7 | Transforming: Molding and Casting with Bioplastics

Alternative material resources or streams

Tree bark, broken glass, clipped nails

Zine

Molding and Casting with Bioplastics

All the bioplastics I made this week

Equipment

• Balance

• Measuring cup

• Heater

• Pan

• Spoon

• Something to poor the bioplastic in or on-too, like clean glass, plastic or mold

How I prepared the bioplastics

It is the first time that I made bioplastics. That's why I first looked at how they describe in Bioplastic Cook Book how to prepare bioplastic and which ingredients I needed. From there I actually prepared all the recipes in the same way. First by mixing it cold in the pan. Then heating it up until it boils and becomes syrupy. And then pour it into a mold. After that it's a matter of waiting patiently.

#1 Agar Agar

Agar Agar bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	4 g
Water	40 ml
Agar	2 g

#2 Agar Agar + Yellow Stamen

Agar Agar + Yellow Stamen bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	4 g
Water	40 ml
Agar	2 g
Yellow stamen	-

#3 Agar Agar + Blue Stamen

Agar Agar + Blue Stamen bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	4 g
Water	40 ml
Agar	2 g
Blue stamen	-

The three Agar Agar bioplastics

#4 Sawdust + Soap

Sawdust + Soap bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	8 g
Water	80 ml
Agar	4 g
Soap	12 ml
Sawdust	9 g

Pot with sawdust

Added more water, because I find it contains little water

Also molded, because there was a lot left

Surprised to see a lot of detail of the crocodile skeleton

Close up to have a better look at the detail

#5 Gelatine + Agar

Sawdust + Soap bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	2 g
Water	40 ml
Gelatine	10 g
Agar	2 g
Vanilla sugar	4 g

#6 Gelatine Foam (Attempt)

Gelatine Foam bioplastic after having dried completely

The bubbles were only on top of my bioplastic. It should actually be spread throughout the whole bioplastic, giving the right structure. Now you can't really call it foam.

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	20 g
Water	40 ml
Gelatine	30 ml
Soap	4 ml

#7 Maizena + Forest Fruit Tea

Maizena + Forest Fruit Tea bioplastic after having dried completely

Ingredients	Amount
Glycerine	3 g
Water	40 ml
Maizena	2 g
(Used) Forest Fruit tea-bag	2 g

What it looked like before casting

Reflection

This week I was ill, I wanted to finish this assignment before the assessments of the first block. At the end, I had a few days to finish it. And therefore wanted to make the bioplastics as quickly as possible, because bioplastics also need time to dry. Because I didn't have that much time, I didn't pay much attention to reading a lot, so I did some things slightly different from what was told in the book I used.

I would have liked to take a little more time. I only saw what I had done differently after I made them and continued reading the sources. Not intentionally different, but by accident. Which is of course not bad, but that was not my plan, because I had never made bioplastic before.