Use this template to document your final material recipes. Copy paste to your own page. During the experimenation process, make sure you capture the sections listed under "General info" & "Recipe"
[embed a tactility video here to present your material]
Tactility video of the material, NAME, YEAR
[Describe the material in max 150 words]
Physical form
Surfaces & Surface Treatments | Solids | Strings, Pipes & Tubes | Grains & Powders | Pastes, gels & liquids (select one)
Color without additives:
Fabrication time
Preparation time: [number 0-24] Hours
Processing time: [number 0-100] [select unit days/weeks]
Need attention: every [number][select unit: hours/days] to [free text] describe activity e.g. stir, turn, etc]
Final form achieved after: [number 0-99] [select unit days/weeks]
Yield
Approx. [number] [unit]
Estimated cost (consumables)
including use of disposables likegloves
[number] [local currency], for a yield of approx. [number][unit]
NOTE: you can only select ingredients that are already in the archive. If you are adding a new ingredient, please add a new ingredient entry before adding a new recipe
[Ingredient ] [optional or not?]
Amount: [number]
[Function, e.g. plasticizer]
[Ingredient ] [optional or not?]
Amount: [number]
[Function, e.g. solvent]
[Ingredient ] [optional or not?]
Amount: [number]
[Function, e.g. polymer]
[Tool] [optional or not?]
Is this tool optional? Yes/No
[Tool] [optional or not?]
Is this tool optional? Yes/No
[Tool] [optional or not?]
Is this tool optional? Yes/No
[Step 1]
[Free text]
[Free text]
[Step 1]
[Free text]
[Free text]
[Step 1]
[Free text]
[Free text]
[Describe the setup, including details of mold and tools used (e.g. press, breathers, other) and other details pertaining to the process here]
Mold depth (surfaces and solids) or diameter (strings): [number] mm
Shrinkage thickness [number] %
Shrinkage width/length [number] %
Shrinkage and deformation control
[Describe shrinkage and deformation behavior and how this may be controlled]
Curing agents and release agents
[Free text]
Minimum wait time before releasing from mold [number] [select hours/days]
Post-processing [Describe the process of applying softeners, keeping it pressed after mold release, how to store and expiry information etc]
Further research needed on drying/curing/growth?
Yes/No/Not sure
[Describe areas of further research if applicable here]
Image guidelines: images should be landscape format and sharp. Please provide captions so the viewer can understand the elements of the setup. Include images of the drying/curing set-up
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
Which variations can be made with the same recipe? Mention other physical forms, additives etcetera. Provide references if applicable
[Free text]
[Free text]
[Free text]
Cultural origins of this recipe
Describe known cultural heritage tradition(s) that are being drawn from as well as communities who made significant contributions to its development: [Describe here]
Needs further research? Yes/No/Not sure
[Describe avenues for further research]
Which key sources or recipes does this contribution draw from?
[Title of publication 1] by [First + Last Name Author]([Affiliation/Institution]), [Publication name or channel], [YYYY], link.
Is the information listed above copyrighted or published under e.g. a creative commons licence? Provide info here.
If not, please state that you agree to publish this recipe under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike (CC BY-SA 2.0) license
By submitting this recipe I agree to publish it under a CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons license. Please mention to these details for attributions:
[Title of publication 1] by [First Name, Last Name Author]([Affiliation/Institution]), [YYYY], [Publication name or channel],link.
Describe known concerns and issues with this recipe/technique, provide clear explations arguments people may have put forward to address issues with the technique, this material, or it ingredients. Consider social, economical, cultural, political, ecological considerations
Needs further research? Yes/No
[Describe avenues that need research here]
Sustainability tags
Renewable: yes/no/needs further research
Vegan: yes/no/needs further research
Made of by-products or waste: yes/no/needs further research
Home compostable within 90 days: yes/no/needs further research
Re-usable: yes/no/needs further research [describe here, e.g. melting, mixing, shredding]
Needs further research?: Yes/No/Not sure
[Notes]
Based on technical property categories used in the Material District archive https://materialdistrict.com/material, and the sensory descriptors categories proposed in: Lerma, Beatrice (2010). Materials ecoefficiency and perception. Proceedings: CESB 2010 Prague - Central Europe towards Sustainable Building 'From Theory to Practice': pp. 1-8.
