< WOOD
STONE
Stone (including for purposes here, concrete, cement, ciment fondue and similar materials), is in theory prefectly suitable for use as a master pattern material, though in practice the weight of most stone sculptures can make them exceptionally difficult to handle in the foundry environment. Although stone cannot be recommended as a pattern material of first choice, art founders are occasionally asked to produce casts from stone carvings and other glyptic designs. As with wood carvings, this situation usually arises when the sculptor wants to create an edition from what is usually a unique piece of artwork. Although metal casting is not always the ideal solution, it does offer a means of accurately reproducing a carved form in another permanent material.
The type stone work most suited to casting is usually finished to a polished surface. Porous and ‘unsealed’ stones can complicate the (rubber) moulding process, by offering a slight surface key for the moulding medium to penetrate into. This can make it difficult to extract the stone pattern after it is moulded. Porous stone can occasionally suffer staining from the pigments used in some rubber moulding compounds, so careful compatibility testing and the use of the right quality rubber in such cases may be essential.
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