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Thank you for your interest in Meisner Acrylic Casting. Over the past
fifteen years, Meisner Gallery has been working with artists, furthering
the use of the sculptural medium of cast acrylic. Over the past four years,
we have been building a progressive casting facility to help artists push
the boundaries of acrylic. Still in its infancy, acrylic has become one
of the most sought after mediums for sculptors. Acrylic's untapped potential
attracts most artists interested in breaking new ground in the future
of sculpture. MAC can lead you into the future and allow your sculptural
dreams to become reality.
Our services include:
- MODEL MAKING
- MOLD MAKING
- ACRYLIC CASTING
- PROTOTYPING
- LARGE PRODUCTION RUNS
- DROP SHIPPING
Meisner Acrylic Casting starts with your concept and enables your project
to be brought to fruition. Our attention to detail and reputation for
quality insures high fidelity in the reproduction of your original.
Each acrylic project sets its own parameters, therefore, photos, sketches
or your model would be needed to produce a quote. Contact us at MAC to
begin your future in acrylic sculpture.
We have enclosed preliminary information to help you get started. The
following pages provide answers to most commonly asked questions.
MODEL:
Your model should be solid and made out of a material that can withstand
up to 100-PSI atmospheric pressure. We produce all molds at MAC under
pressure to insure that every detail of the original is captured. Although
we can make molds on almost any material, we recommend solid plaster or
epoxy.
NOTE: With acrylic casting, what you see is what you get. It is important
that the model you send us is exactly what you wish to receive back as
a casting. Unlike bronze, you can not add material to acrylic. Any imperfections
in your model will become part of your acrylic sculpture. The only exception
is if there is room to remove material without affecting the finished
sculpture.
MOLDS:
We at MAC take pride in the advances we have made in the casting of acrylic.
Our mold process is proprietary and therefore, although you own and control
your molds, they cannot leave our premises. We charge only our cost when
making molds. If you wish, we will be happy to make you a model to archive
at another location.
FINISHING:
Once cast, each acrylic sculpture requires surface finishing. Areas that
are to be polished are fine sanded and polished (it is helpful if the
surface of the original model is polished in areas that are to be polished
on the finished sculpture). Frosting is accomplished with a mixed media
blast that can be fine or hard, depending on your preference.
SHIPPING:
Once completed to your satisfaction, your sculpture will be placed in
a cloth bag with handling instructions. Each sculpture is then packed
using Istapack foam encapsulation. We will ship to you, or if you wish,
we can drop ship anywhere in the world.
In creating for acrylic remember the following:
1. Acrylic tends to shrink to mass.
2. We must be able to make the mold with the model in one piece. Unlike
bronze you can not weld pieces together, the sculpture or object must
be cast in one piece. Undercuts are OK as long as we can remove the mold.
3. If it looks great in bronze, it probably will not look good in acrylic.
4. Small appendages can be cast but fracture easily. Repairs are difficult
and are always visible.
5. Castings come out of the mold with an opaque surface, areas that are
to be clear must be sanded and polished.
6. Size limitations - we are limited to the size of our largest autoclave
- 14' x 5'. If you are planning a large piece remember we need to deduct
room for the mold.
7. We love to experiment. If you can put it in acrylic, we have probably
tried it, but if not, we will.
8. Production is limited to how many sculptures you can pull, per mold,
per week. At present time we can make 2 sculptures per week, per mold.
If you are planning large production, you must budget for the molds you
will need to achieve your goal.
9. You cannot polish areas of detail. The process of polishing removes
detail. Sections of the sculpture that you want clear should be smooth
from the start. We can however, polish highlights.
10. If you plan to do an embedement both models, the inside image and
the outer image must be perfect. The inside image must fit inside the
outer, and to keep costs down the inner image should contact the outer,
preferably at the bottom. We can float an image inside an image but this
adds to the cost.
11. Turn around time is quick, 3 to 4 weeks, but if you are trying something
new please leave time for experimentation.
12. Color, what color do you want? We can match almost any sample.
13. If you want us to create the model for you we need a detailed sketch
with dimensions or a photo. Leave at least 10 to 14 weeks for model making
or enlarging.
14. The acrylic used today will not yellow, crack or craze, if properly
cared for. If you are designing a sculpture for outdoor use, we recommend
keeping the surface smooth or polished. A polished surface requires less
maintenance.
15. Again, unlike bronze you must refine your model to completion. Your
model must look, as you want your final sculpture to look once cast.
16. Making corrections to the cast acrylic is difficult and costly.
17. If you have any questions, call us.
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