and making. It allows for a gentle learning curve with low stakes. Also, did I mention how cheap clay is!?