Month: July 2007

Here’s what happens to the sculpt after I get it.

I make a negative mold of the sculpt with which to make multiple sculpt copies. These Will be used to make plaster slip molds. The plaster slip molds will go to our ceramicist for mug creation.

Here’s the first batch of pictures:

After creating a mold box ¾” larger than the sculpt (in each direction) out of art board and hot glue. I’ll pour each half of the mold separately. To masque out 3-d areas for where I don’t want the polyurethane to go, I use modeling clay:

To help keep the two halves of the mold together, I make impressions for use as a key to align. Here you can see a closeup of one in the clay masque.

So, how to find out how much of the casting material you’ll need? I use rice to approximate the volume.

Now it’s full.

And now it’s measured.

After the rice is removed the whole thing gets sprayed with Tap Plastics Mold Release.

The Materials: Polyurethane Casting Resin system from Tap Plastics.

I mix half the measure of each of the 2-part polyurethane and mix like ‘taint no mixing been done.

The trick is to scrape the sides and the bottom of the container with something square. I use chopsticks. Next, I pour evenly and slowly into a corner of the box. I let the material slowly seep around and up the sculpt. As it’s pouring I notice how like a chocolate bar it looks. Here see it filling in the keys – caramel spilling into chocolate caverns surrounded by creamy white nougat:

Delicious caramel will be the last breath of this tiki mug!

Almost there:

The complete pour.

Once a day has passed, it is safe to attempt the other half. It takes a couple more than a few days to fully cure. I take off the bottom of the mold and flip ‘er over. All that clay we put in has to come out.

The same process is repeated (It usually happens that the rest of the containers are the perfect amount of material) on the back. Mold release, mix half of each, pouring into the corner:

Slowly to the top it pours.

This is the End product. 2 Halves which allows us to make copies of the scupt to use and not have to suffer a meltdown if it becomes damaged. We can just make another. And another. And another.

Next update coming when I get the pics prepared!

So, Yesterday I made a post about our trip.

Now, while everything I said was true, it does not accurately describe the trip. This was a purposeful post to make an illustration.

I decided to do an experiment on perception: Heather and I notice that we are ‘happy’ most of the time, even though faced with hardship. Why?
I know it will likely sound goody-goody, but we only remember the good and forget the bad. In the post yesterday, I only presented the bad parts. Only viewing these, (especiaily if I myself only dwelled on these aspects), the trip would have been a failure, or We would have regretted it.

The truth? We had a ton of fun. It was great. Why? Here are the good parts that we choose to celebrate, to remember:

When we got in to the Treasure Island, we (dressed well) did early check-in. While others around us were upset that their “rooms weren’t ready” (clue, people, EARLY check-in), we politely said “that’s no problem! we’re just happy to check in early. Thanks for the service.” So, what do we get? A room upgrade. TO A SUITE. TO A KICK ASS SUITE. I’m talking the largest room on the 23rd floor with 2 bathrooms and a living room. ROCKSTAR.

a secret: how to get what you want in Vegas? Dress nicely, be grateful and polite, tip well. It’s like magic.

That afternoon, I pop 2 bucks into a quarter machine and quickly turn it into $100.00. I don’t have to hit the ATM again until we hit Mesquite. We go to the Imperial Palace Hawaiian Buffet and it is a mess (queueing up in the hallway, 110 degree temps), but we have fun anyway – We got VIP tickets to the show and so we are seated first, eat the buffet first ( I thought those behind us were going to murder us for shrimp), and have a grand time anyway. Many sour faces abound: ours? Happy. Why? We chose to be happy. The perception and selective memory is all. What were obstacles become challenges and once overcome, funny little stories.

In Mesquite, which is every much the living hell I made it out to be, we quickly make $250 on a $20 investment in the Wheel of Fortune Game. Thanks, Mesquite! And even though Heather and I are sick (tummy problems for the both of us since the first day: Portland people can’t handle that heat!), we have fun because we choose to. In the banal boring hell of Mesquite, Nevada Heather and I have fun and a good time because it is the best choice to. All hardships will be overcome, all bad memories will pass if you only decide to forget them.

I know I’m sounding like a damn preacher, but remember the good and forgetting the bad is the key to having fun and being happy no matter where you are — on vacation in hell, at work, on the road. Life is too important to take too seriously and far too short to dwell on negatives. Be that positive change, remember the good/funny aspects, lighten up and the world will open to you, gracefully supporting your next steps.

You can be happy. You must choose to. It does mean destroying the “yeah, but”s in your life. It does mean giving up acting on the seductive temptations of self-pity. Fake it till you make it and before you know it you’re under an indigo firmament and the stars look very different indeed. Rise above it, brothers and sisters!

Back from LV and Mesquite. Trip was only fun because makes even the most boring and painful experiences delightful and engaging.

I haven’t been to Las Vegas since 2003. It is yet more tragically banal and insipid; Mesquite was a foreign country. The upside: appreciation of my current life. Maybe I’ll go into more detail, maybe I’ll post some pictures. Dunno. Depends on if I have time.

I delight to be home in my beloved Portlandia. How can I ever leave you again? All else seems to be a flimsy façade of culture compared to you, beautiful PDX.

But seriously? Las Vegas. Nuke it from Orbit. It would be an improvement.

My relationship with LJ continues to suffer. The only reason I think I’ll stick around is that this arena is a convenient place to update all my friends about stuff going on. As my other Journal gets off the ground and I can have my out-of-town friends read that, perhaps I’ll jump ship. I still do enjoy cruising the train-wreck that is LJ just for my own enjoyment.

Sorry if this post sounds elitist and snotty, but God Damn: I’m an elitist snob. What else would I sound like? It’s hard to not be fabulous compared to the unwashed masses.

Being away from LJ makes me happy. Visiting LJ makes me sad.

I’ve made my journal friends-only and have dome some drastic un-friending manoeuvers not out of spite, but out of my own mental health. Can’t be too careful. Just can’t trust some people.

Personally, life is fan-fucking-tastic. You’ll see more on the Tiki-Kon blog and hopefully my personal one soon (if I can carve out some non-tiki time).

Vacation Weds – Sun in Las Vegas with my gorgeous and fabulous Wife – looking forward to that.

See ya in the funny papers, LJ.