Hi , im extremely new to casting in general and would like to cast a roman cavalry mask. It's going to be a shelf peice so I'm not to worried about wearability. Anyway back to my question. Would I be able to simply 3D print out a mask, press it onto the silica sand, remove the print then pour
Hi Lachie, you'll need a binder of some kind for the silica sand to keep the impression of the mask. This could be a mixture of sand, bentonite and water or it could be a sand-oil mix like petrobond bought online.
If you already have the ability to to print the pattern, and only want one piece, I'd think a lost PLA shell or investment casting would be the way to go. Best, Kelly
Lachie, The Romans sand casted theirs. So, sand casting would be an authentic method to make a mask. You live in or near Christchurch, a good-sized community where there have to be a number of folks doing art casting and I see there are at least two commercial aluminum and bronze foundries. I think the fastest way to figure out what is involved in making a bronze mask might be to try to stop by at lunch time or closing and see if you can get someone to just walk you around and talk a bit about the process and materials and maybe even see a pour first hand. Also, your Universty of Canterbury has a bronze fine art professor, Louise Palmer,and a series of classes she teachs. That shouod be a potential source of a lot of information. Then it just becomes a matter of putting together a system that works for you. There are plenty of folks here who cast aluminum and bronze using a variety of methods and willing to assist you. Denis
