As mentioned in a previous blog, we’ve been divided in two sections of ITC: laminated timber and casting. I chose to pursue casting to experiment more with timbercrete, one of the 10 materials available for us to explore in this section. Timbercrete is a unique mixture of cement, sand, water, and sawdust so it is incredibly lightweight, sustainable, and durable. Since we’d be casting brick-sized models in the woodshop this week, my first task of the day (besides mentorship), was to head to the store and pick up some goodies.
After my trip to Lowes, our section got straight into creating at least three molds to cast three different mixtures. These mixtures could differ in ratio of ingredients used, shape of the form work, or even the medium used to cast/form a shape for the final product.
In the photos you can see each of my molds, the ingredients being combined, and the timbercrete poured into the mold to sit for the next few days. This mixture was a ratio of 1:3:3 (Cement:Sand:Stone). The other molds will hold mixtures with different ratios so I can compare the appearance and durability of each of the outcomes. Praying that when it dries it’ll be a much more appealing color..
Other students experimented with other materials we learned about in previous lectures. Some of the castings include rammed earth, tabby concrete, resin, plaster, and more. More updates/pics to follow later this week!!