Casting Mat With slight modification, Chinese or Japanese calligraphy characters can be transformed into a three-dimensional shapes. In this demo, Michael Joy will show how quickly a calligraphy character can be used to make a casting mat and in the following demo Pastry Chef Susan Notter will demonstrate how to cast with the resulting silicone mat.
Demo: Calligraphy Transformation
Inspiration to presentation
Primary Materials needed: Perfectly Flat half sheet pan(new), GeoPress™ firm Silicone, Elmer's® glue, Razor Knife, French curves andone sheet of ¼" thick foam core. Modify the calligraphy image: Download and print a Calligraphy image from the internet. Use a french curve to accentuate the sweeping lines to your liking. The image should look sharp and clean. Simple symbols look best. Reinforce thin areas: Use the Marker to widen any areas that are too thin. If an area is thin, it will be weak when made of sugar. Remember, everything you draw in black is going to becom a sugar shape. Enlarge the image: Once you have modified and adjusted the image to your liking, enlarge it on a copy machine. Be mindful not to enlarge it beyond the size of your half sheet pan. Make a few extra copies. Seal the edges with glue: Because foam is porous, it should be sealed with Elmer's® glue to prevent silicone from sticking to it. Allow the glue to dry. If your cuts are really rough, apply a second layer. (Glue was pigmented for clarity.) Cut out the shapes: To make clean cuts in foam core, always use a new blade. Also, if you cut with a hot blade, it will melt the foam and create a clean edge. Keep an alcohol lamp nearby for frequent reheating. Transfer patterns onto foam core: Trace the shapes onto the foam core. Be creative, use the French curves to draw a few small free hand shapes onto the board. They will make excellent construction elements for your centerpieces. Cut out the image: Cut out several copies of the shape. Keep the extra shapes near bye. If there is extra room, they can be included into the casting mat. Glue the shapes into the sheet pan: Pre-arrange your shapes without glue to decide a sensible arrangement. Next, apply a thin bead of glue around the bottom perimeter of your shape. Smooth the glue to the very edge of the shape. Be mindful your shapes are ‘right side up’. Arrange the shapes efficiently: Put as many shapes as possible onto your sheet pan. The only guidelines; leave a 3/8" space around the outside edge of the sheet pan and don't crowd shapes closer than ¼" apart from each other. Weigh the shapes down: Fill bags with sugar to make weights. Shapes must be held down while the glue dries. Note: For perfect circle shapes, fix metal cutters on the pan . (Use oil clay to hold them in place.) Weigh out the silicone base: GeoPress silicone comes in two liquid parts. Part A, is white 'base'. For this mold, 350 grams of base are weighed out. Always wear gloves and safety glasses when using liquid silicone. Remove any excess silicone: While still liquid, carefully remove any silicone that has flowed over the shapes. The silicone should be level with the top of the shapes. Clean the spatula with a paper towel, but leave the mixing bucket as is. The silicone can be easily peeled out of it the next day. Pour the silicone: Once catalyzed, GeoPress is liquid for 30 minutes. Pour in a thin stream (needling) to reduce air bubbles. Be patient. Pour slowly and only between the shapes. Do not pour over the top of them. Mix the silicone: Use a rubber tipped spatula for mixing. Mix until all white liquid has changed to an even light blue color. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bucket. Add the silicone catalyst: GeoPress requires a catalyst (part B) to change it from liquid to rubber. Correct ratio for GeoPress is 10:1 by weight. Formula = 350 grams of base (white) to 35 grams of catalyst (blue). Allow to cure for 24 hours: Level the sheet pan and place it in a safe area undisturbed for 24 hours. Immediately clean up your work area. Silicone oils can be cleaned up with GoopT hand cleaner. (Soap and water will not work.) Unmold the casting: After the mold has cured for a minimum of 24 hours, carefully peel it out of the sheet pan. If you want to make a dupli-cate casting mat, be sure to hold the shapes down as you remove the silicone. Duplicate the casting mat: If the shapes are still in good condition, re-glue any loose shapes and pour a second mold. Since the prep work is already finished, a second mold can poured quickly. Cut away extra silicone: Use curved tip manicure scissors to trim off excess silicone that leaked above or below the shapes. Fiskar® brand scissors seem to work the best. Post cure the silicone mold: Heat is required to complete the cure. Bake the mold in an oven at 300° F for one to two hours, then wash with soap and water. Your mold is ready to use!Follow the link below to see what Pastry Chef Susan Notter creates with with this simple silicone mat...WOW


Demo: Calligraphy
Compostion


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