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Making Rock Faces From Tin Foil
Brendon sent in this idea to share:
I make rock faces using aluminum foil – the stuff found in the kitchen. It is cheap and easy to use. I put my gathered rock (s) on my bench and wrap in a piece of tin foil. I gently push the foil around the sides so the rock is wrapped tightly with one surface exposed. This is so I can remove the rock (s) without damaging the foil mold I just created.
I then fill the foil mold with plaster. I found tinting the plaster with a few drops of paint color is good because it takes away the stark white color of the plaster which makes it easier to paint when it is dry. I put small pieces of fiberglass mesh tape which I buy cheap in a roll from a DIY store into the plaster before it starts to dry. This gives the plaster rock or rock face more strength when it is cured and removed from the foil mold.
When the plaster rock is dry it is ready for some final shaping or smoothing off with a craft knife or coarse sandpaper before painting. The rock face needs to fit in a specific space so some minor shaping is usually necessary. I also scrape and chisel out some areas to rough them up a bit to resemble crevices and indentations in the rock. I hope this helps someone.
Next time I do this I will try using Hydrocal and perhaps experiment with spraying the inside of the foil mold with a fine mist of diluted dishwash liquid to make it easier to remove the plaster rock without damaging it. Worth a try.
3 Responses to Making Rock Faces From Tin Foil
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Thanks for sharing . Must try this out.
Best regards
Dilantha from Sri Lanka
Definitely use a mix equivalent to one teaspoon per pint of water of washing up liquid in the foil; shake out but not dry before adding the plaster … the cast comes out easier that way.
I glue 3 or 4 pieces of tin foil together, when dry just crush or fold and then straighten as much as you need to look like the rocks you are modelling and place it in position. Don’t need to use plaster or anything else. It is easy to shape to fit anywhere you want and is easy to paint as well.