Precautions for Using Sodium Silicate

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , Wednesday, February 10, 2021 12:28 AM

Sodium silicate is an extremely useful material that lends itself to varied uses; but it needs to be handled with care and caution. In fact, it comes with its own set of safety and handling information.

Sodium silicate is formed from the reaction of sodium carbonate and silicon dioxide in a molten state. This universal compound finds multiple uses across diverse platforms. In the world of art, it is commonly used to give an antique finish to ceramic creations. It is also used as a clay slip defflocculant apart from aiding in making sand molds for metal castings.

The same sodium silicate serves excellent bonding and coating applications as well. The high-temperature can form a tight bond between any two materials; it also works to help harden cardboard cartons or applying labels. Also known as water glass, it is used to seal plaster, gypsum and stucco surfaces thus making them impermeable and water resistant. The same property comes in handy for sealing cracks in concrete floors, sidewalks and driveways.

The industry usage of sodium silicate ranges from cements, passive fire protection and refractories to textile and lumber processing and automobiles.



Care and caution


Like most other compounds, sodium silicate needs to be handled carefully. While it is essentially non-toxic, the solution can still irritate or even burn the skin and eyes on contact. Inhalation should also be kept to a minimum.

Therefore, users should make it a point to wear rubber or PVC gloves and overalls when using sodium silicate to make sand molded castings, clay slips or other usage. Wearing splash-proof goggles and rubber boots is also recommended, especially when using large quantities or where heavy contamination is likely.

These are the general precautions that should be carefully adhered. In addition, it is always advisable to vigilantly read the product label and get a handle on the safety measures that will be duly mentioned on the packaging. Following safe work practices will prevent untoward injuries or accidents when working with the compound.

Where to buy?


EnvironMolds offers a complete range of materials, supplies and equipment for making molds, casts and life casts. It is the favorite art store of all kinds of artists as they can find whatever they need and then some more.

ArtMolds Sodium Silicate is just one of the varied components on its broad menu of items that will be handy in the art studio. It is available in 1 pint, 1 gallon and 5 gallon packages. And it goes without saying that like all the other products, this water glass compound is also of top quality and offered at a reasonable price. The regular properties of sodium silicate also hold good – it is odorless, non-toxic moisture resistant, non-flammable and resistant to temperatures up to 3000° F.

The label on the bottle of aqueous solution obviously specifies the safety precautions to be observed while using the sodium silicate. In addition to this, the company website, https://www.artmolds.com also provides supplementary Material Safety Data Sheets for all its products as further guidance.

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Varied Uses of Plaster

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , Wednesday, January 27, 2021 6:24 AM

 Plaster is a simple powder that is mixed with water before use. The material cures slowly to capture the shape in a solid form. This plaster can be used in varied ways to suit different purposes in the arts.

Plaster is a humble white powder made with a combination of lime or gypsum with sand and water. It is mixed with water to form a stiff paste before application. It dries to a solid form in some time. It is usually known as plaster of Paris as the gypsum was mined in abundant quantities in Paris.

The most common use of plaster mix is to coat walls and partitions to make the surface smooth. It is used to make false ceilings apart from stucco work and rendering. It also lends itself well for decorative architectural moldings like cornices and corbels.

Plaster is also used in the medical field to make casts for immobilizing broken bones and supporting the fracture till the bones can set properly once again.

A variation of the regular plaster also finds its way into the world of mold making and casting. This is different from the regular plaster of Paris which tends to become chalky and flaky over time, does not hold detail well and is hydroscopic in nature.

The art variant of plaster is harder which allows it to capture crisp details and set to a smooth solid. Yet it can be carved or tooled as desired. This is used in mold making and latex slush molds while plaster bandages are used to make shell molds or even form molds.

Plaster can be used for general mold making, but care should be taken as the material tends to emit heat due to the chemical reaction. Therefore, it can damage the product or harm the model when applied directly on the body. Some people have been known to get burns when plaster is used in large volumes!

