The magic of casting

This week I embarked on a new journey of learning casting techniques, tricks and tips. I explored various ways of making casts which I found highly rewarding and am enjoying the experience of being able to learn these new processes. I started by learning how to make a postive cast in plaster. I chose to cast an old key which belonged to my uncle as it holds great history and meaning.

1. I pressed the key half way into the soft clay and took the key out.
2. I made registration marks with my thumb around the key.
3. I built a wall of clay around the impression of the key so the plaster wouldnt leak out.
4. I mixed my water and plaster solution, sieving the plaster through my hands to make sure there were no lumps.
5. Once the plaster was mixed to the right balance, I poured it into the impression and let it dry for at least 45 minutes.

The photograph above is the resulting piece from this process. I loved how the cast itself looked old and worn. It added a great sense of history to the piece.

The second medium i chose to cast in was silicone. I wanted to make a full 3 dimensional resin cast of the key, so i decided to use silicone as it can be reused over and over again. This would allow me to make as many copies as i want which is necessary for my project which I will discuss later on.

I started the process of casting like I had done before ie,

1.  I pressed the key half way into the soft clay but this time i left the key in the impression without moving it and making sure the clay surrounded the key tightly.
2. I created a wall from a sheet of polstyrene, around the piece so there would be no leaks of silicone.
3. I made registration marks ( this would make it easier to align the final piece.
4. I contacted Pat, the casting technician, to make a silicone mix and discussed the possibilities of how i would make the resin casts.
5. Pat poured the silicone mixture inside the wall of polstyrene, on top of the key.
6. I then left the silicone set over night.

Once the silcone had set, i removed the clay from underneath the key, making sure i did'nt move the key away from the silicone. If the key was too move away from the silcone, there would be less chance of the cast aligning correctly.
I then turned the silcone around so the key was facing up. I then created a clay wall around the silcone so that i could pour another layer of silcone mix on top of the key; making the other half of my silicone cast. I then let the silicone mix set once again overnight.

Once the silicone mixture had set, I was left with a key entrapped between two silicone casts. I separated these cast easily and was left with a beautiful two-piece cast. The registration marks helped me align the casts greatly.



I am currently waiting to produce the resin casts of the key, as my concept for my next piece is almost designed and ready to be shared with the public.


Here's a sneaky peak of what is inspiring my next project in relation to the resin keys :

-Theresa