What's new
By:
Filters
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Call me crazy...

blokeman

blokeman

So a couple of you might remember 'gemmae in a bottle'...

I stepped it up a notch. Bical in a bottle!!!
DSC08703.jpg


DSC08702.jpg


When it matures, I have liquid plastic that I will fill the bottle with, let set, and then I will smash the bottle and have a Bicalcarata pitcher immortalized in plastic resin! I've tried it with a sarr pitcher in a test tube(but with two part epoxy resin... bubbly when mixed), and there is still some nice green still present, so this looks promissing! With this resin, if done well, will be crystal clear!
 
Weird but awesome! It would be a pretty cool thing to display in your office or hang up in your house. :)
 
Oh man that's such a great idea! I can't wait to see the results!
 
Very cool idea!
 
Nice idea! :D You should try mixing in some glue...some guy was able to preserve a snowflake with some glue...so maybe that'd help...
 
kinda like growing a square watermelon!
 
Will you drain the pitcher before you encase it in the plastic?
 
Nice one Bloke but couple things to keep in mind with clear polyester resin such as Casting Craft brand sold at most art shops. This is the one with a large bottle of resin and small bottle of catalyst, you may have to buy the resin & catalyst separately read the package at the store so you don't have to make two trips.

It heats up and may boil the color out of your pitcher. I did an 8" N. hamata pitcher with CC and it ended up looking like it was made of white gold. The glass I cast it in got very hot and cracked from the heat and the resin was smoking but it did actually cure.

My piece started out crystal clear but the resin does get yellowed with time. The last time I saw my hamata pitcher casting in my storage bin it was quite yellowed, and there's no light in there, though it did sit on my bookshelf for years before that.

Warning: It's not only is terribly toxic to breathe but a toy sculptor pal of mine set a fire trying to cast a very large piece and mis-measuring the catalyst. You need less catalyst the thicker your piece is going to be but still need enough to allow it to cure, you may have to experiment a bit. Just be careful and do the casting outside or in your garage with a fire extinguisher handy.
 
Last edited:
  • #10
I did a similar thing by stuffing a small N. sanguinea pitcher into a 10mL vial of ethanol to preserve it. The color is gone, and it just looks tan at this point (probably just the 2* cell walls). But it's transparent enough to see all the venation and secretory glands. I did the same with a D. capensis leaf. They look wicked cool.

Can't wait to see how this turns out for you!
 
  • #11
+1 on what Swords said. I highly recommend doing it outside, with a charcoal mask. Allergies can be instant, without prior exposure, and can be bad.

That aside, wish you luck!
 
  • #12
Thanks for the info, I'm quite well informed about the product, as my friend who gave it to me is an artist and has used the product before. Here's a linky http://eti-usa.com/clear-polyester-casting-resin-with-catalyst/

I will definately work outside, my wife has a carbon mask (she's a ceramic artist, works with silica and such...) Goggles and gloves, the works... By the time the pitcher will mature, which should not get crushed by the sidewalls so long as there isn't a burst in pitchersize between this one and the two recent one's...

The product is to be poured in multiple steps or in one step, I'll be filling it only 1/2 and inch at a time, which I will test first with a Sarr pitcher to see how much heat changes the color(good idea swords, thanks!). The chart they provide is quite clear and easy to follow.

If this works out, I'm going to make a mold of a pool ball and repeat the process in that cast. Imagine having a set of pool balls with smalls being lowlanders, and highs being highlanders! LOL.
 
  • #13
that'd actually be pretty friggen awesome.
 
  • #14
That resin is amazing! I love the pool ball idea!!!
 
  • #15
Update: hehehehe

P4100139.jpg


It just fits within the inside walls, only the cilia of the wings touch the walls. The hood is restrained from opening fully due to the tendril holding it back... Now, I will need to find some spare time to try out this nice little experiment, I'll keep you guys posted!
 
  • #16
Do you have a picture of the test tube Sarracenia?

xvart.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top