A better application of plaster is for making the life castings. The plaster mix is poured into the alginate or silicone body mold and allowed to cure. After demolding, it turns out a bright white life cast that is a spitting replica of the original body part. It can then be finished as required before being put up for display.

Plaster is coated over gauze to form plaster bandages that can be used to make shell or mother molds. The wet bandages are smoothed out over alginate or rubber molds. They dry to a rigid form and thus lend the required stiffness to the flexible molds that would otherwise flop over themselves making it difficult to cast properly. The same bandages can also be used on the skin to make rough body part molds like the abdomen as they do not have much detail. Artists also use the same technique for making a face mold for making masks.

EnvironMolds offers a range of plaster options for pottery, casting and the ever-popular Plaster of Paris bandages.
 

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Difference Between Plastic and Silicone Molds

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , Monday, January 18, 2021 9:05 AM

Which is better – plastic or silicone molds for making castings of resins and other materials? Both options come with their own pros and cons. Generally, silicone ones are preferred by professionals.

The technique of making a cast begins with a mold. The casting artist will either make a mold or use a ready mold for making the cast. The casting material is usually poured into the mold and allowed to set before being demolded. Once it has cured properly, it is finished and is ready for use. How to make a mold for the casting is another story for another day.



However, here we shall take a look at the type of molds to be used for making a cast. Let’s consider plastic and silicone molds for instance.

Plastic molds usually have a lot going for them. They are easily available in the market in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are flexible, reusable and quite inexpensive at that. Being quite easy to work with, these molds are considered apt for novices stepping into the world of casting. Even if the molds get damaged, they can be easily replaced or even discarded if someone loses interest in the hobby.

On the other hand, silicone rubber molds are more sophisticated and top quality molds that are preferred by professional casting artists around the world. They may seem like a substantial investment initially, but this does pay off in more ways than one.

The biggest thing working in favor of silicone molds is that they can be customized as desired. The mold maker can make single or two part molds of any item that is to be replicated as a cast. However, making a plastic mold calls for specialized techniques and equipment for working on vacuum forming sheet plastic around a template. Therefore, making casts from plastic molds can be limiting based on the ready molds available.

Then again, casts made in plastic molds do not turn out glossy enough. The molds tend to get scratches easily, which also affects the quality of the castings. The surface that is touching the mold will have to be recoated with either the casting material or a sealer to make it shiny. On the other hand, castings from silicone molds have a smooth and shiny finish that is pleasing to the eye.

These molds also lend themselves well for making complex castings. Demolding is especially easy even for complicated shapes as silicone does not stick to anything except itself. It should be kept in mind that silicone molds are extremely durable, but only as long as they are cleaned and stored properly.

EnvironMolds offers a range of materials, supplies and equipment including a great selection of high quality silicone rubber formulas that are suitable for both mold making and casting. Indeed, most silicone mold rubbers can double up as casting rubbers too. However, artists should bear in mind that silicone rubber should never be cast in silicone molds as they will tend to stick to each other.

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Gypsum vs Plaster – Know the Difference

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , Thursday, December 24, 2020 8:44 AM

 Gypsum is usually considered to be the same as plaster. However, it should be noted that gypsum occurs naturally and plaster is derived from the gypsum by treating it with heat to eliminate the water.


There are very many materials used for making molds and casts. Plaster and gypsum are one of the common casting materials as plaster casting is quite a popular medium with casting artists.

The terms gypsum and plaster and used interchangeably and most people consider them the same thing. The confusion abounds as both of them basically contain the same calcium sulfate compound. However, there are intrinsic differences between the two materials.



Gypsum is a naturally-occurring material containing calcium sulfate dihydrate. It is formed in the seas at the right temperature. It is considered a rock-forming material and can grow up to large sizes. Gypsum has a crystal structure but contains water. The crystals are either transparent or translucent – they can be colorless or white, though other shades like grey, red or yellow are also found on occasion. Gypsum is soft, flexible and slightly soluble in water.

When gypsum is heated at temperature between 150°C to 180℃, it loses water and takes the form of calcium sulfate hemihydrates. Certain additives are added during the heating process and it is then ground to powder form which is called plaster of Paris.

Therefore, plaster is a man-made material – the white powder is basically derived from gypsum. It is mixed with sand and water – and some fibers at times – to form a smooth solid. The moist plaster is used to mold different items and will turn hard as it dries to retain the desired shape. Therefore, plaster of Paris is commonly used as a protective coating on walls and ceilings as well as for making decorative castings. It is also used to make orthopedic casts for setting broken bones and the like. At times, the same plaster is used to make toys, statuettes, chalk and even cosmetics.

However, it should be kept in mind that plaster of Paris in its original form is not actually suitable for casting purposes. This is because it cannot hold details well and also tends to turn chalky and flaky over time. The plaster powder is again treated with heat to make it suitable for fine art casting. Only then will it be able to create hard casts that can hold detail, not turn chalky and also resist chipping and cracking. The cast will have a natural white finish and will turn out to be extremely durable. This plaster cannot be used directly on the skin as it tends to emit heat during the curing process.

EnvironMolds offers a range of plaster options for making plaster casting along with plaster bandages. The latter can be used to make shell molds that support flexible molds like silicone rubber, latex rubber and alginate. They can also be used directly on the body to make form molds, like of the abdomen for belly casting.

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Painting on Silicone Casts

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , Tuesday, December 1, 2020 3:35 AM

 Finishing silicone casts with paint is a challenging task as regular paints tend to crack or chip off very soon. EnvironMolds brings a special dye and paint system that will easily incorporate into the silicone.


Silicone rubber is a versatile material that is used to make both molds and casts to suit different applications. It is easy to use – just mix in the required quantity of base and catalyst in the prescribed ratios and you are ready to go. Moreover, as silicone does not stick to anything but itself, the mold making and casting process is relatively straightforward and effortless. The rubber can be specially formulated to be food or even skin safe, thus lending itself well for making food and body molds.

However, the problem arises when the artist tries to paint on a silicone cast. Indeed, you may feel like finishing the cast with a beautiful color of choice, however, regular paints will start cracking, chipping and wear away with time.

Alas, the smooth finish and waterproof qualities of the silicone weighs against it in this regard. Even if you use oil-based paints for their better adherence, the inherently flexible nature of the rubber will cause the paint to wear off easily.

At times, people try making the silicone surface rough by soaking it in denatured alcohol or rubbing it with sandpaper. While this can work for regular silicone caulking, the coarse facade will end up marring the silicone cast and render it unpleasant to the eye.

It is only special silicone paint and dye that can adhere to the silicone rubber and yield the desired finish. EnvironMolds (www.artmolds.com) offers the special Cirius silicone formulation for painting and dyeing silicone creations. The silicone base of the dye comes to the rescue here as silicone will definitely stick to itself! Try bending and twisting the silicone rubber cast as much as you wish – but the color will not crack, peel or even rub off as it has become chemically incorporated into the silicone!



How to use?

You can mix a few drops of the silicone dye with the base before adding the catalyst to give an intrinsic uniform hue during the casting process itself. Swirling one or two drops of dye in the mix can also create a lovely marbled effect in the silicone cast.

On the other hand, there is also the option of diluting the dye with a silicone medium for coloring after the cast is ready. It can then be painted, sprayed or air brushed on the silicone surface to get the desired finish. However, it is important that the cast should be cleaned and prepped properly prior to painting. The brushes should also be cleaned quickly after use.

This silicone paint is considered compatible with both tin and platinum cure silicone variants. However, the dye can interfere with the setting of platinum silicones.

