I have been doing clay modeling for many years. I was quite happy making large and small figurines with clay, and they turned out quite clearly detailed and appealing. However, recently I came across many mold makers who were (to many “quite” in a row) enthusiastic about silicone rubber and how it can be used to reproduce almost anything.
I wanted to try out the product and looked up the instructions on the EnvironMolds website www.artmolds.com. The illustrated directions were clear which further motivated me to give it a try. I ordered MoldRite 25 silicone for my task and it was delivered shortly.
I decided to make a mold of a small figurine that I had already fashioned with clay. I used a cup for the mold box and glued the model on the bottom. Then I had to accurately weigh and thoroughly mix the silicone rubber and catalyst in a bowl. Pouring the mixture in a high, thin stream into the cup helped me to avoid most of the air bubbles. I covered the figurine completely with silicone rubber and pricked the few air bubbles that rose to the surface.
I decided to make a mold of a small figurine that I had already fashioned with clay. I used a cup for the mold box and glued the model on the bottom. Then I had to accurately weigh and thoroughly mix the silicone rubber and catalyst in a bowl. Pouring the mixture in a high, thin stream into the cup helped me to avoid most of the air bubbles. I covered the figurine completely with silicone rubber and pricked the few air bubbles that rose to the surface.
The silicone mold had set properly within a few hours and I demolded it to get the silicone rubber mold with all the indentations and undercuts captured perfectly. After that I used the same silicone mold to make many more figurines and each turned out absolutely identical to the original one. The process was easy and fun too!
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