A.K. Marder - Molding/Casting_Midterm

With this not being my first rodeo in molding and casting, I took this assignment as an opportunity to explore the possibilities for a future installation as part of a current series I am working on.  The series is called "Give or Take" and is essentially my reflection on the homeless in Texas.  The work is open to interpretation but the purpose of the installation is to make the viewers question whether the hands represent hope or greed.  The orientation of the hands is a key factor as well as how they are organized.  For more information, please refer to my personal blog: akmarder.blogspot.com (permission required)

The army

Exploring with materials, tints, and sizes I was able to determine if this was a path I wanted to included in the installation I am working on.

The beginning:  There are three different sizes of hands I am working with but for this course of exploration I chose to only use the 3in and 4in hands.

The original was a 3D scan of a casting of my hand.  Using the 3D scan model, I dropped it to a low poly model.

As a native Rhino user, this is how I produced the rest of my work from the 3D prints to any other modifications.

3D Prints:

Molding Process:

1. Detail Coat

2. To conserve material, re-purposing Rebound 25 and 40, I cut up old molds to fill in the majority of negative space for my mold. Leaving a spot from the bottom up unfilled with blocks (explained in step 3).  In retrospect I wish I used Moldstar 30 because it is more rigid.

3. The long time consuming pour.  The chunks of rebound create a lot of air so "burping" the mold is necessary by pouring straight to the bottom (where I did not fill with blocks) and kept the pour a long thin stream and poured super slow to help eliminate bubbles.  This also allows the material to flow in between the blocks and push the air out.

***Labeling where to cut is ideal prior to pouring the mold***

4. Align mold and cast.  I used Smooth-Cast 300Q which has an extremely quick pot life allowing me to produce these at a rapid rate.

Backplate:  The primary goal was for mounting with consideration of the LED's embedded in some of the casts.  I designed two different plates that can accommodate castings with and without LED's.  The back of each backplate have a keyhole notch so no additional hardware is necessary for display.

  

The Castings: Instead of using physical paint, I used "So Strong" urethane tints to "paint" my castings.

First Attempt: Mixed tint into part B

Next Attempt: Swirled tint into mixture of part A&B 

Embedded LED

Embedded LED

Illuminated embedded LED, the LED did not disperse the light like I had intended.

Installation:  Each casting has been sanded and leveled while the MDF plaques have been painted or stained.  The final pieces are adhered to their plaques, the LED's are soldered to wires that lead to a 3V power source mounted to the back.