DE-gun 2.0: Creating the mold shell
Hello lovelies! Sorry to post again so soon, but I'm excited about this. :D You know the drill--click below if you'd like to see what a mold shell is and how to make one. :)
So today, after the silicone had completely cured, I got to work on the mold support shell, which is made out of plaster bandages. It was messy but fun!
What is a support shell, you ask? Well, silicone is very flexible and stretchy, even when it's thick. So a support shell is necessary because otherwise the mold would stretch when I poured the resin into it. And that would kind of ruin the purpose of a mold in the first place.
Anyway, to make the shell, I first cut the excess silicone from the mold to make a nice base for it. Then I made a foil “seam” around the high points of the mold, which will help the support shell separate into two halves after I make it.
Next, I cut the plaster bandages into small strips (~2”x4”) and squares (~4”x4”). Plaster can get really messy, so I did this all outdoors. (And sure enough, I ended up covered in it. XD OH WELL.)
After that, I dipped each piece into warm saltwater, squeezed the extra water out, and applied it to the mold. I squished the bandages into all of the details of the mold and up against the foil, removing the masking tape as I went. Here's one side half done:
I ended up with about 3 layers all around, which is the minimum recommended (but I like to live dangerously, haha!):
The recommended method by pros who do casting is to use this paint-on plastic clay stuff instead of plaster bandages, but this works well too, and is non-toxic (the other stuff is much more toxic than the silicone rubber as well as being expensive; no thank you!!).
The plaster has to cure for 24 hours, so I’m letting this sit for now. Tomorrow will be the Moment of Truth, as I pull the mold shell off and cut the silicone mold off the base. That’s when we’ll see whether the detail was captured from the original, or whether I messed up along the way and ruined everything…
Dun dun DUNNN!
oh god I really hope it looks good, haha; I don’t want to have to do this all over again XD
Thanks again for following along with me, everyone, and for the sweet comments. <33
So today, after the silicone had completely cured, I got to work on the mold support shell, which is made out of plaster bandages. It was messy but fun!
What is a support shell, you ask? Well, silicone is very flexible and stretchy, even when it's thick. So a support shell is necessary because otherwise the mold would stretch when I poured the resin into it. And that would kind of ruin the purpose of a mold in the first place.
Anyway, to make the shell, I first cut the excess silicone from the mold to make a nice base for it. Then I made a foil “seam” around the high points of the mold, which will help the support shell separate into two halves after I make it.
Next, I cut the plaster bandages into small strips (~2”x4”) and squares (~4”x4”). Plaster can get really messy, so I did this all outdoors. (And sure enough, I ended up covered in it. XD OH WELL.)
After that, I dipped each piece into warm saltwater, squeezed the extra water out, and applied it to the mold. I squished the bandages into all of the details of the mold and up against the foil, removing the masking tape as I went. Here's one side half done:
I ended up with about 3 layers all around, which is the minimum recommended (but I like to live dangerously, haha!):
The recommended method by pros who do casting is to use this paint-on plastic clay stuff instead of plaster bandages, but this works well too, and is non-toxic (the other stuff is much more toxic than the silicone rubber as well as being expensive; no thank you!!).
The plaster has to cure for 24 hours, so I’m letting this sit for now. Tomorrow will be the Moment of Truth, as I pull the mold shell off and cut the silicone mold off the base. That’s when we’ll see whether the detail was captured from the original, or whether I messed up along the way and ruined everything…
Dun dun DUNNN!
oh god I really hope it looks good, haha; I don’t want to have to do this all over again XD
Thanks again for following along with me, everyone, and for the sweet comments. <33