Poured Into A Mould

Creating a Spindle

2009-06-21T17:43:00.003-06:00

I am creating a spindle upon which I can finish out the model for my egg-shaped containers. I bought two "lazy susans" which I will mount onto plywood. Took them down to the studio today after getting some more copper fittings for a plumbing job that I am doing on my own home. It's a good thing too. That painting I had hanging had come loose of its dowel, and so I had to go get a large sheet of styro-foam to tape it to a sized piece of that and cover it back up with plastic.

I know that the lazy susans are a cheap short-cut towards a more sophistcated lathe type bearing, but I don't intend to turn it at any notable speed I can't produce with my hand.

Pictures to follow on the next entry.

More Canvas Preparation

2009-06-20T18:50:00.004-06:00

I have some more canvas preparation to show and a little bit of the process of setting a recess margin board around a painting on ply-board. This was the first time I have used gesso in the Utrecht gel. It was a little awkward to brush, but not something I was unfamiliar with after doing many years of drywall finishing. Halfway through I gave up resistance on thinning it and did so wtih a high-speed drill.

The above features two paintings. The smaller one done on plywood, the larger done on canvas. The latter, something my client decided to abandon. I would strip it off its frame and put new canvas on it.

One large painting (36" x 60") was stripped off its frame and preserved. I hung it on the dowel rod that came with the raw canvas and put plastic around as if it were dry cleaning. Mixed-media that are glued onto the front probably wouldn't withstand being rolled up. I assume that we will put it on styro-foam for something quick and easy. She said it was a transitional piece.

Here is the new canvas gessoed on that frame. And that's my oak easel that I built when I came back from Texas with the ton of scraps I saved working in a lumber mill. I haven't had a place with a high enough ceiling to use it since 1997. In the basement - shifting around for flourescents whose ballasts haven't burned out yet - it still seems a challenge with all the ductwork.

Here's a feature Ms. Cothren taught me about eliminating extra material beneath the tucked corners. I had never noticed it before.

I still don't know if I'm doing it right.

I do know how to trim boards around objects without any space between them though:

First, I had to glue something on the back of the plywood. I used a 2" x 3", something they are now featuring at Home Depot. It seems funny to me, that size. A 2" x 2" would not be sturdy enough. Without nails I just used some low VOC constructon adhesive layed on thick. I then put couple layers of bubble wrap between the painting and some small boards and clamped it all together. This could have been done ahead of time, but sometimes one just really wants to paint. That's where I come in handy.

Here I have chopped the recess margin board (7/16" x 1-1/4" pine door stop) to a size approaching exact, primed and painted with flat black interior latex paint on the top edges, plus a little wrap down both sides. I then nailed one on at a time with a test piece at each end cut at the same angle.

Above is the best square on photo I could take that illustrates how the black margin will set off the outside frame. At this point the artist seemed to like it just the way it was, albeit half an inch shy of the wall surface when hung.

There are some other sights about the building and an off-the-cuff series of snapshots of town that I took when I went to eat some lunch. I think I will start to feature some of them as an effort to share more personal insights and curios on this blog. I think finally learning how to manage more information with high speed internet has affected that decision, but I will add them onto the next entry.

Summer In the Studio

2009-06-14T00:24:00.002-06:00

After dealing with some overdue health concerns and struggling to finish up a finish carpentry project I am down in the studio. I received a call to help stretch some canvas on old frames, and help present a painting on solid substrate with a marginal setback and frame. After a conference and consultation I give the place a solid cleaning and re-set my work surfaces. They are mere hollow-core doors with their handles and hinges removed set upon saw horses. As this was the most activity I've had since carpentry last week I've worked up a sweat and take off my shirt to stay cool. A whole feeling of rejuvenation prevails.

Free-standing Wall ~ Assembly Process

2009-03-07T21:24:00.006-07:00

After getting a pretty good start a week ago work was done part time through the week in the evenings. The studs were cut to length and laid out. It being such a small a project the compressor and framing nail gun weren't needed.

The low ductwork came in handy in steadying the wall sections to bolt into the 2 x 6.

