Hand brick moulders create unique bricks, pipes, and other heat-resistant products using hand moulding tools. They create moulds according to specifications, clean and oil them, insert and remove the mixture from the mould. Then, they let the bricks dry in kiln before finishing and smoothing the end products.

Tasks

Tasks include -
(a) Making articles of pottery and porcelain;
(b) Making clay or plaster-of-paris moulds;
(c) Reading technical drawings to know customer’s requirements;
(d) Forming articles on potter's wheel by pressing thumbs into centres of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes;
(e) Adjusting wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner;
(f) Operating jigger machines to form ceramic ware, such as bowls, cups, plates and saucers;
(g) Adjusting and setting controls of pug mill that mix, extrudes, cuts, and deposits clay charges in or over moulds as specified;
(h) Smoothening surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges;
(i) Forming abrasive wheels by moulding and pressing an abrasive mixture by hand or by machine;
(j) Examining finished ware for defects verifying accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using callipers and templates;
(k) Preparing work for sale or exhibition, and maintaining relationships with retail, pottery, art and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.