I just checked the site and noticed your reply,I thought the mb had died, I am in N.Ireland.

Ed

Hi Ed,
we are here - not dead. Scagliola as an art form, however, breathing with a difficulty so as fresco. This is why we maintain and improve this site. Unfortunately without people like you it is not easy. So please post more - your techniques, pictures (you can upload pics and post them in your message as an attachement - images will post within the message as a sample pic I have posted). If our content grows - the conversations will improve and become more useful for everybody. So please refer this site to your friends and colleagues.

Also we have started an Image Database at
http://www.truefresco.Net and as database grows it is promoted to arch/des/developers etc.

The idea of this site is to give more and more exposure to people like yourself - professionals and aspiring craftsmen artists of this noble techniques

PS. log in and go to the "user's menu" and edit your subscription preferences - this way you will not miss posts to the topics you select.

also visit
Contemporary Fresco Gasette http://trueFresco.Org
___________________________
learn fresco at http://FrescoSchool.com
commission fresco or mural http://iLAdesigns.com
showcase your art http://truefresco.net/gallery
Art Search & Art Directory http://truefresco.org/link_directory add your site

It will make sense to register and subscribe to the forums of your interest. This way you will be notified when someone posts via email.

If you have any articles on scagliola it would be great if you can post them here.

ilia

Ed Micca
edmicca@yahoo.com

Could you please send me your web site address. I am interested in marmorino and scagliola.
Thank you

I emailed the people who left their email addresses no reply,please do not bother now.

Yes I have learnt a lot about scag would have liked to have shared ideas etc but alas people are not willing to participate in what was a good forum.

Is this because many find that the plaster arts are a little more complicated than they first thought? All I can say is you get out more than you give in, it is a wonderful field of art to be in.

Hi Ed!

Sorry if I have missed your email - I get hundreds a day... Lately my reply is - go to the forums and post there I will post the reply rightaway - no email.

>I emailed the people who left their email
>addresses no reply,please do not bother now.
>
>Yes I have learnt a lot about scag would have
>liked to have shared ideas etc but alas people
>are not willing to participate in what was a
>good forum.

You included... your last post is what a year ago?!

>Is this because many find that the plaster arts
>are a little more complicated than they first
>thought? All I can say is you get out more than
>you give in, it is a wonderful field of art to
>be in.

Totaly agree, also I find that for some reason people are shy to post. What are they thinking? Someone will laugh?

PS. What was your question that I have missed?

ilia

I think too many people are worried about giving away their secrets, which if the truth be known there are very few that are worth keeping.

I asked about the problems with dolomite, as Gary mentions using it in his posts and you do not recommend it. Ilia you did say when I posted my question on Dec 20 2000, that you would explain more, I'm still waiting lol.

But here it goes again:

Dolomitic lime results in a lot of magnesium in the putty. And it is so - it smells tastes and feels slightly different, so it is not just "molecular" difference. Magnesium makes plaster to be more "plastic", but that is a choice for people who know little. Also magnesium plasters preferred for commercial plaster/stucco applications where speed is the issue, or for uncolored ornamental plasterwork.

For color magnesium is not a friend gives fluorescence spots, poor adhesion of the color layer, etc. Also magnesium has longer hydrating time. Any lime stone will produce some magnesium (high calcium lime contains upto 7% of magnesium - dolomitic has over 30%)

In the past burning of the limestone has little control over the temperature throughout the load therefore resulting quicklime was impure. Aging the lime for 10+ years in the pit was needed to properly hydrate every bit of it. Modern technologies produce more consistent burning therefor 2-4 years in the pit is sufficient.

I am not at liberty to say - professional secret, you know... (just joking).

Anyway, i am not an expert in colored plasters and my explanation applies to fresco painting where the color layer creates or can be compared with calcium saturated, bounded surface crust. When pigment is mixed into the plaster itself poor adhesion is not an issue, however you may still have fluorescence.

About frustrating - you are correct that is not exactly the word. More likely "philosophical" in the matter of: when and will I be able to keep up with postings. The site is alive and growing fast.
Have you checked our Fresco Workshop Program at
http://frescoschool.com ?
we already have international students.

we are also rearanging content into Channels to be more accessable, check Fresco Channel at:

http://www.truefresco.com/channel_fresco.html

perhaps the fact that our site is so easy to find - top ten in every search engine for any fresco related search as well as it's size make people feel that the discussion is "too public" - you do not see rock concert crowds in the public library, but there are millions of libraries and only one "fresco library" - TrueFresco.com - we are pritty much it or strive to be... So the crowds will be here - our stats: 1996 - 2000 page views per month and in 2002 - 200,000 page view per month. So people are "snooping around" we just have to make them talk. Interested to help?
Scagliola topic is wide open...

ilia

I use modroc as a simple base to work on.

I put it on a wooden base such as mdf, when it's wet I smooth it out, into the wet plaster I would either embed thread in a random pattern or lightly score out a pattern. To make things interesting coloured plaster can be dropped onto the still wet modroc base and trowelled in to make a smooth surface, no more than two colours as the white of the plaster will make three colours in total.

If I get really adventurous I would print a reverse copy of a simple painting onto ordinary A4.

In simple I mean something with a strong un-complicated pattern. When the plaster is wet and smoothed I place the print face down unto it and carefully smooth it out, the image is transferred into the plaster. I lightly score around the outlines following the image on the plaster.

After either method I let the plaster dry:Remove the pieces of thread and a random out line like a marble design if done right is there. The image if used is there the outline can now be filled in with coloured plaster, I use herculite hardcoat, I mix the dry pigment first and then add water. I fill the lines with the coloured plaster which highlights the design.

Image transfer:
It can be left like this or as I do the coloured body of the plaster can be strengthened. I use frisket to mask of the areas I do not want touched. The area to be covered is dampened, I mix up the coloured plaster and float it onto the areas I want it.

I would make up a mix of hardcoat and marble dust 60-40 this allows the plaster to be polished. I know the plaster alone can also be polished, but I get better results using the mix.

The procedure is repeated until all the areas are finished and polished, care has to be taken when masking an a polished are so the plaster is not ripped up while removing the frisket. I use wax to protect and increase the shine.

Cheaters fresco
Another method I have used with good success is transferring an image onto lime putty and marble dust plaster, trowelled over a mdf base. I have printed some images in reverse and carefully laid down the page on the wet plaster, gently smoothed out the page, the image transfers almost immediately.

I have three small works in the shed exposed to direct sunlight etc and the image has not faded.
Ilia's image in his above posts is perfect to try for the fresco method, hope I don't cause offence recommending this.

I hope this helps some one to try fresco and scag, I use the above as an introduction, to encourage me to learn more and try out ideas, they are simple techniques based on the principle of some of the real methods.