Table of Figures: ........................................................................................................................

ii

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1

Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 1

Background ................................................................................................................................ 1

Artefact: ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Process, Design & Manufacture ................................................................................................ 3

Evolution of plywood furniture ............................................................................................. 3

Mollino’s Process................................................................................................................... 4

Materials .................................................................................................................................... 6

Plywood: ................................................................................................................................ 6

Blonde Shellac ....................................................................................................................... 6

Filler ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Glass ....................................................................................................................................... 7

Adhesives: .............................................................................................................................. 8

Animal Glue ....................................................................................................................... 8

Casein ................................................................................................................................. 8

Modern Adhesives ............................................................................................................. 9

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 9

References ................................................................................................................................ 11

Appendices:.............................................................................................................................. 13

Appendix 1 ....................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 2 ....................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix 3 ....................................................................................................................... 14

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Figure 1 Email response from Napoleone Ferrari, co-author of multiple books on Carlo
Mollino and director of Casa Mollino, the Mollino museum in Turin, Italy ............................. 2
Figure 2 Designs for low tables by Carlo Mollino possibly in response to a letter from Gio
Ponti. (Mollino, 2020)................................................................................................................ 3
Figure 3 A spiked wheel is run along the lines drawn on the pouncing paper leaving
perforations (Robertsign, 2020) ................................................................................................. 4
Figure 4 Fine powder is then dabbed onto the drawing (Robertsign, 2020).............................. 4
Figure 5Transferring through to the designated material (Robertsign, 2020) ........................... 4
Figure 6 Shellac flakes in varying shades (Lee Valley, 2020) .................................................. 6
Figure 7 Letter from Gio Ponti to Carlo Mollino .................................................................... 13

ii
This report will discuss my chosen designer, Carlo Mollino, his design for a low plywood-
based table and the work surrounding it. This table was designed in 1952 but never made, so
using the following research into the designer himself, the table, manufacturing methods,
materials and finishes used at the time we will determine the most appropriate manufacturing
process while incorporating modern technology.

The research for this report is primarily desktop research. This will be composed of information
from books of the time, including historical accounts from those who worked closely with
Mollino and direct contact with the one of the co-authors of multiple books on Mollino, who
is also the director of the Mollino museum - Casa Mollino in Turin, Italy.

Born in Turin in 1905, Mollino studied Architecture in Politecnico di Torino and worked in his
father’s engineering business where he would enter his designs into competitions (Ferrari &
Ferrari, 2006). In his early years he picked up his non-conformist tendencies working with
people involved in the rebellious Futurist movement (Gabetti, 1985). Incredibly aware of his
artistic surroundings his surreal anthropomorphic forms were inspired by artists and architects
such as Dali and Gaudi. His education in both design and manufacturing meant he could
combine the two with his passion for speed, the occult and eroticism in a manner which would
continually divide his strongest supporters. The occult and erotic photography would come to
develop later in life as he designed an apartment that no one else knew about until his death.
The apartment was filled with erotic portraits that had never been seen by anyone but Mollino
(Brino, 1987). It is suggested he created this interior as a personal pharaoh-like tomb for the
afterlife before his premature death in 1973 (McLaughlin, 2020).

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Gio Ponti said of Mollino that “He sculpts and creates portraits in his furniture.” (Ferrari &
Ferrari, 2014). I believe this table to be a self-portrait. The unfurled plywood replicates the alps
where he skied, the plan - a race track down to the wheel like fittings, and the elevation in the
form of a provocative pose we might later see in his erotic portraiture. It is fitting that this table
was not manufactured at the time as its construction remains as complex as its designer.
Mollino labelled many of his furniture pieces as ‘continuous plywood’ suggesting they were
one single piece. This design is presumed to a be response to a letter sent by Gio Ponti in 1952.
Editor of Domus magazine he requested Mollino create models of his designs to explain how
they were made (see Appendix A). However, these drawings never featured in the design
magazine:

Figure 1 Email response from Napoleone Ferrari, co-author of multiple books on Carlo Mollino and director of Casa Mollino,
the Mollino museum in Turin, Italy

Sheets large enough to complete the work were either not available or the shapes impossible to
achieve with one flat sheet on its own. He developed “invisible” joints grading the cuts in every
layer of the plywood so that it would fit perfectly into the ‘female’ steps of the sheet placed
against it (Jorio, 1950). The drawing of this table encapsulates “continuous plywood” as it
shows the plan as a single piece.

Despite the conceptual drawings omitting vast amounts of detail, what Mollino was aiming to
achieve is still obvious.

