I spent the afternoon with Tracy, where I learned
about her process in making the Hydro-Bats. I knew already that Mark invented the Hydro-Bat while he was
still teaching at University of Pennsylvania. Most of the history of the Hydro-Bats can be found on our
website if you are interested in reading about it. Tracy has been making the Hydro-Bats for about 7 months now,
so she's very skilled in the process.
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| Piles of Hydro-Stone |
Mark used to make the Hydro-Bats himself, but today I was learning how they are made in the present. First, Tracy mixes the Hydro-Stone with
water. She mixes 60 lbs of
Hydro-Stone at one time! Don't
worry, the mixing is not done by hand!
Tracy uses an electric mixer to get the job done. This allows the Hydro-Stone to mix
properly and to its fullest potential.
Then she pours the Hydro-Stone into the various molds we
have. It's a lot like pouring
plaster, and in fact Hydro-Stone is very similar to plaster. The difference? Hydro-Stone is stronger than ordinary
plaster which gives our finished product a longer life. People as us all the time what types of
tools can be used with Hydro-Stone.
Although stronger than ordinary plaster, we still recommend you use
wood, rubber or plastic tools on Hydro-Bats. It will help procure a longer life and a more even working
surface.
After the
Hydro-Stone is mostly set she takes them out of the mold and trims them up to
look pretty. The tops of the
Hydro-Bats are so smooth that it's hard to not touch them. They are finally set out to finish the
drying and hardening process. Then
they are shipped off to our suppliers or put in our store.
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| Trimmed and ready to go! |
I really enjoy working in a place that still makes some of
it's products and learning about how Hydro-Bats are made was fun.
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| Drying Hydro-Bats |
