Sand cast stools are high success for artist Sam Lloyd

am Lloyd graduated from Kingston in 2013 with a BA Hons in Product & Furniture Design and an ever growing list of awards. As part of Lloyd’s final major project, he was encouraged to break free of the studio environment and explore different manufacturing techniques. Maybrey Reliance work closely with the University to provide both design assistance and product manufacturing, enabling Lloyd to experiment with available techniques at the foundry and create the stool for Heal’s Discovers. The form of the stool top is the result of his experimentations with sheet materials and this successful design provided the best seat. Easy to assemble, the stools have a trio of fumed oak and oak legs that screw effortlessly into the seat; these are then supported by an aluminium brace also produced at Maybrey’s. 

 

The aluminium seat and brace were manufactured using the sand casting process ‘to create a strong three dimensional stool top that can be cast in one piece' Lloyd explained. One mould produces one casting. Each half of the mould (cope and drag) is packed with sand by hand and then left to harden. Once both parts have hardened, the mould is put together and weights are added to the top to stop it exploding when the metal is poured. Once the metal has set, it is then a case of breaking the casting from the mould and submerging the metal in water to strengthen it. The marks and imperfections that would normally render a casting useless are celebrated in Lloyds stools, as they cannot be replicated and make each individual stool top unique. 

 

Shortlisted for the 100% Design Award @ New Designers 2013, the stool was quickly picked up by Heal’s Discovers and the two heights available have been a huge success, with only two items left in stock. Maybrey Reliance is proud of its design and innovation heritage and continues to both initiate and facilitate unique and ambitious projects. Working closely with University students and other artists encourages design ambition and creative exploration.