Bio • Laminate

This recipe is a workhorse in my material cookbook. BioLaminate is a mid-weight bioplastics (not rigid but not as flimsy as a film) and is ideally suited for a wide range of uses. It tends not to shrink dramatically, warp while drying, or mold – all of which are not a given when working with bioplastics.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Equipment

  • nonstick pan
  • silicone sheet

Preparation

  1. Add gelatin to 1% glycerol solution and stir until well-mixed. Add water and allow gelatin to bloom before adding to heat.
  2. Heat mixture to just below boiling. Scoop off any foam that forms with a spoon.
  3. Pour into mold or cast into a sheet.

This recipe is great for adding colorants, fillers, or inclusions; as you can see in the hero image I like to add in decorative stamen from old flowers. If you add fillers such as coffee grinds you can get the texture closer to a leather or you can use the base recipe to create a clear sheet that most people wouldn't know isn't petroleum-based plastic.

This recipe is also good for thermoforming since it is thermoplastic! You could either put this on a full-blown thermoforming machine and mold it to a form or you can use a sandwich bag sealer to create clean, strong edge seals.

Tips & Tricks

This mixture has a tendency to develop foam on the surface while it is heating. If this happens, simply skim it off the surface with a spoon. If there are still bubbles on the surface when you pour the mixture, you can run a propane torch lightly across the surface of your mixture while in the mold. This should pop any bubbles and leave you with a flat, glassy surface.

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At A Glance

Preparation:
20 min
Overall Time:
15 min
Quantity:
360 mL
Difficulty:
easy