What is the best medium to build up a large celluclay relief casting?

[dknowles]

Hi. I have acquired a very large Celluclay relief casting of an Indian head with headdress (5 ft x 7 ft). Its current state is very thin and fragile, much like and egg carton.

I would like to build it up to give it more form and definition but am not sure what kind of medium I should use. I need something that is non-bake, sandable, will adhere to the celluclay and wood, won’t crack, and will look like rock or sandstone. It would be nice if it could be used for the exterior and capable of being waterproofed.

Does any one have any suggestion of what kind of medium I should use?

With thanks, Donna Knowles

[fritchie]

Donna - I'd like to help, but I don't understand your situation. I'm not familiar with Celluclay, and why is appearance important (rock or sandstone)?? I assume you want to apply reinforcement to the back, so as not to change the appearance. Do you want the filler or reinforcement to form a sort of base or frame that extends past the edges of the original piece?

Fiberglass or a similar polymer would be lightweight and strong, and it’s appearance and color can be altered with additives such as dry clay.

Can you give us more details about the piece and your goals?

[dknowles]

Thanks for your reply. I am a beginner at this so wasn’t sure what information was needed, so I'll start at the beginning.

A friend of mine got a hold of a mould that was made to pour concrete into. Instead of pouring concrete she poured celluclay, which when wet is like homemade paper and when dried is like a mix of cardboard and clay - quite fragile - and looses its shape when wet. She didn't fill up the mold completely with the celluclay, rather poured it half inch thick, so I now have this giant Indian with Headdress relief. It is hollow in the back - like a huge 5' x 7' pressed out piece of cardboard - like an egg carton - no armature.

What I want to do is add some kind of sculpting medium to give it stability. I would also like to add more definition to the face and build up the feathers in the headdress.

I'm not sure what process I should do. I only know that when finished, I wood like to either mount it over a fireplace or on the outside of a stucco house. I would like it to look like carved rock or sandstone.

I have a picture of the casting if you would like to see it - I can't figure out how to attach it to this note, so will need your e-mail address to send it to.

With thanks, Donna Knowles

[sculptor]

Donna
for outdoor use; check out U.S.Gypsum products
fast cast exterior gypsum cement
and
Garden cast gypsum cement
with a little colorant and texture they'll mimic stone

you may want to remold if you plan to place this outdoors
if you imbed hanging fasteners and stucco mesh in the material, it'll be stronger and easier to mount----5 ft x 7 ft is quite large(at 3" thick, about 9 cupic feet or 5-600 lbs) so you will need helpers especially if you plan to cast in a single piece---

as stated above, under "Mold shell problems"
You may also want to check out the molding and casting forum at:
http://www.taxidermy.net/forums/MoldingMenu.html

rod
sculptor (http://home.mindspring.com/~mandali/index.html)

[fritchie]

Donna - thanks for the extra information. Rod (Sculptor) has given some good advice above. I would not plan to mount a paper sculpture outdoors, regardless of any coating. If you really want to mount this outdoors, you might want to make another mold and cast it some more permanent material.

You say your friend bought the mold. If it is available, a second casting in fiberglass or some other resin might be the way to go. As I hinted, these can have various additives which change color and texture. The thickness could be adjusted according to need, and it would be relatively lightweight.

If you want to work with this available cast and make changes to the front as well as back, you still might want to do as Rod suggests: Change the form and texture as you like, then make a new mold and cast it in the medium of your choice. Fora piece of this size, this is a substantial project regardless of path.