Installation and Completion

Finally, the sculpture was finished and ready to be installed at the elementary school. We first had to prep the site by removing 4 rhododendrons and moving 2 hostas. Then, using a rented trailer and a furniture doily, we moved the sculpture to site. Once it was there, we laid sand down in the hole where the sculpture was going to be. Then we placed the sculpture and shifted the sand and mulch to make sure it looked pleasant. Finally, the sculpture was placed and the project completed! Almost immediately, the teachers were very excited to show the students when the school year started and parents were taking pictures with their kids in front of it. I am very happy that the sculpture was already having a positive affect. I hope that it will light up many people's days to come.

Habitat Free Form Black and Painting

After some research, I found a company called Reynolds Advance Materials. I called their Allentown location and asked for advice. They suggested a product called Habitat Free Form Black. It is a epoxy puddy clay that cures in 24 hours and can be applied straight onto the fiberglass. It is used to make stage props and aquarium corals so it is durable and weatherproof. To apply the Free Form, the two parts of the epoxy are mixed together equally making a clay that is simply smoothed onto the structure. It has an hour working time before it is too hard to move into new shapes. 

After 24 hours, it is ready to paint with any acrylic enamel paint. I looked for a paint that was also outdoor paint. Since the school colors are red, red is the color that I painted it, along with brown for the base and some primer to make sure that the paint would properly adhere to the sculpture. These are pictures of the sculpture as it was painted and when it was finished:

The Fiberglass

After prepping the dragon with spray foam insulation, it was ready for Fiberglass. I had to do a lot of research on how to apply fiberglass since I had never used anything like it. When applying fiberglass, you first start by cutting out sheets of the fiberglass to size so that you use only what you need. Then, we pinned the pre-cut fiberglass to the foam using bent paperclips. While cutting the Fiberglass, the fibers are released into the air and get everywhere. We had to wear head to toe protection with barely any skin showing along breathing protection. Fiberglass is a bad irritant. Once the fiberglass was pinned on, we brushed on resin mixed with hardener. It was supposed to take a couple hours to cure. However, after 3 days, the resin was still sticky. I decided to research another route.

The Hampden Dragon 2.0

Getting the Sculpture out of my basement did not go well. First thing to go wrong: the dragon was a lot heavier than planned. It needed 3 people to lift it. Second thing: the dragon couldn't actually fit through the door way. Third thing: the wings, arms, head, and tail were not strong enough to withstand the trauma of transport. As a result, the dragon lost its tail and is in the process of losing its wings and extended arm. There are many cracks covering the body. 

Click to see cracks on its left arm

The only option at this point to remake it better than the first one. To do this, I am switching mediums and building a stronger form for the underneath. After some more research, I found that fiber glass is a common medium for professional outdoor sculptures. It is also used on boats and cars, meaning that it will be able to withstand the elements. As a form, I made another chicken wire form that is slightly different from the original to help solve some issues. The second dragon is slightly skinnier with a smaller tail that curls up instead of down and with shorter legs that do not touch the ground. The new tail is also reattached to the body to give it extra support. 

After I finished making the second chicken wire form, I added a black iron pipe skeleton to support the arm and wings and then I filled the entire thing in with spray foam insulation. The spray foam is meant to grow as it dries which takes 8 hours. After it expanded, I cut away the parts that outgrew the chicken wire. Now it is ready for the fiberglass.

Adding the Cement

After creating a cement base using a cardboard mold, I started to "cement mache" the chicken wire form. I found that regular concrete mix had too large of aggregate, or rocks, to be efficient while mache-ing so I switched to mortar mix which uses the same Portland Cement base but with only sand as aggregate. I had to add multiple layers to ensure that it wouldn't just crumble. However, the arms, wings, and head lacked the strength to support themselves. To fix this, I added Spray Foam Insulation which gave the cement more than chicken wire to relay on. After there were enough layers of cement on the chicken wire, I added a final layer of red colored cement by smoothing it on with my hand to create a finished look. The next step is to get it out of my basement so that we can mosaic it and then transport it. 

Chicken Wire Form and Presentation at the Capital City Mall

At the end of January, I received the requested donated materials from Home Depot and so I started to form the chicken wire form. I started with two cylinders/cones to make the body. Then I added the head from another cylindrical piece of chicken wire that shaped while wearing thick garden gloves to protect my hands from the sharp ends of wire. 

I continued to work on it when I had the chance to in between work and school throughout February and March. I had the form finished to promote girl scouting at the local mall yesterday, March 11th. The event was meant to demonstrate to the public that Girl Scouting is about more than cookie selling. Many Girl Scouts and Troops were presenting their bronze, silver, and gold awards along with information on the origins of Girl Scouting. I was very proud to be a part of this event!

Asking for Donations

I project that this sculpture will only require about $30 worth of materials: two rebars, a 10ft x 2ft roll of chicken wire, two 80lb bags of cement, and water sealant. I am asking Lowe's and Home Depot for donations using the letter below. I looked online for a guideline on how to write letters like this but I did not find much. After writing these, I will put them into an envelope and deliver them to the managers of each store which is also who the letters are addressed to. Then, I will check back with each store after a couple of weeks to see about the donation. I am in no rush to get the supplies since I will not be able to make concrete until it starts to warm up again.