Bottle stopper molds

[micharms]

I see lots of people have used the GE or similar silicone caulking for making pen molds but has anyone used it to make stopper molds? Before I go out and buy some to try I thought I'd ask the pros.:biggrin:

Thanks
Michael

 

[clayton717]

I've been wondering the same so tonight I gave it a try. I will find out in a day or two if it actually worked. I made it so the blank would be 2" square x 2 5/8" long.

 

[micharms]

I'll be interested to hear how it works out. I'm going to use 1 1/2" diameter dowel. I may even put a small dimple in the bottom to mark where the drill should go. From here what I have to figure out is what to use for the outside to waste as little caulking as possible. Also need to figure out how thick to make the walls. Any suggestions from folks would be greatly appreciated.

Michael

 

[leestoresund]

I turned a piece of cherry to 2", cut it to 2.5" length and screwed that to the center of a 3x3 piece of 1/4" ply.

Took a 3" piece of PVC cut to 3.25" length and centered that around the cherry piece, held in place with blue tape, as my coffer dam.

Used Mold Max 30 for the mold.

Worked.

Lee

 

[jttheclockman]

what most people use for molds for bottle stoppers is pill bottles. You can get them in any size. They work great and already have the dimple in the center of the bottle to indicate center for drilling purposes.

 

[mrcook4570]

No need to reinvent the wheel. Pill bottles are readily available and are much cheaper than anything that can be made at home. The cured resin releases very easily from the bottles.

 

[penhead]

If you look in the photo library for 'yoyospin', you will find some totally excellent work created by Ed of stoppers and many other forms from casted.

I see lots of people have used the GE or similar silicone caulking for making pen molds but has anyone used it to make stopper molds? Before I go out and buy some to try I thought I'd ask the pros.:biggrin:

Thanks
Michael

 

[micharms]

Thanks folks but I've tried the pill bottle route and had no success getting the stopper blank out unless I turned away the pill bottle. I tried all kinds of things to act as a release and nothing helped. Everyone says that the PR will shrink away from the sides enough to make it easy to get out but I have never experienced that. I've used split PVC with some success but thought I might try something else.

Lee, I was going to try out the Mold Max but wondered if the less expensive alternative might work.

Michael

 

[PTownSubbie]

The mold max is a step up from the OOMOO silicone. The cost is the same but you get more OOMOO than Mold Max. Both made by smooth-on. OOMOO requires no weight or vacuum where Mold Max does.

Both work fine but the Mold Max is a much more durable silicone.

 

[jttheclockman]

Thanks folks but I've tried the pill bottle route and had no success getting the stopper blank out unless I turned away the pill bottle. I tried all kinds of things to act as a release and nothing helped. Everyone says that the PR will shrink away from the sides enough to make it easy to get out but I have never experienced that. I've used split PVC with some success but thought I might try something else.

Lee, I was going to try out the Mold Max but wondered if the less expensive alternative might work.

Michael

Do you post heat your pour to cure thoughly??? If so they should fall right out. I have used both cast-n-craft resin and silmar41

If you are doing alot of stoppers than it may pay for you to buy them in bulk. Buy them without the caps and they are quite resonable, Then so be it if the bottles stays attached. I do this when casting my carbon fiber blanks and metal blanks. I leave the tubing right on and turn it away.

 

[micharms]

Fred:
Sculpture Supply Canada shows approx. $30 for a pint of oomoo and the same price for a quart of mold max. So twice as much mold max for the same price.

John:
I have let them sit extra days and I have gently heated them in a small toaster oven until there was no tackiness. Neither way has resulted in the blank falling out. This is what really has me confused because everyone tells me the blanks should be easy to get out and for me it never has been. I don't know what I am doing differently than anyone else to cause this. I use 3-4 drops of mekp per ounce which seems to be kind of the norm. I have experimented using more but still didn't just get them falling out.

I do turn a lot of stoppers, mostly various figured woods but have sold some cast ones. I guess I'll check into what a bulk purchase of bottles might cost but thought the silicone route might be a saving in the long run. Maybe I'm wrong there.

Thanks
Michael

 

[arioux]

Then use the pill bottle as your mold positive. The dimple in the bottom will already be there.

That's what i did with GE Sillicone II. Might not last years but at $4. for a tube, you make two mold.

Get a 2" x 3" pill bottle

Take modeling clay, and make a 5"x5" base about 1/2" thick

Put your bottle in the modeling clay openind down and jam it in there until it's flat .

Put over that a 3" diam. x 4" PVC or other material pipe and put some wax on the inside wall.

Jam this over the pill bottle in the modeling clay. Make shure to center it.

Fill the gap bettew the bottle and the pipe with sillicone and cover the top, making sure that you don't create air pocket. This shoud give you about 1 inche wall and bottom.

Let sit a week or more. No rush there.

Demold. This can be tricky and you may have to use a small saw to cut the pipe on two side and split it open.

Hope this is clear enough..

 

[Skye]

I just used the little paper Dixie cups kids use in the bathroom.

 

[Padre]

They came out okay?? Totally cool, totally easy! Thanks!!

I just used the little paper Dixie cups kids use in the bathroom.

 

[jason_r]

Thanks folks but I've tried the pill bottle route and had no success getting the stopper blank out unless I turned away the pill bottle.

Michael

Do you post heat your pour to cure thoroughly??? If so they should fall right out. I have used both cast-n-craft resin and silmar41

If you are doing a lot of stoppers than it may pay for you to buy them in bulk. Buy them without the caps and they are quite reasonable, Then so be it if the bottles stays attached. I do this when casting my carbon fiber blanks and metal blanks. I leave the tubing right on and turn it away.

I'll second that they should just fall out- maybe with some light tapping. You are using silmar41- not alumilite? Alumilite doesn't shrink as much, so it may
have an issue.

As for buying the pill bottles, I got more than I need by posting on my local freecycle email list.

 

[micharms]

Sorry, I've been busy and haven't checked this thread in a while.
Skye - the Dixie cup seems promising - thanks for that idea.
Jason - I'm using castin' craft since it is all I seem to be able to get up here.

Lots of great ideas to work on - thanks everyone.
Michael

 

[jthompson1995]

The best molds I have found for casting stopper blanks were actually the leftover individual serving cups from Kozy Shack rice pudding. They are a little wider than the pill bottle and taper more but do have the center dimple for drilling. They are polypropylene and not much, if anything, sticks to them. They are thicker than the snack pack pudding cups and seem pretty durable. I have cast alumilite in them with no release agent and one firm tap upside down and it popped right out.

And it was so much fun emptying them!:biggrin: