Casting Concrete

A few weeks ago I started experimenting with concrete as a medium. I have been really behind on my blogging but I have just been so busy to document everything!

Concrete has this very industrial feel that is unlike anything I have ever worked with before. The following molds were mixed with Portland Cement, Fine sand, and just enough water to rehydrate the material. I found that the best mix was: 

1 part fine sand to 3 parts portland cement.

The following photos document my de molding procedure after waiting 48 hours for the cement to cure, as well as the level of detail that can be achieved using silicone to make your mold.

The first concrete figure that I removed from the silicone happened to be a Heroclix figure from my childhood. This small figurine was the "Incredible Hulk." Heroclix is a collectible figurine game that featured an innovative system that allowed figures to dynamically change their stats and abilities based on damage that they would receive by turning the base of the figure revealing new stats.

Whoops! while de molding I accidentally broke the Hulk at his ankles.

The concrete is incredibly brittle at this point, in fact, concrete gains its strength with time. If I would have let the figure cure longer I might not have had this problem.

Notice that the "Incredible Hulk's" head is partially deformed and flat. This indicates to me that the concrete didn't get all the way into my mold leaving this a miscast, but still interesting to notice that I was able to pick up the detail of his muscles.

Seeing the success of the first mold I was very excited to remove the 3D printed Mobius strip that I designed in Rhino.

I was not disappointed! If you look closely you can see all the lines, layer by layer revealing how the print was made. This was my second attempt casting this piece, the first time I did not have the formula correct which left the concrete too brittle and broke into tiny little pieces.

And finally, the last item that I cast this week was a Sierra Mist bottle that had a bleach bottle inside. I saw this idea on a crafting site and thought it would be a perfect, easy enough, craft for adults to make at our next Makeshift event, that will be happening February 4th, 6-9 P.M.

Concrete lamp anyone?

Stay tuned to see how it turns out!