houndz on sat 24 jan 04
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to provide assistance and
offer encouragement with this project. I'm nearing the end of my work,
and have achieved far more success than I ever would have anticipated.
There's nothing like watching a chunk of blackened plaster shatter from
being gingerly set on a table to discourage one.
After gently blowing off as much detritus and ash as I could, I repaired
and sealed the molds with a carefully thinned solution of wood glue.
Several people suggseted white glue for this purpose, but I was
concerned about its solubility in water. I found this layer had to be
extremely thin, or the plaster would later break apart in chunks during
the next step. Most of the molds had other substances melt onto them, so
it wasn't always easy to determine whether the glue was adhering to
plaster, or another substance coating the plaster. (Anyone want to play
"name that substance" for what could have caused a thin layer resembling
the backing of clear tape that covered some of the molds?) In the case
of those molds that had mystery materials on them, this layer of glue
later helped in removing anything adhering to the plaster..
I then built up clay walls around the molds, and applied moulage rubber
molding compound. Low tech, but it worked like a charm. Only two molds
wound up with any plaster damage at all after the rubber application; in
most cases, the plaster looks better after the rubber gently cleaned
them. The moulage did tend to snag on any area that was actually
charred, probably because of the myriad little undercuts. Once I had the
rubbers, the rest was relatively straightforward - pouring new masters
of wax and plaster from the temporary rubber molds.
Again, thanks to everyone for their information and support.
T. Phillips
http://www.bluefrogcreations.com
| |
|
