What did I aim to do?
I wanted to know what it would look like if I poured the rope into plaster and then pulled it out. This was because I was curious to see whether the plaster would stick to the rope, creating a kind of crumbly rope, or whether you could pull it out and none of the plaster would stick to the nylon. I was also curious to see what kind of impression the rope would leave in the plaster itself. Whether you could still see the structure of the rope a little, or whether it would no longer be visible.
Which steps did I take and/or methods did I use?
First, I drew a “Mold box” in Fusion 360 that would fit the size I needed. I designed it so that the walls could be easily removed and secured with clips. I then exported this model and printed it on a BambuLab P1S 3D printer using Bambu Slicer 3D. This went very well, but took quite some time. Once the mould box was ready, I could assemble it and cut two pieces of string. I cut these so that they would fit into the box. Next, I mixed Knaus plaster, stirred it well and poured it into the box. I had to repeat this process twice because I hadn't mixed enough plaster. I poured the second mix over the first. Then I left it to dry overnight. After that, I removed the walls of the box and pulled the ropes out of the plaster.
What did I find out/learn?
In the part that I did manage to pull out, you can clearly see the texture of the rope in the plaster. However, because I can't get all the ropes out, I am not getting a good overall picture of the result. I also learned that plaster is harder than I initially thought, and that I perhaps need to place the ropes less deep into the plaster so that I am actually able to pull them out.
Which new questions about my material or process of experimentation do I have?
If I were to use a thinner layer of plaster, would I be able to remove the ropes? What would happen if I pulled the ropes out earlier? Would there still be plaster left behind on the ropes, or not?
What does this mean for next steps?
Because I do find this to be an interesting experiment, I want to see if I can try it again, but this time with a thinner layer of plaster, or by pulling the ropes out sooner.
Which sources do I use to inform my next steps?
I am going to take a quick look online to see if this has been done before.