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This information is reprinted from the Beginner Topics
column of Hand Papermaking Newsletter #77 (January, 2007).
To learn how to order Hand Papermaking bi-annual magazine
and quarterly newsletter, click
here.
Paper Casting with Sand
I was first introduced to the idea of using sand as a
casting medium at the 2000 Paper & Book Intensive held in
Oxbow, Michigan. I was teaching a workshop, and one of my
perks was getting to take a workshop during the second half
of the session with Amanda Degener, who has worked
sculpturally with paper in many ways. (Amanda was introduced
to this idea by Winifred Lutz, an innovative paper sculptor
in her own right, when she studied with her at Yale.
Although Amanda didn’t actually demonstrate the technique
(she showed slides of work created using it), I was
intrigued.
Here’s the basic idea: First, you cast an object in paper
as you normally would, by tamping paper pulp or sheets of
paper over or into a relief form. Next, you pour heated sand
over the top of the object, which provides weight, keeping
the object in contact with the paper. The sand also wicks
moisture from the paper. This technique is ideal for high
shrinkage pulps (like abaca, flax, and hemp) which would pop
off of the mold if not weighted down by the sand.
In the summer of 2005, I attended the International
Association of Hand Papermaker’s Congress in Banff, Canada,
and was reminded about sand when I saw a video produced by
Italian paper artist Roberto Mannino. His video showed
footage of using a metal tray on top of a printmaking hot
plate to heat sand. And here’s his really ingenious idea. He
took pressed, still wet sheets of paper to the beach and
used the plentiful hot sand heated by mother nature to cast
his forms. Through his experiments, Mannino has noticed that
darker sands (containing iron) heat up faster and hold heat
longer than sands containing pumice (which are lighter in
color and weight).
Now for some how-to details. When choosing the item to
cast, pick a rigid form made of ceramic, metal, glass, or
plaster--basically anything you would normally cast paper
onto or into. As with any mold, you need to be aware of
undercuts, and you may need to apply a barrier, like a
release agent, to prevent the paper from sticking to the
mold. When setting up to cast, choose a flat-bottomed
heat-proof glass, enamel, or metal tray or pan to set your
object to be cast in (the heat of the sand can melt
plastic--I speak from experience!). Make sure that it is
deep enough to hold your object and the sand which will be
poured on top of it. You might need more sand than you’d
think, to provide enough weight and so that you can
continually change the sand until the paper is dry.
When you cast with sand directly on high shrinkage pulps,
you don’t tend to see the texture of the sand on the paper.
However, some sand might stick to the sheets, particularly
if you have lots of little crevices, and you might get some
discoloration on the paper. If this is a concern, you should
put something, like a thin layer of toilet paper or a piece
of thin cotton (like a bedsheet), between the paper and
sand.
When casting the paper or pulp, apply it to the form as
you normally would. Heat your sand on a heat-proof tray,
pot, or pan on a hot table or stove, in the oven or in a
microwave. After you have all of your paper on the mold, use
a heat-proof cup or scoop (along with heat-proof gloves, if
necessary) to pour the hot sand over the object. The sand
closest to the paper will get the wettest and it will also
cool off, so repeatedly changing the sand is necessary and
will speed up the drying time. You will need to experiment
with how much sand you need to apply enough weight, too, so
that the paper doesn’t shrink from the mold as it dries.
Another tactic Mannino uses is to place a metal grating or
tray with holes in it on top of the object covered with sand
to add weight and prevent the paper from warping. Once the
paper is dry, you can remove it from the mold.
I’d love to hear about your innovative papermaking
techniques, if you’d like me to consider them for my column.
In the meantime, I’ll be trying out some sand casting at the
beach.
Copyright 2006 Hand Papermaking, Inc.
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