Just a couple "quick-grip clamps were needed to keep the bows straight during the fastening process.

The platform and side braces were a little tricky, but that was more due to the un-even floor in the basement. (At one time the author poured a self-leveling compound over it at the owner's request. Without a membrane re-inforcement stretched over it while still fresh it has started to blister and crack. The surface below, though primed to help adhesion was a sort of tar-mastic.)

The hardest part of the job would be getting it up to the fourth floor. The framework was hauled up the fire escape, and the sheetrock came in through the front entrance carefully up the stairway. The latter on a very windy March day typical to southern Colorado. One sheet was damaged in transit and the job would not be completed by end of Friday.

The client was not as suprised as the author by the size, but did have to perform some surprise re-arrangements in her work tables.

There is always a degree of excitement and re-freshening of purpose in preparing something new in a workspace. My client spoke of having a reticence about making dramatic changes, and wanting to combat it with this workstation. She spoke of wanting to jump right in with a new approach. I hope it serves her well. I'd make one for myself if I had the space.

Free-standing Wall ~ Process

2009-02-28T17:21:00.012-07:00

After acquiring the first installment of materials I started this project 26th of February. I brought most of my tools in from my truck and set them where I could get anything quickly.

I would rather have used a mortising jig on my table saw to cut the half-lap, 45 degree joints for the triangular support braces, but that is in my shop, somewhat disassembled, and waiting for a better base. My sliding chopsaw has a depth stop setting though, and I just "carved" out the mortises halfway with a large chisel after cross-cutting a bunch of slots to that depth.

I still have to clean these joints up a little before screwing them together. I'll probably use my mini-belt sander for that.

On the 27th I laid the bottom plate out for stud placement, temporarily nailed the 2 x 4 plate centered upon that, then drilled for the 3/8" T-nuts (1/64" larger than the bolt for a pilot from the top, and exact fit - 7/16"for the T-nut - from the bottom.) Fastening the wall to the base with these will make it possible for it to be disassembled, making it portable and re-usable.

Once I had that operation done I removed the two nails and chopped the 2 x 4 to four foot lengths.

Saturday I also brought down the studs, graded and crowned them for best choice to face them.

More Studio Furnishings

2009-02-27T21:57:00.006-07:00

I've received an order for a free-standing, movable wall, which will serve as a visual study area or easel. Consulting with the artist, Sara Cothren, she's shown me photos of studio furnishings Robert Motherwell used. From these I've developed sketches to construct something similar with commonly used lumber purchased from an old established local yard.

In sharing what my project was and showing them my preliminary sketch it was put to me (by the guys at Rush's Lumber in Pueblo, Colorado) rather teasingly that using a two-dimensional figure in it for scale was misleading: "How tall is he?" One even pulled out his tape measure. I was hesitant to go into a long-winded explanation about where I got the whole program for these sketches, but merely repeated, "It's just a sketch!".

It is their 100 year anniversary this year of being in business as a family run lumber yard, and it's always nice to go to them first over the big box stores. They know me by my first name, and I know all of them by theirs as well. I've been meaning to ask them what happened the year of the Flood of 1921, which over-ran it's highest level by 19 feet that year. That, and how they recovered stands to be one interesting story.
Continuing installments will document my progress on this project, and I might just assemble a small set of plans that can be had for a nominal fee.

Refinements to A Heated Table ~ Part Two

2009-01-27T23:59:00.003-07:00

I've drawn a half-round edge on the table itself, moved the intake tube where it causes no obstruction hazard, entering from below. I've also drawn a smaller version for super-heated temperatures, having never before considered that someone working in encaustic might need something similar. (Thanks to one Ms. Stephanie Gerolimatos, and artist in this medium!) I still have only a vague understanding of the process, and no idea what ideal heater element could be placed inside. Possibly something solid-state electric with a variable control and a large metal plate.

Design Refinements to Heated Table

2009-01-05T00:23:00.003-07:00

I've made it as deep as a standard countertop, illustrated the 1/2" coils spaced at 3", and allowed a tee to split in the middle of the slab, which makes the end distance outside of it shorter to return to it heat source. I've also left a stretcher bar in the frame underneath in the middle to magically levitate for entertainment purposes.

