06_Experiments

Gravité is an Experimental & Artistic concept merging New_Tech & "Savoir-Faire". Material experimentations & technical fab for creating Unexpected Leathercrafts. Co-creation Lucia Javicoli x Sage Folie.

LEATHER MODELING

STEPS

1. Wet (solution explained into "Tools&Technics part")
2. Leather massage
3. Compression

Mix of technics: Massage / Compression. It takes time. For a piece of 40x40 cm needed more or less 24 hours of drying. The trick is to put the piece after 24H into a compressing bag with Cotton fabric to absorb the rest of water.

The modeling depends on the leather caracteristics:

• VEGETAL: soft, smooth easier to mold
• CHROME: color loss, hard and strong
• Thickness
• Animal

COMPRESSING BAG

=> Schema from Textile as Sacffold W09 by Anastasia Pistofidou.

FROM ALGINATE TO BIO_LEATHERCOMPOSITE

1. ALGINATE

=> Receipes from Biomaterials W06 by Cecilia Raspanti.

Test01

For the tests, I wanted to make small quantities so I divided the quantities by 2.

Receipes

ALGINATE

Qty	Description	+	-
6gr	Alginate
10gr	Glycerine
5gr	Sunflower oil
100ml	Water	200ml
2gr	Graphite

SODIUM HYDRATE

Qty	Description
6gr	Water
10gr	Sodium Hydrat

OBSERVATIONS:

=> Alginate was compact needed more water due to the graphite.

=> Mix pigment with oil before adding to the solution.

Test01/01

I made different tests mixing the alginate with the leather. From left to right:

1. Mix of leather and alginate. Spray sodium hydrate
2. Pour alginate on leather. Spray sodium hydrate
3. In a mold put leather then pour alginate. Spray sodium hydrate
4. Spray solution of sodium hydrate on plexi square. Put leather. Poor alginate. Compress with plexi
5. Spray solution of sodium hydrate into mold. Put leather. Poor alginate. Spray sodium hydrate

OBSERVATIONS:

1. Well mixed, retractation
2. Stuck, retractation
3. Stuck, retractation
4. Layer stuck, retractation
5. Stuck, retractation

SELSECTED DRY SAMPLES

OBSERVATIONS:

1. Very strong looks like a gum, float into water
2. Leather stuck to the alginate. Volume obtained thanks to retractation
3. Thin foil, flexible and stuck leather with alginate. Holes due to the compression

Colortests

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

=> Go for natural pigments: strong and bold colors

Oxyde blue	Oxyde black	Spiruline	Orcanette	Rose Damas	Iron juice
Intense blue	Strong black	Pearly green	Dark bordeau	Nude	Bold yellow

OBSERVATIONS:

=> Difficult to obain light colors

=> Iron is not an option for the drying part. Need a basique solution

Test02_Algibrick

The goal of the test was to obtain a brick with no retractation. The alginate can be constran in a mold. The result was ok.

Test03_bottombag

The goal here was to stuck a mix of alginate and leather to stitched leather cylinder.

1. Put a glass bottle in the pink leather cylinder
2. Fill the hole with alginate and leather
3. Fill leather and alginate in a polystyrene sphere
4. Assembly the body and back
5. Let's dry
6. When it is dry spray with sodium hydrate
7. Dry

The result is not so bad but it is hard to master: dirty, retractation & aesthetic.

Test04_bottom

Some other tests. Not really convincing.

MIDTERM PRESENTATION

MAKING ALGILEATHER

Selection of leather leftovers

Mold test Algileather Neon

SAMPLE PRODUCTION

Photo: Focus on Algileather sample

Process	TEST 1	TEST 2	TEST 3
Leather	10gr	12gr	20gr
1st alginate layer	x		x
1st leather layer	x		x
Mix alignate & leather		x
2nd layer alginate	x		x
2nd layer leather			x
Cure	x	x	x
Time	20H	20H	20H

=>cure after 20H

FINAL PROCESS OF MAKING ALGILEATHER

We decided to make the Bio-leather composite as a "Mille Feuille"

1. Layer of transparent alginate on leather
2. 1st layer of leather
3. Layer of alginate
4. Layer of leather
5. Really thin layer of alginate

Result was strong enough to be stitched, aesthetical and flexible.

Photo: Algileather sample exhibited at Showroom galerie 7, Mai 2022.

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Last update: 2022-06-28