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.