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* **Agar - 5 g**
* Polymer (makes it hard)
* **Glycerine - 15 g**
* Plasticizer
* **Water - 250 ml/g**
* Solvent, to dissolve and heat the agar
* **A piece of textile** large enough to fit over the mold
* **A mold** for example a bowl, or other 2.5D or 3D surface
1. **Bowls** to weigh ingredients
1. **Cooker** (ideally temperature controlled)
1. **Thermometer (optional)** if you don't have a temperature controlled cooker
1. **Small molds - 2x** such as two glass bowls of about 8 cm diameter (or equivalent) that slide into one another.
Approx. 200 ml this is enough to make a small 15x15cm composite and the agar foil found in this [recipe](../recipes/agarfoil.md)
- Prepare the casting surface and find a place where you can leave it for a while, ideally near an open window where there's air flow.
1. **Mixing and dissolving the ingredients**
- bring the water to the boil
- optional: substitute part of the water with natural dye if you wish to use color
- add the agar
- bring the mixture to the boil while stirring gently, to dissolve the agar.
- when the agar is dissolve completely, lower the temperature to 60-80 degrees (make sure it doesn't bubble), and let it simmer and evaporate water for 40 mins while stirring slowly and continuously.
- the agar should have the consistency of a light syrup, you should be able to leave a "trace" with you trace your spoon across the pot.
- If your mixture is thicker it will spread slowly resulting in a thicker foil, if it's more liquid, it will spread wider, resulting in a thinner foil.
- Dip the textile(s) into the hot liquid
- Take it out and position on the mold, press it down with the second bowl.
- After an hour, take off the second bowl and let the composite airdry on top of the mold
Allow the foil to dry for a week for best results (or 3 days minimum).
- Mold diameter: 8 cm
- Shrinkage thickness 0-10 %
- Shrinkage width/length 0-10 %
When used in a composite with textile fibres, the foil shrinks a lot less. The fibers prevent the shrinking.
*Dissolving the agar while stirring, Loes Bogers, 2020*
*Making a trace with the spoon, consistency of syrup, Loes Bogers, 2020*
*The composite inside the "two-piece" mold of the two glass bowls, Loes Bogers, 2020*
- Substitute part of the water with a dye
- Try different molds and textiles
- Design your own mold
This is an adaptation of **Flexible bio-foil** by Cecilia Raspanti, Textile Lab, Waag Amsterdam for Fabricademy 2019-2020, Class pages, [link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lm147nvWkxxmPf5Oh2wU5a8eonpqHCVc/view). A longer cooking time is recommended to create a thicker foil.
### Sustainability tags
- Renewable ingredients: yes
The composite feels less flexible and rubbery than the agar foil. It makes a crackling sound like paper.
- **Strength**: medium
- **Hardness**: resilient
- **Transparency**: opaque
- **Glossiness**: matte
- **Weight**: light
- **Structure**: variable
- **Texture**: medium
- **Temperature**: medium
- **Shape memory**: high
- **Acoustic properties:** needs further research
- **Anti-bacterial:** needs further research
- **Water resistance:** water resistant
- **Chemical resistance:** needs further research
- Name: Loes Bogers
- Affiliation: Fabricademy student at Waag Textile Lab Amsterdam
- Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Date: 16-03-2020 – 24-03-2020
- Outside temp: 5-11 degrees Celcius
- Room temp: 18 – 22 degrees Celcius
- PH tap water: 7-8
### Recipe validation
By Cecilia Raspanti, Textile Lab, Waag Amsterdam, 9 March 2020
### Estimated cost (consumables) in local currency
0,50 Euros, for a yield of approx. 200 ml (enough to make a small composite and a sheet, or larger or multiple composites)
## Copyright information
### This recipe is in the public domain (CC0)
Yes
### This recipe was previously published by someone else
Yes, this is an adaptation of **Flexible bio-foil** by Cecilia Raspanti, Textile Lab, Waag Amsterdam for Fabricademy 2019-2020, Class pages, [link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lm147nvWkxxmPf5Oh2wU5a8eonpqHCVc/view).
- **[Title of publication 1]** by [First + Last Name Author]\([Affiliation/Institution]\), [Publication name or channel], [YYYY], [link](put URL here).
## Images of final product
*Agar foil, Loes Bogers, 2020*