A Specialized Tool and Studio Furnishing

2009-01-03T21:33:00.003-07:00

This is a design for a water heated table for working with industrial styling clay. I have left the top open to view the coiling placement of the Aqua-PEX tubing that will be poured about 1 1/2" thick with self-levelling underlayment, or some other more flexible concrete slurry.

Component Use

2008-12-28T12:53:00.005-07:00

Layout, first draft of the arch top model.

Base detail. I finally figured out how to integrate my more complex models into a drawing as a component, so that they aren't affected by "un-hide all" instructions. I may yet color things differently. It's getting to the fun stage after a lot of learning about the mechanics of things. I think the torus on the base ought to be made bigger, seem more pyrimid-like as the source I've drawn from (The archway at Dysert O'Dea, Clare, Ireland). I'm still fidgeting with proportions too.

Progress At Spiral Column

2008-12-13T12:20:00.004-07:00

My prototype study for a spiral voluted column now evolves to have a bottom truncated profile of a half-circle, and leaves out the hemi-spherical "buttons" off the row they ascend for clarity. Their proportions go from 1 : 1.618, to 1 : 2, as an aesthetic visual adjustment. I've decide to limit this module to 10 1/2 inches in height, and stick with a total diameter of 5 1/8 inches.

Continuation

2008-11-09T10:03:00.004-07:00

As part of my progress with moldmaking I have taught myself how to use a three-dimensional drawing program, Google Sketchup. After nine months I feel that I have yet to learn some shortcuts, certain that I will stumble upon them soon, but I have used it to try and illustrate what type of work of which I am interested in, re-applying it faithfully as an architectural style from an historic period.
In particular I gravitate towards the Romanesque period, and find the Hibernian influence upon Norman architecture the most interesting for its ability to evoke the organic into its form.

I plan on incorporating this spiral column into the decorative element and support of a mantlepiece for a fireplace surround.

Remaining Panel Moulding

2006-05-06T22:23:00.000-06:00

After having set the margin pattern earlier with the first wall it was onto the rest of the room with the three wall sections opposite the window and the four pilasters.

Remaining Corner

2006-05-06T21:40:00.000-06:00

To cast the remaining corner I assembled the full mould with some blue styrofoam carved at the 45 degree mitre angle to block it to its approximate size.
While waiting for casting preparatory processes to dry, the demolition of the old wood facsimile is done and metal lath it fastened into the old plaster to start the installation preparation again.

And the installation process is done the same as the previous, larger cornice.

Paint

2006-03-29T00:16:00.000-07:00

After a couple false starts and clean-outs with my small detail spray gun during both primer and finish paint I switch to the larger HVLP gun. I'd strained the remnant cans into a full quart of unopened gold paint and still caught grits of dried paint in the process somehow. It causes me to open the material feed enough to get it through the tip, and re-adustment. Eventually the paint runs through smoothly.

These pictures were taken before the paint was fully dried. I think in this situation before leaving for the day watching paint dry was interesting.

I don't know what I was trying to see before turning out all the lights and contemplating the finish of it. I had faith that it would turn out as a reasonable facsimile of the other pilasters, and now believe it has done just that in this restoration. I guess I'm trying to let it sink in. There is still a small corner piece to cast and install. I won't dare tear the wooden one down until I have it in hand. The trim carpentry for the panel mould for the rest of the walls should be relatively easy after all this. One visiting person asked if she could have a larger casting scrap for an eccentric, or offbeat bookshelf. I got a kick out of that.

Installation

2006-03-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

The existing wood facimile of the cornice is removed after the second casting from the mould is ready to install.

(Suitable before and after photo - excluding the paint stage - I will show below in leaping ahead. )

Preparations to hang the cornice are made as illustrated by the cross-sectional drawing.

The separately cast Bead & Ogee moulding (section A above) is fitted and installed with screws into the wood framework and acts as a level ledger after making a reference line between the other two pilasters with a string line.

