General notes - lifecasting NJR
Sept 21-22, 2017
September 21, 2017
From BnF Ms. Fr. 640
145v_2 - describes that sand should be added to water and not the other way around. Water then sand.
113v - describes use of eggs in mold and the consistency. Also states that for small molds, no sal ammoniac is needed
BECAUSE OF THIS, WE HAVE ELIMINATED SAL AMMONIAC FROM OUR MOLD RECIPE
Materials for mold recipe
Plaster of Paris | DAP 10310/10312, composition: plaster of paris, limestone, quartz | Home depot |
---|---|---|
Brick dust | Fine, The Belden Brick Company (25# Brick Dust ??) | |
Used molds | M&K-made 2014-15 | |
Iron oxide | Laguna Clay Iron Oxide - Brown 521 | laguna clay |
Eggs | Simply Balanced, organic cage-free large brown fresh eggs; organic brown eggs | Target; Appletree Market |
Water | Chandler 260 tap water |
Mold recipe
All amounts by volume
Material | Amount | Unit | Multiplied by 5 | Multiplied by 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Plaster | 200.00 | ml | 1000 | 1200 |
Brick dust AND/OR used mold | 100.00 | ml | 500 | 600 |
Iron oxide | 25.00 | ml | 125 | 150 |
Egg | 1.00 | each | 5 | 6 |
Water | 200.00 | ml | 1000 | 1200 |
Mix 1
Multiplied by 5
Used brick dust
Poured for beetle mold and flower bouquet with many sprues (clay walls)
Mix 2
Multiplied by 6
Used brick mold
Poured for flower bouquet with few sprues (bucket as walls) mold and small flower mold
Required extra water/plaster to fully fill both
Mix 3
Multiplied by 5
Used mix of brick dust and used molds
Only 1 egg used
Poured for butterfly
September 22, 2017
Plans for today
Molds from yesterday
At ~9:30am, Naomi gently touched the top of each mold. All are quite solid but also obviously quite wet - retaining water.
Butterfly - Most set and consistent of all molds. Ready to remove clay
Small single flower - set, but there is a ~dime-sized hole leading to a channel of unknown depth. Will need to be repaired
Flower bouquet with few sprues (in the bucket) - it is solid, but seems wetter than the previous two molds described. Wait a little longer to remove clay but otherwise ready
Bouquet with few sprues (clay walls) - the specimen is sticking up out of the plaster line. There is about 1cm of water at the top, but below is solid. Finger doesn't go farther than the water line. Needs repair
Beetle - There is ~1cm of water above a solid plaster line (finger doesn't go further than the water line)
About two hours later, most of the water has been absorbed or evaporated. Ready to remove clay
Current molds are not ready for the kiln
Ones that are ready for unmolding have had clay removed and set on baking drying/wire racks inside the fumehood to accelerate drying
Ones that need repair work are staying on the lab bench until they have been repaired
Molds for today
Will more finely grind brick and used molds and sift all dry ingredients
Tillmann is grinding in large mortar and pestle the “coarse” brick dust
Tianna is grinding in large mortar and pestle the ground but lumpy used molds
Don’t have enough Laguna iron oxide even for one batch. See Tillman’s notes for amount decisions
All molds yesterday were one-piece. Want to try two-piece today. Possibilities:
Big black beetle
Small beetle on leaf
Ivy leaf
Acorn (if we can find one)
Pine cone (if we can find one and it is not too open as it will be impossible to get out of the mold)
Naomi and Sophie collected some plants from around campus as additional possible two-piece molds as the ivy leaves Pamela collected yesterday are slightly dry but also do not have great detail. Want to see if we can find better
A white rose with the head removed from the stem. Stem with no leaves or thorns
Final decisions
Tillmann will cast asparagus he brought from home as a one-piece mold
Sophie will cast the rose as a one-piece mold (not the stem)
Hannah will cast one leaf from the found plant #2 above (thick, waxy, dark green in the middle with a border of light green and white edges) as a two-piece - THIS IS THE ONLY TWO-PIECE MOLD
Naomi will cast a rosemary sprig as a one-piece mold
Material notes
Brick dust
Refractory material
Protects molds from heat
“Repels” or “withstands” heat
In French, also “chamotte”
In English, also “grog”
Substitutions: used molds that have been ground up, beach sand
Platt and Biringuccio also mention the use of this material and in similar ratios of 2 parts plaster to 1 part refractory material
Iron oxide
Lets you heats mold to higher temperature, which makes the mold stronger
Also allows for better results when metal is poured: if mold is hotter, there is better flow of metal
Refractory material itself?