Iron Scratch Tile Workshop Details
Skills Learned
Instructor guided relief carving.
Duration
No time limit!
Carve as needed
10 am until 6 pm
Includes
Premade ready to carve sand tile.
All tools supplied
Finished Product
8"x8" Iron Tile
Iron Scratch Tile Workshop
The original workshop that started it all and there is no other place in Michigan to experience it!
Scratch Tile Workshop - This workshop starts with an 8"x8" pre-packed sand mold. These molds are sand mixed with a hardening agent which creates a stable but sculptable surface. Alien Iron artists pack and make each of these molds before the event. At the festival, an instructor helps guide you and answers your questions on how to create your design. All the tools necessary to carve your design are supplied. Usually, a scratch tile can be completed in 1-2 hours. There is no time limit though, since we want you to take your time. This workshop is available for all skill and age levels!
8" x 8" standard square tile is $65
5" x 5" shape to choose from: square, circle, star, heart, or Michigan is $45
Workshop cost: $45 to $65
Free Admission included with each online workshop pre-registration!
Helpful Hints
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Be sure to keep your carving within the 8”x8” square working space.
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Maximum carving depth is ½” but should not be used on the entire 8”x8” working space or the mold may crack when cast.
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You are working in the reverse. If you plan to add letters and numbers, they must be carved backwards. The deepest marks you make will be the lines that are the highest portion of your relief sculpture. You can add texture by crosshatching.
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Keep your block safe. Do not get it wet, do not drop it - it will break.
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Come prepared with a sketch or design.
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If you are using text or numbers, you may want to first draw your design on a piece of paper. Flip the paper over when finished and using a light source (such as a window), trace your design. This will reverse your design so that it will be easier to reference.
After the carving is complete, Alien Iron artists take your mold and prepare it for pouring. There are pours each night (this is our second year having two pours, our event has grown so much). Your mold is then placed strategically around the furnace. The pieces are placed in a sun ray-type pattern with the furnace being at the center. Each piece is leveled and prepared to pour. At dusk, the blast furnace is fired up! Iron is heated to approximately 2600 degrees. The molten iron is poured into a crucible and carried to the molds and poured. This process is very hot and dangerous and heavy to handle. Imagine holding 2600 degrees in your hands and stumbling! Safety precautions are high for the Alien Iron artists. We have an experienced iron pour instructor, Kelly Ludeking from Iowa to oversee our event. During the pour, a few reactionary molds are placed into the lineup. These molds create special effects and wow the crowd. Image snow raining down but it's on fire! (Safely, of course).
If you have questions about this workshop, please contact Stephen Hargash at (989) 598-4967.
All pieces poured at the Frankenmuth Fire Arts Festival Sept. 27 & 28
Your pre-registered workshop includes admission to the festival.
Sculpture pickup options:
A. Please allow time for cooling and demolding, pickup after the pour from 10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
B. Sunday morning pickup from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
C. Contact Stephen Hargash to pick up at Hargash Artist Studio (989) 598-4967.
Iron Pour Fire Performance
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