Molding Moons
 

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lunamo...om44/my_photos
if you go to that folder and look at the first photo and the last two
you will see the prototype for a mold and then the resulting moons of
many colors that came from that mold. I used elasticlay for the mold. It
works ok. It doesnt pick up the degree of detail I hoped for but for now
this is good. Im just going to compensate and make my prototypes a bit
exaggerated.
After they cure I have a blast doing stuff to them. Some got washes
of black acrylic paint, some brown, a couple got sparkley glitter* and
others got gold pearlex. They get buffed and then they are done.
Some are going to friends to challenge them to do whatever they
choose to them. Im having a lot of fun. I think its time to get more
elasticlay!
Diana
*thanks SJ :-)

Elasticlay is really cool stuff. I've made a few molds and I'm really
happy with the results. It picked up the detail well on mine but I did
bake it before removing the original which helps. Can't do that with
everything.

Ingrid

What did you find worked best as a mold release when baking the original
in the mold?
Diana

mermaidscove wrote:
Elasticlay is really cool stuff. I've made a few molds and I'm really
happy with the results. It picked up the detail well on mine but I did
bake it before removing the original which helps. Can't do that with
everything.

Ingrid

I didn't use a mold release since I was making a mold of a metal
object. With the flexible clay, after baking just wiggle it a little
and it pops right off. If I had to use a release, like it was another
piece of clay I was molding from, it would be cornstarch.

Ingrid

Thank you Ingrid. Ill try your suggestions asap!
Diana

mermaidscove wrote:
I didn't use a mold release since I was making a mold of a metal
object. With the flexible clay, after baking just wiggle it a little
and it pops right off. If I had to use a release, like it was another
piece of clay I was molding from, it would be cornstarch.

Ingrid

you are welcome!


one thing about elasticlay---all my Elasticlay molds have turned hard as
rocks over the years. Many of the oldest (7-15 years) have hairline cracks
throughout.

--
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"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lunamo...om44/my_photos
if you go to that folder and look at the first photo and the last two
you will see the prototype for a mold and then the resulting moons of
many colors that came from that mold. I used elasticlay for the mold. It
works ok. It doesnt pick up the degree of detail I hoped for but for now
this is good. Im just going to compensate and make my prototypes a bit
exaggerated.
After they cure I have a blast doing stuff to them. Some got washes
of black acrylic paint, some brown, a couple got sparkley glitter* and
others got gold pearlex. They get buffed and then they are done.
Some are going to friends to challenge them to do whatever they
choose to them. Im having a lot of fun. I think its time to get more
elasticlay!
Diana
*thanks SJ :-)

7 years..thats not a long time. I know miracle mold is in my future. For
now Elasticlay will have to do. Just a little longer. I think when Meg
is in school Ill feel more comfortable working with it.
Do you recall how old your oldest MM mold is?
Diana

Sarajane Helm wrote:
you are welcome!


one thing about elasticlay---all my Elasticlay molds have turned hard as
rocks over the years. Many of the oldest (7-15 years) have hairline cracks
throughout.

Chiming in...
Most of my molds are Sculpey Flex at the moment. I stocked up on some and
it's nice to have different colored molds when I'm looking for the one I
want to use. My masters are usually worked in neutral gray Premo. I bake
them, then use a brush to spread a thin coat of Armor All evenly over the
surface, working it into the details. Then I press conditioned clay over
that and bake the two together. It can take a bit of wiggling to release
the master, but so far so good.
When I make pressings, I again use a brush to coat the mold with Armor All
and I remove the soft clay pressing from the mold before baking. My oldest
molds are Super Sculpey but the oldest Flex molds are still in good shape
with no cracks. I wonder if the current batches of Elasticlay are like the
old stuff or more like the Flex. I only ever got one usable mold out of the
old Elasticlay and it did deteriorate over time, despite the regular use of
the Armor All. One thing, my molds are pretty thick, so they only flex a
little in use, just enough to give me a little air gap at the edge to
wriggle the pressing out.

Finally, save your masters in a safe place. Then you can make new molds!

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/
Balticon Art Program Coordinator http://www.balticon.org

I have an almost 4 year old child. There is no safe place. :-)
Thanks for sharing your tips. I will try armor all soon. SJ was nice
enough to send me a vial of it to test. Is she a first class enabler or
what?
Diana

Helen Halla Fleischer wrote:
Chiming in...
Most of my molds are Sculpey Flex at the moment. I stocked up on some and
it's nice to have different colored molds when I'm looking for the one I
want to use. My masters are usually worked in neutral gray Premo. I bake
them, then use a brush to spread a thin coat of Armor All evenly over the
surface, working it into the details. Then I press conditioned clay over
that and bake the two together. It can take a bit of wiggling to release
the master, but so far so good.
When I make pressings, I again use a brush to coat the mold with Armor All
and I remove the soft clay pressing from the mold before baking. My oldest
molds are Super Sculpey but the oldest Flex molds are still in good shape
with no cracks. I wonder if the current batches of Elasticlay are like the
old stuff or more like the Flex. I only ever got one usable mold out of the
old Elasticlay and it did deteriorate over time, despite the regular use of
the Armor All. One thing, my molds are pretty thick, so they only flex a
little in use, just enough to give me a little air gap at the edge to
wriggle the pressing out.

Finally, save your masters in a safe place. Then you can make new molds!

Helen "Halla" Fleischer, Fantasy & Fiber Artist
http://home.covad.net/~drgandalf/halla/
Balticon Art Program Coordinator http://www.balticon.org

"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
7 years..thats not a long time. I know miracle mold is in my future. For
now Elasticlay will have to do. Just a little longer. I think when Meg is
in school Ill feel more comfortable working with it.
Do you recall how old your oldest MM mold is?
Diana

Sarajane Helm wrote:
you are welcome!


one thing about elasticlay---all my Elasticlay molds have turned hard as
rocks over the years. Many of the oldest (7-15 years) have hairline
cracks
throughout.

There are now silicon casting compounds out now that have a lot of
different harnesses and flexibility that have proved there worth over the
years. Here in the UK, I use Tiranti for a supplier. In the USA it will be
up to you to look around.
I have moulds using a silicon cold casting compound as good as they were
ten years ago. And if ever you want to branch into casting in low melting
point metals, these moulds can take it without deterioration.

--
Jackdaw collector of junk, trivia and bright twinkly things.