Molding & Composites

SUMMARY:

Our project for this week was to create digital patterns suitable for multiple castings. I used the fab modules to create the patterns, which were output on the Modela mini mill in styrofoam. My intent is to ultimately displacement cast these patterns within a green sand investment into an aluminium object. The pattern is that of a ceremonial Thor's hammer.


KITCHEN EXPERIMENT

Time on the Modela was short this week, so I decided to spend relatively more time in the kitchen working on composites. I decided to try to take sheets of filo, and see if I could form them into a tube suitable for containing a composite slurry.



Here is the filo sheet which has been folded lengthwise, then slathered with agave syrup



It is then molded around a form, with more agave binder:



And then a light coating of sugar crystals:



And then into a 400 degree Farenheit oven for about 10 minutes. The bottle keeps the filo tube from collapsing.



Here is a typical tube and the form used to make it:



And a number of completed tubes:



To fill the filo shell, I took some dried apricots and currants and rehydrated them in brandy:



For the binder, I made some rice pudding. Unfortunately, we only had brown rice in the house, so the mixture had to be sieved. It turned out to be more of a thin syrup!



Yummo! The proof of the pudding is in the eating