Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Patina versus Rust - All colorful form of decay

I have been playing with hybrid cold casting metals into different materials like epoxy, polyester resins and gypsum based materials. The goal is to get a durable casting medium that I can work with that won't dissolve or be too toxic to work with. Expense is also an issue and the cost of these products is relatively low. Currently I have been torn between accelerating the effects of rust on the steel materials and corrosion on the bronze materials to determine if the effect is special or not. The problem is that the corrosion concept is the opposite of the durability that I am after. Oh, what to do?

My personal opinion is that the rust and patina are effects that you can only get from metal and that is how I can distinquish the material from some other form of plastic or plaster. I just can't seem to get the right bonding, strength and finish that inspires me to move on from testing and back to production or making things. I feel like i am close, but not completely happy. My latest efforts have me working with molded shapes of unicorns and the space shuttle in very thin layers for emblems that can be put on things like cars or houses.

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