PK: Do you still do such orders now?
Now I wouldn't take on such projects anymore. I think carefully before I decide to complete an individual order.
For example, I made a nativity scene – literally a nativity scene [laughter]. There was Joseph, Mary, Jesus and animals in the nativity scene. It was ordered by an elderly gentleman who was maybe 70 years old. At first I thought I could do it in a very minimalist way. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Lord wanted everything to be very realistic.
I have very bad memories of this project. I was so dissatisfied that I deleted all his photos - there is no trace of him [laughter]. It was probably the most grotesque project and probably also the most boring.
PK: So you are not currently implementing individual projects?
It doesn't happen to me very often at the moment. It is very demanding, so I only accept such orders if it is a very specific client. You must be aware that when it comes to porcelain products, the final effect is highly dependent on the technique - it is impossible to do everything.
PK: Can you tell us a little more about the process of creating porcelain objects? What does it look like step by step?
The first step is that this porcelain must first be prepared.
PK: And what exactly is porcelain?
Porcelain is a type of ceramic. Ceramics is a general term that defines the entire field. Porcelain, however, is a material that falls into this field. It is a more noble material than clay. It is a combination of kaolin clay, feldspar and quartz.
Porcelain is white, it can be various shades of white, it is never colors such as browns and grays that we associate with clay. The advantage of this material is that before it is fired, we can already see its final color. The porcelain mass is colored before firing and there is a very small probability that the colors will change during firing. This is something that definitely makes my job easier because I know what to expect when I open the oven. Unlike colored glazes, which not only change their color during firing, but also like to play tricks.
PK: So what does the preparation of porcelain involve?
I work with porcelain, which is in liquid form. Such porcelain is first in the form of powder, so it must be prepared. To do this, I pour water over this mass and place it in special barrels. Then the porcelain stays in barrels for about a month and I stir it from time to time to get rid of air bubbles. And when the mass is ready, I can start production.
Due to the fact that the material preparation process is long, I usually plan it in such a way that I always have several such barrels ready for production. That's because you never really know what projects will come along, what orders there will be, and exactly how much mass will be needed.
When the production or shipping date approaches, I pull it out of the barrels and get to work. Then this mass must be well vented so that I can be sure that it can be used.
PK: And what happens next?
At this point, we can actually pour the porcelain into the previously created mold. Such a form must be prepared in advance, because if it is not completely dry, we cannot pour porcelain into it. It is also interesting that this form cannot be completely new - when we use a newly created form, the first few pieces of the product usually fail.
PK: Why is this happening?
The reason is that there are still remnants of the soap on the surface of the mold that we use to protect the model from which we remove the mold. Soap prevents the elements from sticking to each other, but unfortunately it is not easy to get rid of it, hence the result.
If we use an older mold that we have already used for production, this problem does not occur. However, the form cannot be too old, because it becomes less accurate over time. This does not mean that nothing can be done with such a mold, but products created in a used mold require larger and more time-consuming corrections.
PK: So we have the ready-made mass and the ready-made dry form, which, let's assume, has been used before, what happens next?
Then the mass must be poured through a strainer so that there are no lumps. We pour our mass into the plaster mold and then wait until it settles on the plaster wall.
PK: How does this porcelain mass settle on the walls of the mold?
Gypsum is a material with hygroscopic properties, which means that it absorbs water. Thanks to this property, the so-called "real part" of the mass poured into the mold settles on its walls. However, the part of the mass that does not settle remains at the bottom and is then poured out.
PK: How long does this process of mass deposition take?
It depends on many factors. For example, the condition of the mold, whether it is wet or dry, etc. We have to wait until we see that the thickness of the deposited mass is appropriate. My products usually have relatively thick walls, so the waiting time is correspondingly longer.
PK: So at this point we wait until the mass settles on the walls, creating a porcelain coating of appropriate thickness, and then pour the remaining part.
We pour out the excess mass and then turn the form upside down and wait until the mass dries inside. When we see that the porcelain deposited on the walls of the mold is becoming dull, we remove the product.
PK: How do we remove the product from the mold?
Simply put, we can take it out without any problem because the porcelain mass shrinks over time. After removing it from the mold, we have to wait until the product turns brown.
PK: What does that mean?
A dull product is a bit dry and does not change shape when we hold it. On days when it's very warm, it usually takes about an hour.
PK: So we already have something that resembles the final product to some extent. What happens next - is this the stage when we put such a product into the oven?
Not yet. Once the porcelain is removed from the mold, it is still a few steps away from firing in the kiln. This is where we put the pieces together. If our product is, for example, a mug with a handle, then if we have a mug, we must now also cast the handle and then connect these two elements
PK: Do you work with several such products simultaneously or do you rather make one copy from start to finish and only then move on to the next one?
I work on several pieces simultaneously - I usually plan it in such a way that I have, for example, one day devoted exclusively to casting elements, etc.
PK: So, after removing the products from the molds, you wait until all the elements "grow" and then the gluing phase begins?
Exactly. Then I turn on Netflix [laughs].
