anamorphic
02-08-2008, 01:51 AM
Hi, I made an outdoor sculpture in Vietnam as a collaborative project, using cast concrete which is not a particularly familiar material to me. One big problem when I was working there, is that materials are often not quite what one thinks, that helpers don't do what you ask, etc etc, so I felt the process got out of control. So, the figure was supposed to be cast in dark cement with fibreglass reinforcing, but I suspect that the guys didn't bother to put in the fibreglass mat. The work is out under some trees, nice-looking location but probably not so practical, and a cyclone has come through and damaged the work by falling branches - at least that's my theory. It could have been vandalism, but the widespread pattern of chipping didn't seem quite right.
Since it would be quite hard to make a good repair on a short visit back, I thought I would remake the whole figure and join it on at the base with mortar.
So the question is, do I make it in cement again, with reinforcing of steel? and if so, what sort of cement product would give the best result, since it obviously needs more impact and tensile strength than the first attempt. Some friends have suggested I should look at plastics, eg car body filler, because the overall size isn't very great (about 25 cm ie.under 12"). I'm also worried about the impact of the climate, which gets from cool (10degC) to warm and wet, to hot and sunny (up to 40degC). Cement-based things can leach lime but the object would be sealed with paint. I heard that ciment fondue can be affected by heat, and plastic might not be stable with the UV exposure.
Since it would be quite hard to make a good repair on a short visit back, I thought I would remake the whole figure and join it on at the base with mortar.
So the question is, do I make it in cement again, with reinforcing of steel? and if so, what sort of cement product would give the best result, since it obviously needs more impact and tensile strength than the first attempt. Some friends have suggested I should look at plastics, eg car body filler, because the overall size isn't very great (about 25 cm ie.under 12"). I'm also worried about the impact of the climate, which gets from cool (10degC) to warm and wet, to hot and sunny (up to 40degC). Cement-based things can leach lime but the object would be sealed with paint. I heard that ciment fondue can be affected by heat, and plastic might not be stable with the UV exposure.