Biofabricating Materials

In the first week, we started experimenting with different biofabricating materials. We conducted 4 experiments: the Kombucha leather, Salmon fish skin leather, coffee ground leather and gelatin-based bioplastic.

Kombucha Leather

Week 1

Recipe:

Boil water, add tea leaves. Add sugar and let it steep. Strain the tea leaves and let the tea cool. Add scoby and let it grow in a dark area.





Week 2:

  • There was mould that grew on the surface of a thin layer of scoby.

Next step:

  • Leave it for 1 more week
  • Make 2 more smaller batches.

Salmon Fish Leather

Week 1

Tools & Ingredients:

1 Container or bottle with lid

2 or 3 Salmon fish skins

1 part Glycerine

1 part Ethanol 75%


How To:

  1. Clean the salmon skins and pull off the scales with a blunt knife
  2. Choose a bottle with a wide neck
  3. Add the salmon skin
  4. Add equal amounts of glycerin and 75% ethanol into the bottle
  5. Close the lid and mix it a couple of times a day for 3 days
  6. After 3 days, strain off the liquid and put the skin to dry.

Separate skin from the salmon

pull of f scales with a blunt knife

Soak the fish skin in equal part of glycerin and 75% alcohol

Next step:

  • Let it dry and make a brace.

Coffee Ground Leather

Week 1

The recipes are reference from https://fabtextiles.org/coffee-leather-bag/

Recipe #1

  • 2g Sodium alginate
  • 2g dried coffee ground powder
  • 2g Olive oil
  • 5g glycerin
  • 33g water


How to:

  1. Weight all the ingredients with a precision scale.
  2. Mix the powder together with glycerin and olive oil.
  3. Add water and mix well to obtain an homogeneous solution.
  4. Cast in a acrylic sheet container.
  5. Let the composite sample dry in a dry and warm place for 1 week. (Depending on the thickness and the size of the sample it may take longer. It will also vary due to the local temperature and humidity.)
  6. When the product is dry, you can separate it from the container.

Recipe #2

  • 2g Sodium alginate
  • 4g dried coffee ground powder
  • 2g Olive oil
  • 5g glycerin
  • 33g water
  • 7g Calcium chloride* in 100ml of water

*As we cannot get the Calcium Chloride, we use casting powder as an alternative.


How to:

  1. Weight all the ingredients with a precision scale.
  2. Mix the powder together with glycerin and olive oil.
  3. Dissolve Calcium Chloride in water.
  4. Add water and the dissolved calcium chloride, mix well to obtain an homogeneous solution.
  5. Cast in a acrylic sheet container.
  6. Let the composite sample dry in a dry and warm place for 1 week. (Depending on the thickness and the size of the sample it may take longer. It will also vary due to the local temperature and humidity.)
  7. When the product is dry, you can separate it from the container.

Weight powder with a precision scale.

Weight glycerin and olive oil with a precision scale.

Mix the powder together with glycerin and olive oil.

Let the composite sample to dry for one week.

Week 2:

  • Not dry yet, and got mouldy.

Next:

  • repeat the experiment in a dry and cool place (not the wine cabinet!)
  • Or add less water.

Gelatin Bioplastics