When the elements are ready for gluing, I get to work. In the example of the mug I gave earlier, I glue the ears and then I have to retouch the joints. You need to smooth out the joints - I use a sponge to erase all imperfections. After drying, you can retouch again to get rid of all imperfections.
And you also need to make a hole in the handle, otherwise there will be no venting and the handle may explode during firing.
PK: And what are these elements glued to?
For joining, we use the same mass from which it is cast. It is important that it has the right consistency, because if it is too liquid it will drip down the elements and if it is too hard it will not allow them to stick together. After gluing these elements
PK: After gluing, does the product finally end up in the oven?
Yes. This is the moment when the first firing takes place, the so-called bisque firing. It is very important that the product is dry before putting it into the oven.
PK: What is the firing temperature and how long does firing take?
This is a temperature of 900 degrees Celsius.
As for the firing time, it depends on the kiln and how much it is used. If the stove is old it takes longer than in the case of a newer one etc., but usually it is about 10 hours and another 4 hours when the stove cools down.
PK: Let's assume that the temperature is right and we take the product out of the oven. What are the next steps?
Then, after removing the product from the oven, we dry retouch it. That is, we use sandpaper to smooth the entire wall of the product, in places where elements are joined or where there are other imperfections.
In the case of my products, they are usually matte and unglazed, which requires them to be very well dry retouched. Matte products require more time to be spent on them because their possible imperfections are much easier to spot.
If the design is to be glazed, it is done at this stage. There are different glazing techniques - I use the immersion technique. This is a technique that allows you to quickly evenly distribute the glaze over the entire surface of the product.
To make things interesting, after glazing, the next step is deglazing. It sounds a bit strange, but the point is that the glaze cannot be on the elements that will be in contact with the stove plate in the oven. The glaze on such elements, for example on the bottom of the mug, must be removed.
PK: Why does the enamel need to be removed from these pieces?
When the glaze comes into contact with the stove hob, it may simply stick to it. If this happens, it is very difficult to remove the enamel from such a slab and sometimes it may even mean that the entire slab needs to be replaced. These slabs are very expensive, so we remove the enamel to avoid damaging them.
After removing unnecessary glaze and waiting for the products to dry again, we can put them back into the oven.
PK: How long do we have to wait this time before we put the products in the oven?
About a day. We can also put these products in the oven the next day. Placing products in the oven is also very important. While in bisque firing we can stack them one on top of the other, in sharp firing, i.e. with glaze, the products cannot touch each other, so there is much less room for them in the kiln.
PK: How long does such a “hard burn” last?
If you smoke it hard, you have to wait at least 24 hours.
And this is basically the end of the process - our product is ready. Sometimes it requires some minimal corrections, such as getting rid of the remains of a substance used to protect the stove plate on which the product is fired.
PK: To sum up, how many times does such a product end up in the kiln and how much time is spent on firing it?
The product goes into the oven at least twice, but depending on the design and decorating techniques, it can be up to four times. Most, I think about 70% of the products I produce are only fired twice.
PK: It is indeed a very long process - no wonder you do not take individual orders lightly.
Yes, especially since the process can also be more complicated, for example when we want to launch a product that is to be used in contact with food.
The truth is that in order to make a product that is suitable for putting it on the market, you need to test, check and refine everything a lot. This is also the time when I test how the final product should look visually - I choose the color of clay, glaze, test the texture, etc.
When I introduce a new project, it usually takes about half a year from when the idea appears in my head until I have a ready form and can start producing such a product.
PK: How long does it take you to design a new product?
With porcelain products, it is not possible to easily and quickly make even a prototype of the design that the customer could see. The length and complexity of this process and the fact that we have to test a lot of things with each new product makes such orders very expensive.
PK: You have been running your studio for 10 years, have you noticed any changes over the years?
The biggest change over the years is that three, maybe four years ago, ceramics became incredibly popular, which definitely works to my studio's advantage. There are many people interested in such activities in the field of ceramics. People want to take part in workshops, they want to try to do something themselves and have a nice time at the same time. I also have a lot of couples come to me who prefer to spend time together here rather than watching TV. Everyone is always very satisfied, both with the time spent in this way and with the souvenirs in the form of items they created.
PK: Such people haven't appeared before?
Previously, most people who visited the studios had nothing to do with ceramics, they did not fully know how such products are made, etc. Now customers are more aware - most of them have seen somewhere on social media or the Internet in general someone who produces products from ceramics, they often know that there are different methods of working with this material - this is very cool.
PK: So what has changed, first of all, is the customer's awareness?
Yes, customers are more aware. This also means that they are no longer surprised by the price of these products, because they are increasingly aware, at least to some extent, how such a product is made and how much work it takes. However, there are still many people who still think it is very simple.
PK: This is probably a challenge that many craftsmen face. Do you have any advice for young creators who want to turn their passion into a profession?
You have to be patient, persistent and follow your dreams.
PK: Do you have a motto or thought that drives you?
I'm driven by having fun. I do what I do because I love doing it.
