Trillium Exchange: #3

I have definitely decided I want to make a strap end based on one I found at the British Museum's Online Collection. The moment I saw the strap end I fell in love and thought it would make a very appropriate gift for a Anglo-Norman Lady, if I could make a decent replica or at least something close to the right size and shape. AS a backup plan I also cut out the wood for a small cedar reliquary box that I could carve a scene from either the life of Christ or a Saint, as was common in the day.

My initial efforts to recreate the strap end in wood failed. The original is only 4 cm long and has a lot of detail in it. While I was able to cut out the shape, I was unable to carve in the amount of detail required to make something I would be proud to gift to someone of Rylan's status. I have been told to ignore her status, but I can't help but feel the gift must live up to her and be something she would proudly display every day.

Earlier this year we bought some bronze grains and some pewter grains, with the intention of making a soap stone mold and learning the art of metal casting. The same problem arose with the soapstone mold making as it did with the wood. I was not able to carve the required detail into such a small surface area. Creating the carving in reverse also is far more difficult that I expected.

Now that I have decided I must at least attempt casting a strap end I moved on to Plan B - Sand Casting. I dug out my old, stale, Sculpey and went to work creating a 3D model of the piece. Even using something as easy to use as Sculpey, this turned out to be far harder than expected. I know 3 cm is just over an inch long but apparently my fingers can not, or will not, work with something that small regardless of the medium. On to Plan B.a - Create a mold that looks reasonably decent and as small as possible, which turns out is about 7 cm. It isn't an exact replica but I would call it a very good "inspired by" piece.

Now I just have to mix some fine sand with some molasses, as recommended by the Spouse who has read up on sand casting. Something about it making the sand hold the details better and the heat from the bronze will heat up the sugar and form a film that will make the finished piece release more readily.

Unlike the sand casting methods that the Spouse has investigated before, I plan to press my Sculpey model into a layer of sand and pour the bronze into it. The back of the model, and the inspiration, have flat backs so there is no need to do a 3D casting. I may move on to a 3D casting if my idea doesn't work. The great thing about my mold is it is reusable and so will afford many attempts.

Should the sand casting fail all the way around I will move on to lost wax casting. I hope I can make a wax mold as easily as I did the plasticine one. I also hope I can make the wax mold smaller, at least a little closer to the original's size, while maintaining the level of detail I want.