I have an unusual request from a very dear friend. He wants to have
some organic material inside a clear block of acryllic or some other
cast clear stuff. Here’s the really unusual part, the material to be
enclosed is a ancient terd. If he wasn’t such a great guy and
incredible friend I wouldn’t touch this project. He must have fallen
on his head or something to come up with this idea.
The size of the block will be something like a 2-4" cube. It actually
will not be a cube but I don’t have the exact measurements so I am
making a guess. This is totally out of my experience. I am looking
for someone that can help me with this. You can contact me directly
if you like. Thanks in advance.
Back when I was living in Providence, RI, there was a small company
near RISD that worked with acrylics and polycarbonate. They made some
rather large acrylic castings (if I remember, one was around a large
book, bubble free) so the size you are considering shouldn’t be too
difficult to produce. You might consider finding a company that
specializes in the process, and polishing it, rather that attempting
it yourself.
You can usually find kits for putting objects in acrylic at hobby
stores. I’ve seen sea shells and etc. before and use to make them as
a kid. A TERD? Sounds like my kind of guy! Great sense of humor!
Speaking of terds… Do you know why attorneys don’t go to the beach?
They are afraid a cat might try to bury them!!! LOL
Finally, a question I can relate to. Ancient dung? As in fossilized
dinosaur poop? I think it’s called coprolite? Casting it in polyester
resin, is the way to go. You want the clear mass casting polyester
resin, available from Mr. Fiberglass. Mass casting is for thick
sections, that need to cure slower, to reduce shrinkage and exotherm.
You can purchase the paperweight sized molds easy enough. Just
google, paperweight molds. Many shapes and sizes available.
The tricky part is working with that amount of resin. Your biggest
problem will be air bubbles. You will need to vacuum the resin before
pouring. And or, cure the piece overnight in a pressure pot. Either
way, you can achieve a bubble free casting. The polyester resin is
easy to use, but you only get about 15 minutes working time before it
starts to gel.
The fossilized dinosaur poop is basically a rock. That means it will
sink to the bottom of the mold. You will have to do a 2 stage pour.
Pour half the mold, let it cure a bit, then insert the rock and pour
the rest of the mold.
Hope this helps.
I have resin tutorials on my website, that might be helpful. Night
Sky Jewelry - Resin Jewelry Tutorials
Thanks for all the suggestions for casting the ancient terd.
I’ve checked out Tap Products on the net and that’s a possibility. In
reality, I’d rather leave it to a professional.
Steve, when you added a funny attorney joke, you had no idea how
appropriate that was. My husband just graduated from law school and
we just learned that he passed the BAR, horray! The only person that
I know that has more attorney jokes than him is another attorney
friend of ours. They provide so much fodder for jokes.
Liana, I don’t know if it is old enough to be coprolite since I
haven’t seen this prized object. Your expert advice is truly valued.
Since this has been a topic with my friend for a while, I’m so glad
to know my options.