Stephani Stephenson on thu 17 oct 02
I glued leaves down flat , or semi flat anyway onto glass or siilar
smooth surface. (using something like Ross paste or white glue)
leaving the side that I wanted to take an impression off of, UP. let
the glue dry.
then pour a small puddle of flexible slip onto center of leaf...gently
draw or spread out puddle to periphery, so it covers the leaf and
goes beyond the edges by a few inches. let set up . Experiment with
thinner or thicker coats to see which works best. I would say a coat
of 1/8 inch is good. Then, after it has set up, you can add
subsequent coats to build up to 1/4-1/2" inch.
I cannot remember if you need to stir the slip first, when I received
buckets of it, it never appeared to be separated and was ready to use
right out of the bucket. much like latex only definitely thicker than
say, a wax resist compound potters are familiar with. it had the
consistency of cream or kefir.
once dry, It should remain flexible for a long time, I.e, Very flexible
for months and still largely flexible for years though it does harden
up a bit it is still flexible enough to be rolled onto clay. it to
will start to break down if left in the elements (sun, rain, cold) after
6-7 years.
it should never be allowed to freeze, in the liquid state.
like all materials experiment with it in SMALL test situations till you
find out what it does. also test to see how it releases from different
materials. It releases fabulously well from plaster. also see how the
strength varies with thickness, try different thicknesses and see how it
works best for you. just take some time to get to know the material, as
it is a new material for you. originally this material was used to make
POSITIVES. I.e. was poured and painted into plaster molds.
the only thing that doesn't sound right to me is the hardening up that
you describe. but difficult to discern your exact meaning form email
here' wishing you a better second round.
Stephani Stephenson
Carlsbad CA
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