Expanded metal lath is screwed into the existing plaster, prepped by some Dara-Weld to insure proper integration of the old and new, then overlayed with Structo-lite plaster and let set a full day.

The side pieces to the pillaster were then brought up from the casting area and fitted to size, after grinding on the sides with a diamond impregnated disc.

It is at this point where extra plaster can be installed along the back and important allignment compromise is arrived at. Though the mould is taken from the other side of the room for depth difference considerations it is found to have inconsistencies in lenths of "skirting" below the Egg & Dart from merely the front to the side, which both castings are taken from. The existing cornice across the southernmost section of the west wall seemingly grows in size vertically as well as "takes a half-inch dive" into the pilaster's southern corner, presumable to accomdate the pilaster that was once there. Now I'll have to adroitly do the reverse freehand with plaster! What a challenge!

It is hard to imagine in hindsight whether or not this discrepancy could have been solved out through modification during the casting process. My mind has ruminated over whether an extra joint at the corner would have made it more adjustable in fitting up. but the complexity and patching factor would have doubtless gone up by half or more. I spent one whole day sealing up the mitres and seeing if my efforts to freehand a transition made some difference. Here are the results:

Casting Cornice

2006-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

With preparations for casting completed I do a few tests to see how fast the face mix will go. Since it is faster that the fiberglass composite plaster which comes after I decide to make six small batches that can be used up before entirely unworkable.

Water and plaster are weighed out to ensure consistency. Once I start I will have to go all the way to the fiberglass layer.

Face mix is relatively softer plaster. It is flicked on with a cleaning brush.

fiberglass layer

De-moulding proves to be not as difficult as I'd anticipated. However, I do find small fissures that must have occured when I was tipping the mould forward for access inbetween the modified Egg & Dart, top, and the top plate. They only look unaesthetic close up. Below the friezeboard where they occur it is stable with glass fibers interwoven randomly. The top seemed to be a little thin, so I integrated a section of metal lath under it all the way to the Egg & Dart with Struct-o-lite. The FRG-95 gives more control of the plaster lay-up process by virtue of setting time. Though harder to repair it is also harder to damage. This first cast is not a loss, but a gain. It will be utilised as the side pieces, or pilaster wings after being cut, which takes a diamond blade on a high-speed grinder. ( It must be noted thatI had lost some contact with plaster in this particular application and utilisation of any advancements that have made in their formulations over the years.) I do remember how tedious it was to do all those dentil spacers though. Resolved, the mould will not be tipped at all until the plaster is stable no matter how hard to reach it is underneath the top plate!

They prove to be quite easy to remove, and accurate.

I place the Ogee and Bead plaster on top of the detils and find that the actual measurement of the new pilaster is too wide to disguise with equal spacing. In re-setting the mould I decide to space it apart with 1/4" plywood in the seams and fill in the corners with Plasteline clay. I only have to re-drill the positioning holes at the bottom of the mould baseplate.

Test pieces

2006-03-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

I cast a test piece for the Bead and Ogee section and found that pouring in from the top creates a peculiar warping when the plaster gets hot. This piece is still usable in a short section, but I resolved to pour it again from the back after making a shutter over the top of the mould with a 2 x 6 board on edge screwed to it to compensate for this deviation that goes beyond what iS practical.

In order to create the shadowboxed voids between the dentils I cut some pre-fabricated foam insulation to the interval that matches existing, and betters it a little with an evenness. It is odd to find all the straight runs of dentils in the courtroom 1-3/4" wide, where the ones on the pilaster cornices run anywhere from 1-7/8" to 2-1/2". With 17 dentils in 47 inches the mathe works out as approximately 25/32" spaces, and 2-1/16" dentils. On practical layout I find I have to fudge a bit where the widest discrepancy is 1/16 of an inch between some of them, something I am sure will not be discernable. Still, in doing this work I am diligent in making sure these spacers will be square and regular, and largely devoid of defects. The first casting of this piece will probably destroy the dentil spacers in the course of de-moulding, but they are easy enough to re-create, if a bit tedious. I am told there is a machine that can cut styrofoam to regular proportions with a hot wire mounted to a small table like a bandsaw, but for now it is all done with a combination square and a large Olfa blade. The pieces are then glued onto the same size plywood used to block the dentils off during the mouldmaking process. Noticable defects are filled in with plastelina clay and the whole assembly gets a coat of sealer and wax.