Strength: fragile/medium/strong/variable
Hardness: rigid/resilient/flexible/variable
Transparency: opaque/translucent/transparent/variable
Glossiness: glossy/matt/satin/variable
Weight: light/medium/heavy
Structure: closed/open/variable
Texture: rough/medium/smooth/variable
Temperature: cool/medium/warm/variable
Shape memory: low/medium/high/variable
Odor: none/moderate/strong/variable
Stickiness: low/medium/high/variable
Weather resistance: poor/medium/high/needs further research
Acoustic properties: absorbing/reflecting/needs further research
Anti-bacterial: yes/no/needs further research
Non-allergenic: yes/no/needs further research
Electrical properties: yes/no/needs further research
Heat resistance: low/medium/high/needs further research
Water resistance: low/water resistant/waterproof/needs further research
Chemical resistance: low/medium/high/needs further research
Scratch resistance: poor/moderate/high/needs further research
Surface friction: sliding/medium/braking/variable
Sensitive to color modifiers: alkaline/acidic/none
Maker(s) of this sample
Name: [First + Last Name]
Affiliation: [Institution Name]
Location: [City], [Country]
Date: [DD-MM-YYYY] – [DD-MM-YYYY]
Environmental conditions
Humidity: [number]% / not sure
Outside temp: [min-max] degrees Celcius
Room temp: [min-max] degrees Celcius
PH tap water: 1-14
Recipe validation
Has recipe been validated?
No/Yes, by [NAME], [AFFILIATION], [LOCATION], [DATE]
Images of the final sample
Image guidelines: all images should be of the object on a white background. The overview image should show the object in its entirety with a frame of white background enclosing it, adding a detail image is recommended. Crop off edges if necessary. All images should be landscape format.
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
Caption, Image credit, Year
[List all references used, including key sources of the recipe]
[Title of publication 1] by [First + Last Name Author]([Affiliation/Institution]), [Publication name or channel], [YYYY], link.
Below is the template for documenting and researching an ingredient. An example of one that is filled in (for glycerine) can by found here
[Ingredient name (alternative names 1, 2)]
What is it and how is it produced or sourced?
[Free text]
What are its possible functions in biofabricating?
e.g. plasticizer, filler, colorant, PH modifier, mordant, solvent, release agent, curing agent, softener, and so on
*example: dried and ground egg shells can be used as filler in bioplastics, to add strength and reduce shrinkage. *
[Free text]
Processing information
If applicable:
Dissolves in: [free text, e.g. cold/warm/hot water, alcohol]
PH value: [number 1-14]
Selecting the right type
How do you know if you are getting the right type (in nature/at the shop)? Or can you use any? For example, carbonate and bicarbonate soda are significantly different, but you may find it is referred to as "soda"
[Free text]
Where are you located?
[City, Country]
Can this ingredient be found in nature there?
Yes/No
If not, please describe or list local suppliers and price
This ingredient is best purchased....[INSERT SUPPLIER INFO]
and costs about [NUMBER] in [CURRENCY] per [NUMBER][UNIT].
If store-bought, find out where the ingredient was produced. How far is the production source from where you are?
Select one:
Less than 100 km (locally abundant
Less than 500 km
Less than 2000 km
More than 2000 km
Type and amount of energy used to produce this ingredient, e.g. does it require a lot of water, heat, chemicals?
[Free text]
*Note: The concept of eco-compatibility is taken from: Lerma, Beatrice (2010). Materials ecoefficiency and perception. Proceedings: CESB 2010 Prague - Central Europe towards Sustainable Building 'From Theory to Practice': pp. 1-8.
Toxicity
Is this ingredient toxic to humans/animals?
[Yes/No/Not sure]
[Please provide additional details]
Distance from origin to site of use
In which region(s) of the world is this produced? Is it related to specific natural contexts or industries (e.g. near sea or rivers, in hot humid climates).
[Free text]
Shelf life
Look up shelf life & expiry date, but also use of senses to check: can you see when it’s off, can you smell it?
[Free text]
Vegan
Is it made without the use of any animal products?
Yes/No/Not sure
Is this a by-product is it found in a waste stream?
