Oh, For a Buffalo!

Following the busy weekend of discussion, consumption and high volume (the latter emitting from both the kids and the bagpipes during the LALDI barbeque), reality returned to SSW, and I emerge from the weekend with a few ideas I’d like to try. As a progression from scavenging for cardboard in Huntly I decided to switch to finding some dung. Several people during the weekend suggested a local farm, so I headed there, and was directed by Steve, who was very helpful, to a empty field only recently vacated by horses, and thereby peppered with their valuable by-product. He left me to it, but the offer of more still stands, so that’s got that covered (no pun intended).

I’ve had to explain my motives to a few local residents during the last week or so, and today was no exception. My problem is that once I get to the point of saying ‘you mix this with sand and clay, and then you cast your bronze into it’, the person tends to feel like they understand an end result. I then go on to say ‘but I’m not casting bronze into them, they’ll be left as voids’, and I’m back to looks of puzzlement again. Probably best to keep it straightforward and omit the last bit.

I’ve gained valuable information over the weekend from Kate, a friend of Emily’s who is like a walking encyclopeadia of mold-making knowledge. She gave me advice on quanities of material to mix, and their differing amounts through the layering process. Very helpful indeed. I did my best to note down as much as possible, including the fact that Buffalo dung is the best you can get for mold-making (but no buffalo here in Aberdeenshire). Most other vegetarian animal dung is good too, even rabbit droppings (but these come in very small packages, like Tesco vegetables). Cow effluent is plentiful but overly processed (due to their many stomachs, similar in consistancy to certain late-night Glaswegian takeaway offerings). So horse or donkey do is the next best.

Now I need Eden to find some sawdust for firing the molds – I’m hoping an experimental covering of dungmix on a couple of card shapes, and their firing can commence as the week progresses. A good fire is the order of the week!