A professional who molds odd-shaped brick, pipe, and other refractory products, using hand-molding tools. Respnsibilities include:

• Kneads gobs of clay or silica mud to form molding mixture.
• Obtains specified mold from storage, or assembles molds, when necessary according to specifications.
• Brushes mold cavity with oil or hot wax to prevent casting from sticking to mold.
• Packs molding mixture into mold and tamps it with hand or automatic tamper.
• Removes excess mixture from top of mold, using wire or straightedge.
• Lifts and overturns mold on steel pallet to remove product.
• Finishes and smooths product, using hand-molding tools.
• Throws sand on casting to prevent bonding during subsequent firing.
• Stamps identifying code on product.
• Cleans and oils used molds.
• May tend pug mill that mixes clay or silica mud to form molding mixture.
• May place molds in furnace to cure.
• May stamp surface of refractory products, prior to curing, to impart specified pattern, using handtool.
• May embed heater coils wound through ceramic heaters with mud, and bake units to dry mud and be designated Embedder (elec.
• equip.).
• May be designated according to product molded as hand brick-molder; pipe-fittings molder; pot maker; shape-brick molder; hand tile-molder; or according to material used as adobe maker; soft-mud molder.