Is this ingredient a by-product or does it come from waste streams Yes/No/Not sure
[Describe in which contexts this resource can be found in abundance]
Renewable
Can this resource be naturally replenished on a human timescale?
Yes/No/Not sure
What do you know about how long it takes for this ingredient regrow?Which plants/micro organisms grow this ingredient? How long does it take them to regenerate? Under which conditions?
[Describe how long it takes to regrow]
Historically, what were the uses of this ingredient? In which contexts were these uses discovered? When? By whom? How did it travel to other places?
[Free text]
Describe how this ingredient has been or might be contested. What are the issues and concerns? Which arguments are put forward?
may be cultural, health-wise, ecological, social, cultural, political, economical arguments
[Free text]
Please provide information to the references used
Title by [name], [publication channel], [date]: link
Printable labels for material samples, so they can be added to the archive
These labels are 21 x 20 cm (WxH)
InDesign file for large labels
These labels are 15 x 14.2 cm (WxH)
InDesign file for medium labels
These labels are 10.5 x 10 cm (WxH)
InDesign file for small labels
Title
Think of a short, descriptive title, maybe even comparing it to materials it is similar to.
[Core]-based?
Here you can what is the main constituent material to help describe what kind of material this is and how its main ingredient has been sourced. This is not a hard classification, but is supposed to provide a meaningful descriptor to help place the material (which the title alone might not be able to do).
For example, a bioplastic may be gelatine-based, or agar-based, or starch-based (or a combination). Fish leather is animal-based, whereas a mango leather would be plant-based, or perhaps even based on fruit waste. Dyes or inks are usually classified accordig to their solvent: e.g. alcohol-based or water-based because it says something about how they might be used. Whereas pure pigment (powders, or pigments grown on silk like the Serratia Marcescens recipe could be considered microbial.
Some examples:
animal-based (fish leather)
gelatine-based (bioplastics with gelatine)
plant-based (cotton)
based on algae (alginate and agar plastics)
food waste (clay from banana peels)
natural waste (withered flower paper)
plastic waste (recycled PLA)
microbial (e.g. kombucha, bacterial dye)
fungal (e.g. mycelium, is not in the 25 recipes listed here for now)
alcohol-based (red cabbage ink with alcohol as the solvent)
water-based (dyes made by boiling dye stuff in water)
Renewable/reusable/compostable?
A renewable material is a material that can replenish itself naturally on a human timescale. So plants, bacteria and fungi: definitely. Trees? Not really. Petroleum? Definitely not
A material is reusable if you can reshape it without loosing its qualities. For example: PLA can be remelted in such a way, and alum crystals can be redissolved and formed again without relatively little additional energy.
A material is compostable if it can be turned into a fertilizer (a compound that is beneficial for plant growth within 90 days. Ideally, it is suitable for home-composting. Which means that it does not require industrial composting facilities to compost, but you can do it yourself under uncontrolled conditions.
Ingredients/making procedure
Keep it short and sweet, and make sure you refer to the extended recipe that can be accessed online (see also "variations on a source recipe".)
This is a variation on: The labels ask you to state which recipe is the "source" recipe, and how you are making variations on it. Assuming that you will start off by coming up with variations on the recipes listed here but you can also point to another recipe (use the QR code for quick access).
URL & QR code
Put the URL to the online recipe in the box on the top left, and/or generate a QR code for that url and add it on the label for easy access on mobile phones. You can find free QR code generators online. Use short URLs if possible, you can shorten URLs with for example bit.ly.
The small letters!
Don't forget to fill out your details and the date of fabrication at the bottom of the label.
All these labels can be printed on regular office printers that can print on heavier paper, like A4, 160 or 210 grams/m2. Check what your printer allows. But don't forget to put your info before printing:
labels can be edited InDesign or Acrobat Pro (for now). Only include items that are fully cured and/or dried.
Export the labels for print, and include crop marks for cutting
Print the labels on 160 or 210 grams/m2 paper
Cut along the crop marks to trim off the edges
Use strong double-sided tape to attach a strong label with a hole to it if you wish to hang them. Designs for a display system will be added here at a later stage, or design your own.
The label designs were originally created by Maria Viftrup for TextileLab Waag in Amsterdam, modified by Loes Bogers in April 2020 with permission by Waag. The font used is Calibri light.