I made a brick today, oh boy

A brick, yes, it looks like a brick, feels like a brick and most likely would break a window or skull like a brick, but it isn't a brick. Technically it is a brick, but more specifically it is a shell made of a polymer gypsum, Forton MG, as a gel coat. Then inside the thin layer I poured tinted FGR 95 gympsum plaster.

The idea here is to create a brick that may be stronger than your average brick, although not as cheap. The advantages are that it should withstand the average amount of heat generated in a fireplace, although the inner fiberglass fibers could melt under extreme conditions if the outer wall of the brick is compromised. I'll double check the flashpoint for this material.

I used pure pigments for the coloring, so there is not acrylic paint on the exterior that could burn. The inside is up for debate as I could pour an entire brick solid with the gypsum polymer hybrid, but the cost of the brick would go up significantly, or I could make a more hollow brick, reducing the weight of the brick, but where there is space there could be moisture, mildew or any other decay enhancing atmosphere. The inside could've been filled with any number of materials, but the FGR-95 is a similar crystalline structure to the Forton MG, so the bond should be good. There is the possibility that under rapid atmospheric changes in temperature the outer shell of Forton MG could crack if the inside material shrinks or expands, but my basic feeling is that the more solid the item the better.

I used a silicon mold and since I made the mold from an actual brick it is questionable if I can make a lot of samples from this one mold since the sides are completly veritcal and if it dried and expanded it would be nearly impossible to remove. A two part mold would be better. I poured the sample from the top and left the top unsealed so that I can analyze the thickness of the gel coat. Otherwise there would be no way to tell this brick from any other brick I happen to have laying around.

I also need to test methods of connecting things to the brick, like mortar, to see if these could be connected like bricks. I'm not sure how to test this brick for strength, but it should only be a matter of time until I drop it or smash it accidentally with something. The good news is that it was made without a kiln or heat and if necessary I could put patterns or objects in the mold as an inlay and potentially even designs similar to how I am doing my other photo fresco pieces. The bad news is that it is a brick and although I am excited by this object, it doesn't seem to inspire much response when I show it to others.

Moving On - Hollywood Star as Christmas Ornaments and Hi-Tech Bricks

Forton MG has changed my life. It's like working with ceramics without a kiln, metal without a forge and printing without plastisol. None of the above are what I thought I would be working on, but so be it. I made some christmas ornaments, smaller picture frames with images and now I am going to make a brick.