2
Figure 2 Designs for low tables by Carlo Mollino possibly in response to a letter from Gio Ponti. (Mollino, 2020)

Evolution of plywood furniture

Plywood in furniture dates back to the ancient Egyptians but didn’t get patented until the late
19th century. However, Michael Thonet had been experimenting with it for years before this.
Josef Albers had the “Mexican Chair” while Gerrit Rietveld - although more famous for his
work in the De Stihl movement - experimented too with the “Danish Chair” before Alvar Aalto
came to fame with the “Paimio chair”. The Bauhaus movement utilised this technology also.
Gerald Summers creates a “Lounge Chair” from a single sheet by just bending plywood with
no joints or fixings. While working with Isokon, Marcel Breuer and Egon Riss create design
classics like the “Long Chair” and “Penguin Donkey” respectively. Mathsson’s “Model 36” is
ventures into moulded plywood, a shape that bends on the X, Y and Z axis simultaneously.
Charles Eames’ and Eero Saarinen’s “Organic Chair” explores this to the point they upholster
it to hide the cracks. Their experience helps them become masters of this, creating the “DCW
Chair” and others in the range.

3
Ray Eames had her own work, focussing on art and form. Combined, Charles and Ray Eames
create the iconic “Lounge Chair” in 1956. The Eames’ work went beyond art and furniture to
leg splints, stretchers, parts for aircraft and a range of radios (Bird, 2020).

Mollino’s Process
As complex as Mollino’s designs are, they are
predominantly sections bent in one plane. Having
witnessed the bending techniques employed by
Apelli e Varessio for creating Mollino’s designs,
architect Piercarlo Jorio explained Mollino would
“sketch a form, specifying the construction details”.
Jorio would go to Mollino’s offices and “Apelli and I Figure 4 A spiked wheel is run along the lines
drawn on the pouncing paper leaving perforations
developed them to a scale 1:1 on pouncing paper”. (Robertsign, 2020)
“Running like a deer” Mollino would pass by to
check the drawings. Once approved, the production
process started. Apelli e Varessio formed sheets of
plywood using animal glue so that it could be reset.
Resetting animal glue required the application of hot
irons while the plywood was wet to maintain
flexibility and force it into moulds. This process
often caused individual sheets to slip despite being
tied with ropes and pressed with clamps. Along with Figure 3 Fine powder is then dabbed onto the
drawing (Robertsign, 2020)
slippages, high levels of heat posed the risk of burns.
Slippages had to be manually retouched with files, saws, and rasps (Jorio, 1950).

The problems with hide glue were alleviated when

Mollino invented a method for cold moulding with
male and female forms using casein glue. Made from
poplar, the moulds were lined with oil impregnated
paper to prevent the plywood from sticking. A sheet
of maple or beech veneer would be dampened to
soften it and laid on the counter mould. A thicker
3mm sheet would then be placed with the grain
Figure 5Transferring through to the designated
running perpendicular to the first sheet. material (Robertsign, 2020)

4
Once the glue hardened the shapes and hollows could be carved or sections raised in relief for
the seat or back of a chair. Finally, the wood would be smoothed with strips of shark skin. Once
the timber was smooth to touch it was usually finished with a blonde shellac spread with a cloth
(Jorio, 1950).

5
Plywood:
Using the same materials as Mollino would achieve the aesthetic that he would have imagined.
However, Mollino’s “continuous plywood” aesthetic can be achieved using modern materials
and varying techniques. Phone calls to The Carpentry Store and Woodworker’s in Terenure
got me to look at aircraft ply which maintains its closed grain when bent. Ken Mollusky
mentioned that it is typically made from high quality birch with no defects allowed. Aircraft
plywood comes as thin as 0.4mm using three plies (Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., 2020).
Unlike traditional plywood, flexi-ply is made of sheets with the same grain orientation enabling
it to bend (Franklin, 1938).

Blonde Shellac
Shellac comes from the excretions of the lac beetle, indigenous to the forests of India and
Thailand. The excretions left on the banyan tree are removed to become seedlac. Seedlac is full
of impurities and must be processed, resulting in dry flakes. These flakes range from orange to
transparent in colour.

Figure 6 Shellac flakes in varying shades (Lee Valley, 2020)

Shellac flakes are mixed with an alcohol solvent to create a liquid which can be applied by
brush, rags, or spray system. Shellac is synonymous with the French polishing technique and
is not considered a modern finish. However, it is a good option as a primer as other finishes
bond with it well. As well as being water resistant is also easy to repair and won’t yellow or
darken as it ages (Derry, 2012).

