Cast Reindeer Moss?

[Dustman]

Hello everyone. I was at a local nursery with my wife looking at house plants when I saw a display of Reindeer Moss bagged up and hanging on the wall. If you separate the pieces they look like shrubs or small trees. I've had this stuff about 6 months now with the intent of casting it around a brass tube with Alumalite slow. Does anyone out there have any experience casting this stuff. Will it turn brown or ... rot? The people at the nursery couldn't answer my questions. I just saw a thread here about Spanish moss being cast in a pen. Gives me hope. Thoughts?

 

[Drewby108]

You could, but you'll have to dry it out super well first. I'd suggest baking it at 170 degrees (lowest my oven goes) for a little while and casting once it is cooled down a little. This will help keep air bubbles from coming out into the resin.

Others with more experience will likely chime in with other suggestions

 

[JohnU]

I cast some years ago that was dyed red to look like veins. You definitely need to dry it or the resin won't be clear. Also, it's not uncommon for air to seep out and leave shiny air pockets along the stems. A pressure pot will help along with making sure your resin is thin when you pour it so it can get in and along all of the small voids and stems.

 

[Dustman]

Thank you John. I dried the moss for a little over two hours at 200 degrees. I used CA to glue the moss to the tube. The end result appears to be the CA crystalized under the pressure.??? The cast was also a bit foggy. The Alumalite is a bit past it's expiration date and that may have played a part too. Live and learn.
Thanks again
Al

 

[KMCloonan]

I have cast some "Craft" moss a couple years ago. It seemed dry to the touch, so I cast a vertical blank, and it was a disaster. The inherent moisture in the seemingly dry moss caused the alumilite to become completely cloudy/milky. I took more of the same moss and dried it for a short time at about 150F and when I cast it, it was very clear and stayed a bright green.

Hopefully a Mistake I will only make once...

I saw an earlier post from an IAP member who made a pen using moss he picked up at Walmart. I thought that was pretty cool, so the next time I was at Walmart, I headed for the craft aisle, and sure enough, I saw some dried Spanish Moss. I bought a bag of the moss for about $3 and brought it...

www.penturners.org

 

[JohnU]

Thank you John. I dried the moss for a little over two hours at 200 degrees. I used CA to glue the moss to the tube. The end result appears to be the CA crystalized under the pressure.??? The cast was also a bit foggy. The Alumalite is a bit past it's expiration date and that may have played a part too. Live and learn.
Thanks again
Al

Urethane resin doesn't like CA. It always presents a challenge. Try something like UV cured resin or clear nail polish.
Experimentation will make you a better resin artist. It's just as important knowing what doesn't work as it is what does, for future experiments. Good luck!