My Tile reproduction....Part 7

How do I make my plaster moulds? Honestly.....not with a lot of enthusiasm.

Plaster is not my favorite material to work with....in fact plaster and I don't really enjoy each other very much. If I can, I let someone else make my moulds for me, but that's usually for large production runs. If I only need a few tiles for custom orders, then I just suck it up, get the apron and gloves on, and mix it up.

I set my wax on a thick pane of glass, which gives me a level surface to pour the plaster on.

I brush a thin coat of vegetable oil onto the wax to help the plaster separate from it.

I use plastic slats to create the frame that the plaster will be poured into. I seal the edges with soft clay.

Mixing the plaster. I use the intuitive method of mixing the plaster into the water - add the dry plaster to the water until it makes dry islands just above the level of the water. Then I let it slake for a few minutes and stir for 8-10, while impatiently waiting for the perfect moment to pour.

I overfill the frame and let the plaster stiffen while I clean up the mixing bucket and messy spills.

When the plaster just begins to harden I use another plastic slat to level the it to the top edge. This ensures a consistent thickness and level to the mould.

Surface and edges are clean and now I just have to wait for the plaster to finish setting up. I take care not to go far because I've found that the plaster can get hot enough to warp the wax. I release it when it's hot to the touch.

A lovely sight is a just released plaster that has NO bubbles and every detail is in perfect form. This one turned out great.

Now that I have a working mould, I'll let it dry for a day or two and then...onto pressing the tiles!

Part Six of my series on Reproducing a Victorian Tile

Here we are at part six of a ten part series on reproducing a Victorian tile, and I have to admit this is the best part as far as I'm concerned. I'm now ready to work on the shape, texture and details of the tile.

Using the original tile as a guide I begin to shape the details and depth of the pattern.

I keep the original tile close at hand and reference it often to stay as true as possible to the flow of the pattern.

I use one of my small round tipped tools to soften the edges of the leaves.

I use the flat edged tools to level the background and smooth away any lines created from my first tracing.

The large rounded tools help me create the sculpted petals and leaves. I also use them to smooth edges.

The larger flat edged tools are used to finish the background areas of the wax.

Here's the finished wax. One detail I forgot to photograph, which stands out in this photo is how I fix or touch up areas that I want to change after carving. I use one of my small scoop shaped tools that has some wax in it, and heat it over a small candle flame. Then I lay the metal on top of the part I need to re-carve and let the hot wax melt onto the surface. The black areas of the wax show where the carbon from the edge of the scoop tool filled in with hot wax. I then let the wax cool for a few minutes and re-carve the details.

Next I'll show the pouring of the plaster mould.

A little trip to NYC

I interrupt the regularly scheduled program - of tile reproduction - to present a slice of NYC, which Don and I enjoyed last Thursday and Friday. We drove down to the City on Thursday afternoon for a Friday presentation with a group of outstanding architects. Our room was right in Union Square, and we enjoyed an evening out - check out the elephant standing on his trunk.

Friday brought a beautiful, sunny day. The wind was chilly, but, hey - it is February, after all. A very strange, unusually warm, February, but I'll take it. Due to space limitations at the meeting, I chose to sit out while Don presented. The meeting was in Soho, which gave me the opportunity to check out the William Bennett Gallery on Greene Street. I was greeted by some amazing etchings and lithos by Dali. My favorites were from his Alice in Wonderland series, especially "The Pig sends in a Little Bill"

Salvador Dali "The Pig sends in a Little Bill" 1969 from edition of 2,500. $2,950.00

Among the other art on the wall were 1970 aquatints by Picasso, etchings by Chagall, 1970's work by Miro, and 4 stunning etchings by Rembrandt, circa. 1657-58.

Stepping back out into the bright sunlight I headed to Pearl Paint to wander about the tools and supplies of artists who will create the next masterpiece. There is magic and mystery in that building, and the potential of a great workout, if you must explore all the way to the 4th floor.

Chocolate Mice

After the meeting and a quick lunch, we headed up to the Flat Iron building to drop samples off at our distributor, Waterworks. Where we should have our afternoon tea break didn't even need discussion, as we were standing in front of L. A. Burdick Chocolate Shop and Cafe. Oh my, oh my goodness! I sampled the Coconut Torte, Don had the Harvard Square, and guess what I'm getting as a Valentine's gift....

Our last stop of the day before heading back upstate was the Neue Galerie on 86th, across from the Met. They offer free admission on every first Friday of the month from 6 pm to 8 pm, and a lot of people were there to enjoy. That would have been fine, except for the fact that the line wrapped around one side of the building and they were only letting in 5 people at a time. Forty five minutes later we were admitted and it was so worth the wait. The current show is Selections from the 3rd century b.c. to the 20th century from Germany, Austria, and France. We started in a gallery lined with armor for the field and tournament 1610-13. Full armor suits are on display, along with extraordinary face masks for both men and horse. The center cases displayed weapons that Peter Jackson must have been inspired by! Swords and battleaxes so large that we wondered what size man could have wielded them.

Armor for the Field and Tournament

1610-13

Made for the Duke Friedrich Ulrich of Brunswick, Greenwich
Steel, etched, blued, and gilt; leather, textile
The Ronald S. Lauder Collection, New York
Pair of gauntlets lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of William H. Riggs, 1913

The next room drew me instantly in, as the far wall was filled with Kandinskys - the largest "Composition V, 1911.

Vasily Kandinsky Composition V, 1911

 I spent most of the next 10 minutes just standing and filling up on this amazing piece. OK - of course, you can't tell, but I just got lost again, just looking at the digital version. Works by many other outstanding artists are included. This exhibit only lasts until April 2nd - so run over quickly to see the show now.

A lot of inspiration in a short amount of time.

Now back to the regularly scheduled program! Carving and plaster mould making for a reproduction Victorian tile!