Mold making and Casting products through EnvironMolds, LLC

As a mold maker and casting artist, I use all kinds of solvents in my art studio. While I don’t need a solvent for making a latex mask from liquid latex rubber, most other silicone rubbers and polyurethane resins necessitate mixing, dissolving or thinning with a solvent. In fact, the mold making or casting material becomes usable only when it forms a solution with the solvent.

Apart from this, I regularly use organic solvents like acetone and turpentine to remove spilled paint/silicone and clean brushes, tools and even my hands. While I am extremely careful that these solvents should not be swallowed or come in long-term contact with my skin, I was totally unaware of the potential risks from inhalation!

Recently an artist friend alerted me that organic solvents turn poisonous when inhaled in sufficient quantity or constantly and can even lead to brain damage. I was quite horrified until I came across ArtMolds’ SOLSYL Silicone Solvent.

This multipurpose solvent is VOC free which means that there is no potential risk from skin contact
or inhalation. It evaporates rapidly and is safe for the environment. Moreover, it does not have a strong odor like other traditional solvents. To add to this, it can be safely used on various types of surfaces – will not damage plastic, rubber or vinyl.

Now I can safely use SOLSYL solvent in my studio for various purposes – right from thinning silicone rubber and cleaning spills to the process of enlarging and shrinking silicone molds.

I always thought that water glass or sodium silicate is mainly used for making sand mold castings and getting an antique finish on ceramics. I had vaguely heard that it works as a high temperature adhesive too, but was not aware of its binding and sealing properties.

However, it was only when I started working on clay slips for ‘gluing’ my clay pieces together, that I came to know that the same sodium silicate is the most powerful, economical and commonly used deflocculant for clay.

Sodium silicate will work to thin the clay or reduce its viscosity by dispersing its particles. This allows the slip to be produced with minimum water so that drying shrinkage can be curtailed as much as possible. This may sound hazy, but the simple effect is that sodium silicate works like magic! You have to see it to believe it.

However, you need to keep in mind that after a point sodium silicate starts having an opposite effect, i.e., it actually makes the clay thicker or flocculates it. This is why you need a precise formulation of clay, water and water glass, with the latter never exceeding0.5% of the entire formulation.

If you are wondering where to source this clay slip deflocculant, just turn to EnvironMolds. This leading manufacturer and supplier of all kinds of mold making and casting products and equipment also offers the versatile ArtMolds Liquid Sodium Silicate to suit different applications.