First stages of porcelain casting

When the cast porcelain pieces are first removed from the mold, they may appear a bit rough. This is because the plaster molds consist of several parts, and every seam where the parts meet will be visible on the porcelain cast. But don’t worry - this is a normal part of the process when making porcelain dolls! So, be patient, and let’s focus on removing the seams and other imperfections.

At this stage, the porcelain is still raw, meaning it’s very soft, brittle, and easily damaged. To remove the seams, I mostly use a wet, soft brush and a sharp scalpel for any stubborn spots. We’ll save the sanding for later, after the bisque firing, when the porcelain becomes sturdier. Keep that in mind and leave the fine detailing for then. This initial cleanup is just to make sanding easier, so don’t overdo it - you can easily damage the fragile raw porcelain pieces.

Cutting the slits & filling in imperfections

Cleaning up all the porcelain pieces can take an entire day, so be sure to set aside enough uninterrupted time. If you can’t finish in one go, place the raw porcelain pieces in a plastic bag to prevent them from drying out, and you can continue the next day.

At this stage, I also like to cut slits for the joints and punch holes for the metal bars. You can find which parts require metal bars in the 'Assembling' chapter. I cut the slits slightly smaller than needed, leaving room for sanding and perfecting them after the bisque firing.

While the porcelain is still raw, you can also fill in any imperfections using fresh porcelain slip. Sometimes, you might encounter bubbles or accidentally scrape the piece against the plaster when removing it. Fortunately, these little mishaps can be corrected with a bit of fresh slip and a soft brush.