Molding and Casting
✔️ Review the safety data sheets for each of your molding and casting materials
✔️ Make and compare test casts with each of them
✔️ Extra credit: try other molding and casting processes
Individual Assignment
✔️ Design a mold around the stock and tooling that you'll be using
✔️ Mill it (rough cut + three-axis finish cut)
✔️ Use it to cast parts
✔️ Extra credit: use more then two mold parts
Ring of Noise
I've always been interested in computer-generated noise as different algorithms can generate different patterns of noise, which can essentially be thought of as some distribution of a signal in space. So I want to make a ring, and one surface of this ring is the materialized form of noise.
Plastic Version / Left: digital signal form; Right: analogggue signal form.
Metal Version / Left: digital signal form; Right: analogggue signal form
The Concept
The Process
1. 3D Parametric Modeling
2. Make the Positive Mold for the Negative Mold
3. Casting the Negative Mold
4. Casting the Positive Plastic Model with Smooth-Cast 305
After a while...
5. Remove the Plastic Model from the Mold
6. Casting the Positive Metal Model
Grab a piece of metal scrap into the spoon.
Put the spoon in the oven. Set to Broil, and press Start. It will heat for 10 mins.
Put on the heat-resistant gloves, and take them out carefully. Liquid metal can be seen in the spoon.
Carefully pour it into the mold. I poured over the surface. As I knew the size of the ring is smaller than my finger, I didn't remove the overflow from the surface in order to see the effect. One way to remove it is to use a very thin metal stick, position it flat, and move it laterally to push the spill away from the surface.
7. Final Result
Top Side
Bottom Side
Plastic ones can be used as rings, while metal ones can be used as necklaces.
Name Chop of "LIU"
Inspiration
In Chinese, Japanese and Korean paintings, the personal chop or seal establishes the artist's identity and is used to authenticate the painting. This authentication seal is the artist's signature, which when also written serves only as a secondary identification.
Chinese seals are typically made of stone, sometimes of metals, wood, bamboo, plastic, or ivory, and are typically used with red ink or cinnabar paste.
The Concept
My surname is LIU, and the Chinese character is 刘. While almost all name chop is traditional Chinese calligraphy, I want to create a graphic that is generated computationally. So I want to do a reaction-diffusion simulation based on the original Chinese character "LIU".
The Process
1. 2D Reaction-Diffusion Simulation
I started with the 2D reaction-diffusion simulation with an After Effect template Reaction Diffusion System.
2. 3D Parametric Modeling
I use Cinema 4D's Displacer to create the model based on the luminance value of the image. White means high, and black means low.
3. Make the Positive Mold for the Negative Mold
Method 01: Milling Machinable Wax
Method 02: 3D Printing
4. Casting the Negative Mold
5. Casting the Positive Model
After a while...
6. Remove the Model from the Mold
From 3D printed mold:
From machinable wax mold:
7. Casting the Metal Model
The workflow has been described above for the Ring of Noise.
8. Final Result
Hand Out of Mud
I wanted to make a sculpture out of plaster with a person's hand sticking out of the ground. This sculpture consists of smooth hand skins (allowing for imperfect detail) and rough dirt-like ground.
The Process
1. Test the Hand Gesture and Size for the Container
2. Cast the Mold with Alja-Safe
Wait for 10 mins and remove the hand from the mold.
3. Cast the Positive Model with Accu-Cast LiquiStone Gypsum Cement
4. Remove the Model from the Mold
Some fingers are broken.
5. Fix the Broken Parts
6. Final Results
Fingerprints are visible.
