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Urn for Coral Reefs by ~Cuivielin:iconCuivielin:


©2008-2009 ~Cuivielin
Details
Submitted: April 7, 2008
File Size: 661 KB
Image Size: 88.0 KB
Resolution: 600×902
Comments: 5
Favourites & Collections: 11 [who?]

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Picture
Make: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D70s
Shutter Speed: 10/600 second
F Number: F/4.5
Focal Length: 31 mm
Date Picture Taken: Apr 18, 2006, 8:25:25 PM

Artist's Comments

Cast aluminum using lost styrofoam technique. One of a kind vessel (the cape thing is the lid).
2008

The lid was inspired by sea slugs with their gills sticking up from their backs. The bottom piece was a deliberate emulation of a vessel by Thom Lynn, a dear teacher of mine.


**EDIT**
Here's a story my friend told me when I asked her what this piece made her think of:

He's a little creature that lives in the ocean by Antarctica, and he's the only one in the world, except for one other. She lives in the Arctic Ocean.

Every few years they make a journey across the seas to find each other, walking with their little feet along the ocean floor. Sometimes they swim by fluttering their capes to avoid the deep dark trenches.

At last they meet in the middle of the seas, where they can forget their lonliness. Unless, of course, they both go in the same direction, ending up at each other's poles where they sing and flutter in sadness until they give up and go home.
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Comments


I will think on a possible name though I'm not the best at it myself. But the first name I thought was "the craft"... I'll think more.

Looks cool though
3. They can only take very short steps of course
I've casted with the lost wax method, but how do you do it with styrofoam? If you don't mind me asking
Not at all. One begins by carving the piece out of that blue building styrofoam insulation, or marine float foam (which is a little less dense). Any texture you may want in the metal can generally be carved into the foam first. Unless the piece is very small, the inside must also be hollowed out until you can see it glow blue when held up to a light (roughly 1/4"). Often the foam piece must be cut and cast in several parts.

The finished piece is packed in casting sand - inside and out, using equal pressure - and vented generously. The sand is drier than what would be used for pattern casting. In the case of my piece, the bottom under the feet was cut out to allow the inside to be packed with sand. The cape is a separate piece altogether. When the aluminum is poured over the styrofoam, it burns away and makes a horrific stink. Because of the relative softness of the foam and the drier sand, distortion of the piece can happen and is something one has to accept, although tighter packing seems to lessen the problem.

I don't think I would ever use this method again - mostly because of health and environmental concerns. Styrofoam off-gases some nasty chemicals, even when it's not being burned. On the other hand, you can work it with a dremel or carving tools and can salvage chunks of that bloody packaging foam if you don't want to pay for new stuff. This method was popular in the 60's into the 80's, but has been banned in most schools that teach aluminum casting. Personally, I would love to try lost wax and see if I can get a similar effect as with this piece.

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