The interior fence goes up 5-1/2" with a little easing to fit on top of the Bead an Ogee mould. I am a little stifelled with how I am going to approach spraying the plaster underneath the top ledge. I think I wil resort to the old fashioned method of splattering small batches with a cleaning brush until I can trowel on the more structural type plaster behind the face mix.

The Key Piece - Transition

2006-03-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

With a little drawing on the computer I've illustrated exactly how the top pieces of the cornice will mount and attach over the "Bead and Ogee" moulding.

The process continues the same for this key section.

Removing the Mould, Preparations For Casting

2006-02-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

With some concern for the quality of adhesion versus mould release I gently removed the moulds. I'd never brushed on rubber in an upside down application.

The gypsum and fiberglass tape jacket held up just fine. I was concerned that the long, thin sections might be pushing the structural limits of the material. The returns came off rather easily. The front section took some prying and strategy. Once down and situated in the basement shop area I examined it for bubbles. There were a few. I would have to purchase a hypodermic needle of a practical size (60cc) to inject them with small batches of rubber.

Filling in these sometimes lacy bubbles presented a problem in containing the rubber while it was still in its fluid state. Working against the residual mould release transfered onto the rubber I fenced off the worst of them and squeezed the rubber out of the needle into them, waited a day for them to cure, then ground them down with a very small rotary burr.

While these were curing enough to switch between pieces that needed repair I've been going back up to the third floor and continuing the process by making shutters for the Ogee and Bead moulding beneath the Dentils.

In this process I have found that attempting to dress up flaws with plasteline clay, for ease of release (if not improvement of the piece's quality) is not a good thing. It is better to do this with patching compound. The clay reacts to the rubber, even through a coating of wax and spray release, making it seem less flexible. This is not desirable, especially in undercut areas, such as underneath the egg and dart.

Since the Ogee and Bead section is the transition between the pilaster wall and the cornice any chance to make adjustments for lenth to fit the pilaster to be restored can be made up in extending the shape in clay. In fact, it is 3/8 of an inch that need to be made up. Since the top portion will be sitting upon the dentils this difference can be split and disguised to the point where it is not easily apparent. I've already challenged visitors to spot the egg and dart patch, and as yet no one has . For ease of access and better release I have also tipped the plywood formwork. I've also had to attach the supports to the plaster with a bracket and a couple screws.

During all this I've found that one should never let the cordless drill fall into a bucket of rinse water. Maybe if I had rinsed it out well and let it dry out it would have worked alright. In trying to wax the trigger from sticking I've burned out two batteries and had to make the trip replace it in the middle of a work session.

Finishing Right, Starting Left Return, Finishing Details.

2006-02-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

With an abbreviated look at the continuing rubber coating the right return is done.

Then the same process is followed again making a form supporting backing with gypsum and fiberglass.

With a little dressing up of flaws to flat surfaces, filling dents and scraping off grits it is again time to wax the cornice, plus spraying with rubber release agent and continuing on with the left return. The all-threaded rods stick into the next piece leave a positioning indentation for reference, or extra grip until fasteners can be applied.

Rubber coating, this time with thixotropic filler stirred in at 5% by batch total weght, and a manufacturer's anti-tear fabric inserted, which works better than cheese-cloth, staying more stable while brushing on the rubber coatings. The process is improved in time saved by one day.

With the rubber coating going so well, I dress up the flaws around the egg & dart, where the rubber was first tested and paint the wall and gold color after a primer coat.

Before

Casting installed

After

I am also doing some carpentry in the form of decorative panel moulding laid out along the walls in a pattern we've derived very carefully, with some trial and error. In the small lulls in waiting for the rubber to partially vulcanised I've been setting up opperations for chopping the pre-painted moulding and assembling them on a rather large table before setting them up. Along the way I have found that the lower margin, while being mostly level, tapers from the west wall to the east by 5/8" of an inch. This will be tricky to hide. Tonight I took out the laser level and shimmed it until one line met up with the other. I will try to stagger the frames upward to the larger margin. The irregularities of the lower running mould in plaster also show a bit. Nothing to be done there.