6
Filler
During the testing process, poly, vinyl and wood filler were used, but not on the original. Filler
will be discussed further in the finishing report.

Glass
Tempered glass as we know it today began its development with Francois Barthelemy Alfred
Royer de la Bastie in the 19th century (De La Bastie, 1875). Mollino’s use of Vitrex tempered
security glass meant that his pieces were both solid and safe (Christie's, 2008). In comparison
to traditional float glass, tempered glass is 4-6 times stronger. Using thermal treatments, the
properties of the glass are adjusted while the outer surfaces are in compression and the inner
surfaces into tension. These built-in stresses cause the glass to fracture into small cuboidal bits
rather than shards. Although the methods to create tempered glass have developed, the process
is much the same with similar results (Glass Centre, 2020)

7
Adhesives:
Animal Glue
Animal glue is a by-product of the meat industry and has been used for thousands of years. It
is made by boiling connective tissue from large mammals that have lots of collagen. Collagen
is a key protein in the likes of tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, as well as hide and bones.
Boiling collagen makes it soluble and results in gelatine. It is gelatine that makes an ideal
adhesive as it has a high tack level when wet and is hard when dry (see Appendix 3).

There are a number of safety concerns associated with animal glue, namely heat and water.
Both in a busy environment with many electronic devices coupled with a strong odour make it
unsuitable for this project. Long term, it runs the risk of failing in a warm environment. It also
has poor water resistance so a damp environment could result in mould. Due to the complex
shapes being proposed, delamination is not a simple after service fix.

Many modern synthetic adhesives still use gelatine as an ingredient. The advancement of
natural and synthetic glues since the mid 1900’s means pure animal glue will not be considered
for this project (see Appendix 2).

Casein
Casein glue is obtained from the proteins in skimmed milk using a method that is like cheese
making. The splitting process may be precipitated by mineral acids such as hydrochloric or
sulfuric and by rennet. The split curd is washed to remove acids and impurities. Squeezed dry
in a cloth to remove water the curd is then left to dry. Once dried it is ground to a fine powder
to create casein. Caseins precipitated using different methods may need different ratios to
produce similar viscosities depending on their quality. Today, casein adhesives are available
in a powder form ready for use.

It has an opening time of 15-20 mins and should be spread a minimum of 1kg of glue mix to
3m². Enough pressure should be applied to ensure that surfaces are in contact without
completely squeezing out the glue. It dries to form a strong bond which is workable after 4-6
hrs and is water resistant when fully dry. It can be used for cold moulding and has no safety
risks as it is non-toxic. Disadvantages compared to animal glue would be that it cannot be reset
with heat and can tough on tools while staining can be an issue also. (See Appendix 3).

8
Modern Adhesives
While making a prototype, two glues were used: Titebond III - Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) and
Titebond - Polyurethane (PU). The two versions of these used belonged to the brand Titebond
and were chosen for their long open times.

Type Open Time Spread Clamping Pressure Strength

(mins) (PSI)
PVA 20-25 250’ ² per 100-150 - Softwoods, 4,000 psi
gallon 125-175 - Mediumwoods
175-250 - Hardwoods
PU 25-30 250’ ² per 100-150 - Softwoods 3,500+ psi
gallon 125-175 - Mediumwoods
175-250 - hardwoods

(Titebond, 2020)

Having investigated the original methods of both Mollino and his peers there is now a clear
path to proceed. Multiple methods of timber lamination for this project have been explored in
the sketch book and the various materials discussed at length.

The journey to arrive at Flexiply as the right timber product was long. Thicker rotary cut
veneers may still be the best option both physically and aesthetically. But they could not be
obtained in Ireland.

Mollino’s advancement from hide glue to casein shows that it was impractical even seventy
years ago. Casein though, is inconsistent due to the variation in mixes as well as the formation
of lumps in the process. From here we must consider modern alternatives such as PVA and PU.
As PVA is water based it soaks quickly into the open grains of the timber leaving little for
adhesion on the surfaces required. Even though it is slightly weaker, the contact adhesion
properties of PU mean there is no soaking into the timber. This caused test samples with PVA
to fail. PU is also a gap filler which will help prevent openings during shaping should the
surfaces not be clamped sufficiently. Requiring less pressure to form a solid bond means it is
easier to achieve an appropriate bond across the structure with PU.

9
As shellac is inappropriate for finishing filled surfaces, other solutions needed to be found. As
a modern reproduction, this allowed us to adjust the appearance. The modern paint finish which
will be discussed in the finishing report.

Tempered glass will be used for the top and shelf. The material has been improved over the
years but ultimately remains the same.

