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Week 9 -Molding and Casting

task

Make a mold (can be 1 or two sides) HARD-SOFT-HARD . 3DPRINT- CAST SILICONE- CAST SOMETHING INSIDE. You can use biomaterials to substitute the silicone or the final cast.
Experiment!

My idea: Making moulds out of waste

I wanted to make something minimal waste, without using silicone for a single purpose project. I decided to approach it from a DIY, recycling perspective: using a coffee cup from itnig next door, I would place an object inside, pour gelatine over it and then slice it in half once it dried. Process:

Then I created the inside for the mould out of waste too. I wanted to make an exfoliant soap made out of ground coffee, soap waste, sugar and coconut oil.

Biomaterial mould recipe:

60gr gelatine, 150ml water, 40ml glicerine.

Process:

1. Dissolving the gelatine in water and melting it

In the meanwhile I prepared the things I wanted to mould: I filled a ping pong ball with water and an old tube for 35mm film with water too, to weigh them down in the gelatine mix. I used an old coffee cup and a plastic cup to put them in.

Then, I made the mix for the exfoliant, using coffee waste, soap bar waste and coconut oil, using a double boiler method. I regret doing this so early, because I would have to repeat it later when the moulds hardened.

This mixture was pasty and liquid when heated above 25 degrees celcius because of the coconut oil, but then hardened into a more solid state when at room temperature.

Next, I waited for the moulds to dry before I poured the scrub into them.

I took the moulds out of the cups; I peeled off the old coffee cup, and poked a knife along the edges of the other cup. The peeling method was much more easy and effective.

I found it funny how the bottom of the old film container left a mark on the cup. I wondered if gelatine could be used as a sort of stamp.

Cutting them in half

I melted the soap exfoliant again, then placed the mixture into the moulds.

The final result

OBSERVATIONS

The foamy last part of the gelatine mix did not dry out into a completely solid state, making it harder to cut in two and also preserve the shape.
I should have prepared the soap mixture when the mould were fully dry, to avoid repeating the process
gelatine = smells horrible
was scared the gelatine would melt, but it did not (i made sure the mixture was just hot enough, without boiling the moulds)

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