Dissolvable mandrel ideas for a unique project

General Composites Discussions Equipment Talk
#1

Hello, I came upon this forum through Google and I think you folks will have the expertise to offer some ideas.

I’m trying to make small ant houses (formicariums) similar to these:

Formicariums like those are traditionally made by using modeling clay to form the tunnels in the container, coating with a release agent and pouring grout in. The whole thing is then removed, clay cleaned off and replaced in the container.

I’d like to try a different grout material (Hydrostone) that will be difficult to impossible to remove after curing, which means I’ll need a mandrel other than clay which can be flushed out. Here are some ideas I have:

[ul]
[li]Aquacore - What’s the price? Can the viscosity be increased so it’s like clay? Email sent.
[/li][li]Wax - Melt it out then acetone/kerosene to remove the residue. Is there anything that’s easier to work with than paraffin?
[/li][/ul]

Any other suggestions? Thank you.

#2

Interesting project. Unfortunately I don’t have the knowledge to help you, but I am intrigued as to why you want to try hydrostone if it leads to so many processing difficulties? Reinventing the wheel and all that… Is there an advantage between the types of grout?

#3

Hydrostone is commonly used because it holds moisture well without being prone to grout. Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC, Ytong) is even better, but that is difficult to source in the US.

#4

Would Oozeq be useful in your application?
Oozeq is a stable starch putty that may be air dried, optionally foamed, then baked at temps to 400 F, and remains water soluble at all times.
More (though intended for our art material market) is available on our website.

#5

That actually looks exactly like what I’m looking for. I tried making a few with regular modeling clay and due to the hydrostone expanding, it’s not worth the effort to remove it from the mold, remove the clay, and try to fit it back.