Overall, I feel there was a great deal of learning for this project. Even though I know much
more about Mollino as a man than before I started, he remains as intriguing as ever. I’m looking
forward to starting the manufacture of the table as it has been an enjoyable challenge to plan
the production of it so far.

10
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co., 2020. FINNISH BIRCH AIRCRAFT PLYWOOD. [Online]
Available at: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/wppages/finnishbirch.php

Bird, M., 2020. History of Industrial Design Week 9 Part 1: Plywood. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUQ2mzzHIKM&list=LL&index=13
[Accessed 12th December 2020].

Brino, G., 1987. Carlo Mollino - Architecture as Autobiography. London: Thames and
Hudson Ltd.

Christie's, 2008. Christie's. [Online]

Available at: https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-carlo-mollino-1905-1973-an-important-and-
5157800/
[Accessed 15th December 2020].

De La Bastie, F. B. A. R., 1875. The Bastie Toughened Glass. Scientific American, 26 June,
32(26), p. 402.

Derry, J., 2012. Investigating Shellac. [Online]

Available at: https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/34480/Derry-
Master.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y

Ferrari, F. & Ferrari, N., 2006. The Furniture of Carlo Mollino. New York: Phaidon.

Ferrari, F. & Ferrari, N., 2014. Carlo Mollino - Plywood. 1st ed. Turin: LithoArtnew.

Franklin, D. J., 1938. USA, Patent No. US2220898A.

Gabetti, R., 1985. La nuova architettura e i suoi ambienti Testi e illustrazioni raccolti da
Fillia. Turin: UTET.

Glass Centre, 2020. Toughened Safety Glass. [Online]

Available at: https://www.glasscentre.ie/pr-toughened-glass-ireland.html
[Accessed 15 December 2020].

Jorio, P., 1950. Everything is permissable as long as it is fantastic. Domus, April, p. 20.

Lee Valley, 2020. Brooklyn Tool & Craft De-Waxed Shellac Flakes. [Online]
Available at: https://www.leevalley.com/en-gb/shop/tools/supplies/finishing/finishes/72634-

11
brooklyn-tool-and-craft-de-waxed-shellac-flakes
[Accessed 15 December 2020].

McLaughlin, R., 2020. Mirrored Walls, Custom Erotica, Supernatural Tales: Behind the
Mythology of Casa Mollino. [Online]
Available at: https://artreview.com/mirrored-walls-custom-erotica-supernatural-tales-behind-
the-mythology-of-casa-mollino/

Mollino, C., 2020. Carlo Mollino. [Online]

Available at:
https://www.penccil.com/files/U_1429_60377940386_mollinoplywoodplans.jpg

Robertsign, 2020. HOW TO MAKE A POUNCE PATTERN FOR TRADITIONAL

SIGNWRITING. [Online]
Available at: https://www.robertsign.com/pounce-pattern-for-traditonal-signwriting/

Titebond, 2020. Woodworking Glues. [Online]

Available at: http://www.titebond.com/products/glues/sort/popular
[Accessed 15 December 2020].

US Dept. of Agriculture, 1955. Animal Glues: Their Manufacture, Testing and Preparation.
[Online]
Available at: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/1z40kx83n
[Accessed 15 December 2020].

US Forestry Service, 1967. Casein Glues: Their Manufacture, Preparation, and Application.
[Online]
Available at: https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn158.pdf
[Accessed 15 December 2020].

12
Appendix 1

Figure 7 Letter from Gio Ponti to Carlo Mollino

13
Translation:

My dear Mollino,

Some people, even highly intelligent people, when they see your pieces of furniture with curved
surfaces stop at their “vertebral” aspect and express an abstract opinion about them, dictated
by formal likes or dislikes or through liking or disliking you, and they do not understand the
extreme importance and innovation of them being “all structure” obtained by bending and re-
bending a surface with the insertion of certain links in this unity.

They stop at what is a formal fact in itself, as if all this was arbitrary sculpture and they do not
understand the real and new fact that determines this furniture, in other words that determines
its shape.

To make this understood, could you not draw the “pattern” (like a dressmaker) of one of your
pieces of furniture that everyone could cut out with their scissors and then bend and shape the
piece of card, and finally understand?

Warm wishes

Gio Ponti

(Ferrari & Ferrari, 2014)

Appendix 2
Animal glues: their manufacture, testing, and preparation – US Forestry Service 1955

(US Dept. of Agriculture, 1955)

Appendix 3
Casein glues: Their manufacture, preparation, and application - US Forestry Service 1967

(US Forestry Service, 1967)

14