Some idea of what it would look like was suggested during the early stages of our renovation:

So I drew from that.

After one trial and review with the margins at the originally planned six-inch spacing I tried again with a three-inch margin to match the decorative plaster ones set on the end pilasters.

Fiberglass Lay-up & Fastener Installation

2006-02-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

After the rubber has cured I began backing it up with a gypsum and fiberglass to a stable thickness ranging from 3/8 to about 1/2 of an inch. I chose to divide this long section horizontally at a suitable break point for ease of removal.

Second section fiberglass and gypsum is started after the shutter is removed and the first section is waxed.

Housed fasteners are installed with milled fiberglass polyester resin patching material. In this case I chose 3/8" T-nuts with the tines snapped off.

The side shutter is removed and preparations begin for moulding the next section.

Cornice Replacement, Courtroom - Historic Federal Building in Pueblo, Colorado

2006-01-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Having started restorative painting and plastering work with my family painting business, Kottenstette Painting, I have now taken on some work in replacing some missing plaster cornice that was at one time part of a pilaster in what once was the Federal Courtroom of the Historic Federal Building. It is managed by Starworth Properties, administered by Todd Pasquin, one who seems to be a sort of architectural visionary and preservationist within urban aesthetic of Pueblo, Colorado.

It takes a course around the room at roughly fifteen feet from floor level. Composed of four repeating patterns of modified egg & dart, egg and dart beneath a friezeboard separating the two, dentils, and an ogee and bead before transitioning to plaster wall surface.

Above, a photograph of my father, Fred Kottenstette as we were just investigating for purposes of bidding restorative plaster repair and painting.

My task would be to cast from a suitable section within the room, re-pour and install new cornice where the wood section shown here had failed to be a suitable substrate upon which to adhere pre-fabricated pieces. In the course of surveying for estimation it was found that it was dimensionally incorrect by a substantial amount.

There was a lot more work preceeding this in the manner of removing chipped or flaking paint, floating out hard edges in the curved vaults, and then the painting after proper fixative to areas with calcimine, damage or deterioration.

With a room temperature vulcanizing brushable rubber (RTV), one I was unfamiliar with, I chose a suitable patch to experiment on to see how it behaved. There was just the perfect spot where some of the egg and dart moulding was missing and patched merely flat .

The decorative vaults within the arches that spanned across the pilasters had a repeating pattern in this egg and dart. I merely set myself over a few units and brushed it on. It was pretty drippy until I got used to it. Then I fenced it off with plywood shuttering and fixed the position of the rubber mould with a quick set gypsum drywall mix.

Once I'd removed it I took it down to the basement shop, re-used the shuttering and some plastelina clay as a fence to pour plaster within it. After a couple days drying time I installed it with the same setting mix I'd used for a fixative backing. With only a few minor sculptural adjustments the patch is complete.

On to bigger and more complicated work.

Initially I had sought to create shuttering which could be manipulated from the top down over the cornice work. The side transpostion, or "zig-zag" that wrapped the pilaster was symetrical between the middle section, which meant that I merely had to go diagonally across the room to get the same casting for the replacement. One side being eight inches to the left, and the other being ten inches to the right. I have no idea why there was this discrepancy. I wish I could go back 110 years and ask the architect. I was also keeping in mind that they took six years to build this thing and probably used gelatin from horses hooves for flexible moulds. (Please see the article covering the restoration in the Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper dated, November 29, 2005. http://chieftain.com/index/1140895550 )

I built a 15 foot high support of 2 x 6 lumber as if I would be supporting something heavy and fixed it to the cornice with a couple screws through the dentils.

At ease about bearing a load I went about setting up plywood shuttering, waxing it and closing off whatever gap was left with plastelina clay.

After the first coat.

Second or third.

Finally by fifth coat going with my intuition that cheesecloth integrated into the upside down areas also prevents dripping as well as prevents tearing along edges.