# AGAR COMPOSITE ### Tactility & sound impression <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLxWe9VTEqc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ### Description A light composite of textile and agar foil. ### Physical form Solids Color without additives: color of the textile used ### Fabrication time Preparation time: 1 Hour Processing time: 7 days Need attention: N/A, let dry in place with lots of airflow Final form achieved after: 10 days ## Ingredients * **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 ## Tools 1. **Spoon** 1. **Scale** 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. ## Yield before processing/drying/curing Approx. 200 ml this is enough to make a small 15x15cm composite and the agar foil found in this [recipe](../recipes/agarfoil.md) ## Method 1. **Preparation** - Weigh your ingredients - 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 glycerine - add the agar - bring the mixture to the boil while stirring gently, to dissolve the agar. 1. **Cooking the ingredients** - 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. 1. **Casting and molding** - 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 ### Drying/curing/growth process 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 % **Shrinkage and deformation control** When used in a composite with textile fibres, the foil shrinks a lot less. The fibers prevent the shrinking. **Curing agents and release agents** None **Minimum wait time before releasing from mold** 3 days **Post-processing** N/A **Further research needed on drying/curing/growth?** Not sure ### Process *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* ## Variations on this recipe - Substitute part of the water with a dye - Try different molds and textiles - Design your own mold ### Cultural origins of this recipe [Free text] **Needs further research?** Yes/No/Not sure [Notes] ### This recipe draws together information from these other recipes 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. ### Known concerns and contestations\* Yes/No/Needs further research [Describe them here free text] ### Sustainability tags - Renewable ingredients: yes - Vegan: yes - Made of by-products or waste: no - Biocompostable final product: yes - Re-use: not sure Needs further research?: Not sure Do not recycle in PET-plastics waste streams to avoid contaminating it. ## Material properties ### Comparative qualities The composite feels less flexible and rubbery than the agar foil. It makes a crackling sound like paper. ### Technical and sensory properties - **Strength**: medium - **Hardness**: resilient - **Transparency**: opaque - **Glossiness**: matte - **Weight**: light - **Structure**: variable - **Texture**: medium - **Temperature**: medium - **Shape memory**: high - **Odor**: none - **Stickiness**: low - **Weather resistance:** needs further research - **Acoustic properties:** needs further research - **Anti-bacterial:** needs further research - **Non-allergenic:** nneeds further research - **Electrical properties:** needs further research - **Heat resistance:** medium - **Water resistance:** water resistant - **Chemical resistance:** needs further research - **Scratch resistance:** high - **Surface friction:** medium - **PH modifiers:** none ## About this entry ### Maker of this sample - Name: Loes Bogers - Affiliation: Fabricademy student at Waag Textile Lab Amsterdam - Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Date: 16-03-2020 – 24-03-2020 ### Environmental conditions - Humidity: not sure - Outside temp: 5-11 degrees Celcius - Room temp: 18 – 22 degrees Celcius - PH tap water: 7-8 ### Recipe validation Has recipe been validated? Yes 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). ##References - **[Title of publication 1]** by [First + Last Name Author]\([Affiliation/Institution]\), [Publication name or channel], [YYYY], [link](put URL here). ADD MORE HERE ## Images of final product *Agar foil, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Agar foil, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Agar foil, Loes Bogers, 2020*