Press Forming

Ram Pressing — is a method for forming clay under extreme pressure to create stable high density forms. Presses are normally used to duplicate molded forms without any skilled alteration. At Maine Kiln Works — we use this tool quite differently to custom form our line of Water Stone Sinks. The master sink form is hand thrown (using traditional wheel methods) to create the original model for our working dies. We have only one 18 inch diameter die set which we use to form sink blanks which we resize and reform using traditional throwing skills. We make both Rimmed Style Sinks and Vessels Style Sinks sized from 12 inch OD to 18 OD from this single press formed blank. I developed this hybrid process to combine the advantages of high density press forming and the creative versatility of hand alteration and finish detailing.

Artisan Engineering — improves production efficiency, product strength and creates opportunities for creatively altering each piece. Although wheel throwing sinks using traditional methods is not difficult — our hybrid method produces a superior product by combining the best of traditional and industrial processes.

— Dan Weaver