By Parijata Dasi
The TOVP management team went on site and gave approval for the production of GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) molds to begin. At the moment we are focusing on 4 different areas where the GRC molds will be used; the 24 Kalash brackets, the Chatri ribs, the 7 meters utility floor columns, and main base cornice of the Kalash brackets.
The management, art team and Sadbhuja prabhu have given full consent, and are very satisfied with the mold making and its progress. Once finished, GRC will be poured into the molds to create the desired pieces. The high quality GRC we are using isn’t available in any commercial market; it can only be produced in-house.
In the photos, Savya Sachi prabhu and his team are making the polyurethane molds to produce the Kalash bracket molds. Polyurethane combines the best properties of rubber and plastic, without the weaknesses inherent in plasticized vinyl films. Because it contains no plasticizers, it is not subject to the brittleness and other problems caused when they leach to the surface. Urethane is easy to work with, and is readily modified to suit a particular application. Urethane compounds possess a combination of properties which are not available in any other thermoplastic material, offering significant design flexibility. Polyurethane molds can also be used over and over, thus producing hundreds of cast GRC items.
