Silicone Moulds

[RIPPIN45]

I have been using the mould idea from TurnTex and has been working out very well. I am interested in creating some more moulds and would like some feedback from those that have used these materials before. I know there is some out there that have moulds for sale, but was wanting to create some different sizes.
1. what type of silicone, I have read a few posts here and was wondering about the difference on the Home Depot GE type vs. the Mold-Max or other varieties. what benefits are there and what shore hardness works best 20A, 25A, 30A, etc.
2. what types of materials have been used to create the moulds (MDO, plywood, etc.) I have some of the posts that have been submitted and those should work, just wondering if someone has something different!

Thanks to all your your ADVICE and SUGGESTIONS.

 

[NewLondon88]

I think you'll pay a bit more using the tubes of silicone (although the
others aren't cheap, either) and they're not meant to pour. But people
have made molds from them (myself included) and they'll work.
Most molds are going to fall in the 20-40A hardness range for our
purposes.

As for the mold support, just about anything can work. Plywood, MDF,
Delrin.. they'll all work. Even a chopped up cutting board will work. Just
make sure you use a release on your materials so the silicone will not
leech into the material and get stuck.

 

[workinforwood]

I like the mold max 25t. Corian is nice for a master...with wood, spraying it with poly helps

 

[Craftdiggity]

What I've been doing is using the tube silicone for now since I get it wholesale. I use a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of 3/4" pine for the base and I cut 2 5" x 1" strips and 2 2 1/2" x 1 strips for the borders. I wrap these all is Saran Wrap and clamp the borders to the base. Then I fill it 3/4 of the way with silicone. I'm using wood dowels coated is Vaseline for the negatives. I press these into the silicone all the way to the bottom and then smooth it all out with my fingers, also coated with Vaseline. Then I take a piece of Saran Wrap and put it over the top and smooth it out nice and evenly. So far I have gotten great results. These are not as pretty as the Resin Savers, or most of the other professional looking molds, but since I can't get a Resin Saver for Slimline tubes, I had to figure something out. I will be casting in these over the weekend so i should have a pretty good idea of how they work next week.

 

[NewLondon88]

Then I take a piece of Saran Wrap and put it over the top and smooth it out nice and evenly. So far I have gotten great results. These are not as pretty as the Resin Savers

Have I hugged you lately? :biggrin:

 

[its_virgil]

I think Charlie has resin savers for slimline tubes...
Do a good turn daily!
Don

... but since I can't get a Resin Saver for Slimline tubes,

 

[NewLondon88]

I think Charlie has resin savers for slimline tubes...

Nooo .. I stopped making those almost right away. They were never for
slimline specifically, they were generic 7mm with longer tubes that you
cut down to the size you need after curing. That way you could use them
for any 7mm kit on the market. But I got a lot of people writing back
saying that the slimline tubes were too short.
Plus the stoppers are so small that they tend to tear easily if you're not
very careful. So I stopped making them.
I'm working on another stopper arrangement for some new molds and
I'll see how that might work with 7mm, but I'm not there yet.

 

[RIPPIN45]

Charlie; thanks for the feed back and am looking forward to my two Resin Saver moulds to show up! I went hunting last fall and have some ringneck pheasants that I am going to make some feather pens.

Jeff P.; your work has been an inspiration, I was listening to some reggae a few months ago and low and behold there on exoticblanks.com was some reggae colored blanks that you had made. your creativity is an inspiration.

my workshop is so small that it is hard to do alot. and in the small garage we have it is all set up and take down time. maybe the lottery could help me create a heated shop for me up here in Minnesota with 220V, cable, phone line, etc. etc.! nice to dream.

 

[NewLondon88]

my workshop is so small that it is hard to do alot. and in the small garage we have it is all set up and take down time.

If you plan it out, you don't need a whole lot of room. I'm working in an
area about 18x24 for casting. (but vertical helps..and drawers hold pigments,
powders, plastic cups, popsicle sticks and such) Just need room to put
a scale, your molds and give you a little room to mix and watch the colors.
I'm not counting the toaster oven, because that's in another part of the
shop and I use it for other things, too.
Once I read Don Ward's casting tutorial and didn't need to use pressure,
I found that the pressure pot was still good to use. You can load it up with
poured molds, put the cover on and keep the fumes down. An overturned
cardboard box can help with that, too. Medium Flat Rates are free. :biggrin: