SELVA s p i T s t

Exper
Casting and Decorating Ceramic Materials
For Reliefs and Figures
SELVA Casting Material Artelin Properties: Low cost, ceramic-based. Usage: For making reliefs, gures and shaped objects. Processing: Mix 3 parts of Artelin to 1 part of water. Solidies and hardens within 30 min. The castings can be removed from the mould immediately and then be painted or nished, e.g., remaining edges can be led or sanded. Painting: Before painting it is advisable to prime the surface with a sealer. All paints and lacquers can then be applied. Artelin can be shaded before casting: Use Universal Toner Concentrate in shades terra cotta and dark grey along with Casting Material Toner. Finishing: In order to make the painted casting weather-proof, a nal coat of UV Lacquer, 3-D Crystal Lacquer or Cold Glazing has to be applied.

Casting with Single-Part Moulds

For Weather-Resistant Castings

Artestone Properties: Extra-hard and hydrophobic (waterproof) ceramic casting material. Very advantageous: The cured and hardened castings due not absorb moisture, which is absolutely necessary when casting weather-resistant gures. Artestone is modied on a phosphate base in combination with natural gypsum, and is considered a non-toxic and physiologically safe material. It is a preferred material in schools, training and rehabilitation centres as well as being used by professional artists. Usage: Rock-hard, weatherproof objects such as house Nos. and name plaques, decorations and garden statues, birdbaths, small fountains, etc. Processing: 4 parts of Artestone to 1 part of water. Artestone becomes solid and rockhard within 30 min. Artestone castings should be worked on and nished immediately after removal from the mould since afterwards they become extremely hard. Shading/Decorating: Artestone can be shaded with Universal Toner Concentrate or Casting Material Toner in terra cotta or dark grey/black. It is possible to not only the shade casting material with a single colour but also to give it a marble nish to create products with unusual nishes. Finishing: A coat of 3-D Lacquer or Cold Glazing is required only if an effect of visual depth is to be achieved.

The mould must be steadied and levelled. Larger moulds should be supported around the edges, e. g., with wooden strips. Any hollow spaces underneath the mould Casting Figures should be lled in with newspapers. Even better is wet sand so that the mould does in Latex Moulds not sag under the weight of the casting Suspend the rubber-like material. This is particularly important with mould upside down. clock dials since they should not be too thick. Large, at moulds, e. g. chessboards, should These products from the be fastened to the work SELVA Programme help you surface with double-sided tape since otherwise the to do a professional job: mould may not lie at. After pouring the liquid mass into Description Page the mould, the latter should Protective lacquers 81 be shaken to let air bubbles Casting materials and supplies 109 rise to the top where they Moulds 109 can be picked off with a toothpick or a ne wire. If Paints 104106 an even surface is not Paintbrushes 93+104 achieved on its own, rock the mould back and forth a bit. Now leave These moulds usually have a base with a the casting to cure unless a hanger or cross section that is larger than the gure adapter has to be added. To do this, wait itself. The mould can be suspended by this until the mass has hardened to a rm conbase through a cut-out in a heavy piece of sistency before pushing in the part. Stuff cardboard. Glasses, pots, pitchers or boxes adapters with paper to keep casting matercan be used as supports for the cardboard ial from entering their bores. After approx. with mould. Very large moulds usually come 20 min, the casting material has hardened with their own support to prevent the conand warmed up noticeably. The best time to siderable weight of the casting material take the cast from the mould is approx. 30 from expanding the mould. Self-made latex to 35 min after casting. Place large moulds moulds can be imbedded in damp sand. Fill on their backs, loosen the edges and pull approx. half of the mould with casting the mould off the casting. With smaller, material, knead it to remove any air pockets highly detailed moulds, it may be necessary e. g. in noses , then ll the mould to the to pour some water mixed with a drop of top and leave it hang. detergent down the loosened edges. The Please note: The base is usually not part of casting will then swim in the mould makthe gure and should not be lled. Exceping it easier to remove. tion: Chessmen. The cast can be taken from Caution: Some moulds are not very sturdy the mould after 30 min at the earliest, better and may break if kinked or bent! yet after 45 min. The elastic mould is turned With small castings, it is best to let them fall inside out to pull it from the cast. into the open palm or help along by hitting Very important: To facilitate removal, the the mould against the palm so that due to outside of the mould has to be covered its own weight the casting will be released with soapsuds to make it slippery. from the mould. Critical castings, such as gures with narCasting with Two-Part Moulds row parts (e. g. a thin neck), are prone to (so-called 3-D moulds) break during removal from the mould. It is The rst half of the mould is lled the same best to pull the mould off to the critical as a single-part mould. Let this cast harden point and then hold both the casting and and then take it from the mould. Pour the the mould at their far ends. The moulds second half and t the rst half to the still elasticity will now help to pull off the mould pasty second casting. If a hanger is possibly with a strong wrenching motion.

needed, t a wire loop between the two halves. Small gaps and holes along the seams can later be lled with fresh casting material. With small castings, it may be easier to level their backs with sandpaper and then bond them together with white glue.

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Taking Care of Moulds

After casting, remnants of casting material must be removed from the mould. Please do not use sharp or hard tools, which could injure the surface. Use ngernails or wooden toothpicks. Store the moulds level so that they do not lose their shape. Special care or treatment with release agents is not necessary. Latex moulds should be cleaned inside and out by rinsing them under running water. Turn them right side out, let them dry, dust them with mould powder and store them in a cool, dark place. Latex moulds become brittle if subjected to daylight or worse yet direct sunlight for longer periods of time. Also important: Avoid any contact with greasy or fatty substances (skin cream)!

Bonding Castings?
Yes, castings can be bonded after they are completely dry! Epoxy and contact cements as well as wood glues can be used.

Colouring Castings
Watercolours Beautiful results can be achieved with watercolours or aquarelle paints. These paints are of very low viscosity and tend to gather in the crevices of the surface structure. This will give a natural patina effect: The recesses will be darker, the top surface will be lighter. Thus, the feathers of a bird or the coat of a furry animal will have a more plastic appearance than if a paint with a more even coverage is used. Please remember that the paints taken directly from their containers are raw materials. Try to achieve a multitude of shades by mixing. The spring pasture has its freshness because of a drop of yellow or orange in its green; the bush or tree contrasts with the green if a little ochre or brown is mixed in; and for the woods along the edge of the horizon a little black or blue is added to the green. Always paint from light to dark shades it is always possible to darken an area later on, but hard to lighten a shade. Watercolours should be protected with a clear lacquer. It can be applied as spray or with a brush. Mat lacquers well shaken or stirred are best suited. Areas such as eyes, shoes or dogs noses can later be nished with a glossy lacquer. Please note: Apply ornamentations with gold bronze at the very end or else they become dull when lacquered. Watercolour golds and silvers are not very brilliant. Water-based Paints (Acrylic, casein, peasant-style paints) Here, too, the colours should be mixed so that they do not appear too shrill. Do not mix or dilute in the original paint container. Take a small quantity of each shade and mix it in, e. g., a bottle cap. If the paints are kept pure and undiluted in their closed containers, they will last for a very long time. Mixed colours in a bottle cap can be kept overnight in a tightly closed butter dish or similar container, possibly together with a

Finishing The Castings

After they are taken from the mould, the still damp castings have not reach their nal hardness. They can easily be worked on, e.g., scraping them with an old knife blade to chamfer the edges. If a le or a drill is used, they should carefully be cleaned off afterwards or they will rust. Sandpaper can only be used after the casting is completely dry. For drying, the castings should be positioned so that the water can evaporate on all sides. If the castings are to be painted with water-based paints, this work can be started approx. one hour after taking the casting from the mould. If solvent-based lacquers or paints are used, the castings have to be absolutely dry (overnight on a radiator).

damp sponge. Generally, mat paints are better suited than glossy ones. Areas that should be glossy can later be coated with clear lacquer. Always clean paintbrushes and other tools immediately after use. During longer paint jobs, clean the brushes in between to keep the paints from hardening and settling in the bristles. Never leave paintbrushes standing in water! They will deform and will no longer be usable for exact painting. Clean small lacquer brushes with thinner/brush cleaner or nail polish remover. Lacquers/Oil Paints are very durable, but not as popular with hobbyists since they are not as easy to mix as water-based paints. Also, they have long drying times and solvents are needed for cleaning paintbrushes and tools. A garden gure that is to survive outdoors for a few years is best decorated with enamel or oil paints. Do not coat such paints with clear lacquer it could dissolve the original paint and cause orange skin!

A Few Tips
Colour paints can be given a patina nish, too! A touch of antique that will tone down shrill shades can be achieved with solvent-based clear lacquer mixed with a touch of oil paint from the tube (ochre + a touch of green and black), which is applied to the surface. Dark wax, too, can be applied and then wiped off so that only small quantities will remain in any crevices of the surface structure. Shoe polish, too, is worth an experiment. But always test for compatibility with the paint rst! Small gures are difcult to hold during painting. They can be fastened to a bottle cork with double-sided tape to make them easier to grip and position. Dry and store aquarelle paintbrushes with their bristles forming a point. Never apply gold bronze directly to the castings. Its suspension uid will be absorbed and the metallic particles will remain loose on the surface. Always apply a base coat, such as clear lacquer, colour paints or Red Sizing special primer, rst.

Paints and Patinas

Any paint, such as water-base, acrylic or casein paints or simply aquarelle or water colours, but also enamel and oil paints, can be used with good results. Please note: Felt-tip paints tend to run and have a milky appearance. Water colours should be protected with clear lacquer. For patina nishes, see the SELVA Experts Tip No. 466-451-700!

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