Twelve different hues are available, including the famous ‘Quinn Blush' used by renowned doll rebirthing artist Terry Quinn to add skin blush to her silicone dolls.

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How Many Plaster Bandages Will You Need?

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , , , Monday, November 16, 2020 8:44 AM

 Use too few plaster of Paris bandages for making a shell mold and you will be left with a distorted mold on your hands. Tips on how to calculate the requisite amount of rolls will prove helpful.


Plaster of Paris bandages are a versatile accessory when making molds, and especially body molds. The most common use of plaster bandages is for making shell molds. Also known as mother molds, they provide rigid support so that flexible molds made of alginate, latex rubber and silicone rubber can retain their shape. The shell mold is made over the original mold so that it can house the mold and ease the casting process.

 


Apart from this, the bandages are also directly used to make form molds like the torso, belly and legs in body casting. They are also useful in mask making.

This brings us to the question – how many plaster bandages will an artist need for making a shell mold or even a form mold? Keeping sufficient rolls of bandages handy is imperative. In case you fall short during the mold making process, the mold is most likely to distort and collapse into a useless mess.

This is especially important as the bandages are built up in overlapping layers to ensure that the mold become sturdy enough after drying. Therefore, eyeball estimates by newbies can easily go haywire.

A simple rule of thumb is that the bigger the mold, the thicker should be the shell mold to ensure that it does not distort during the casting. Following is an estimate of the number of layers of plaster bandages required during life casting:

  • Face mold - 4 layers
  • Head mold - 5 layers
  • Half torso - 5 layers
  • Full torso – 6 to 8 layers


Now, a standard 5-inch roll of 5 yards plaster bandage yields around 900 square inches of bandage therefore, a single roll of plaster bandage will easily suffice for a typical face mold. A head mold will require 4 to 5 rolls and half torsos can be covered with 4 rolls. Full torso will take about 5 to 6 rolls for proper and thick coverage.

Environmolds (https://www.artmolds.com) offers a broad range of top quality plaster of Paris bandages. The creamy and smooth PopArt Plaster Bandages are available in 5 inches, 8 inches and 12 inches by 5 yards length. These are superior quality quick-setting bandages that are formulated to wet out creamy with a thick plaster consistency. They set quickly within 5-minutes itself.

Then there is the ArtBands Plaster Of Paris gauze bandages (5 inches * 5 yards) with a modern formulation that produces a consistent fast-setting plaster coat that adheres to the gauze cloth uniformly. It yields a smooth, creamy surface, is fast setting, resists delamination and gives excellent strength. The Gypsona Plaster Bandage is another premium bandage (6 inches * 5 yards) that has been the first choice of mold makers and life casting artists for over a decade.

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The Different Faces of Clay

Posted by EnvironMolds , Labels: , , , , , , Saturday, October 31, 2020 12:23 AM

 Clay is a multipurpose material that lends itself well for different uses. From sculpting and special effects to mold making, pottery and even other rudimentary applications – clay has a lot going for it.


Clay is a soft and malleable material that can be easily molded as needed. Kneading, squashing and shaping the clay into different forms is very easy and fun as well.

This humble clay is ready to use and very versatile - it can be used for different purposes in artworks. The most popular application is obviously for clay modeling – from making sculptures, masks and even prototype models to special effects and animation too. Moreover, the clay can be used as it is for making basic molds for casting resins, rubbers or even metals. It does not require any weighing or mixing before use.

Ceramic clay is commonly used to make pottery. The earthenware is fired in a kiln and glazed to make it hard and durable.

Apart from this, clay also proves to be handy for other minor jobs. For instance, if a model has holes or spaces, it can interfere with the mold making process. Clay can be used to plug these gaps or even tunnels that run through the model. Then the mold can be made as usual, but with a different mold making material other than clay.

In fact, clay is often the material of choice for making a containment field around the model when making the mold. The clay can be built to the height and thickness as required. Even when using other materials to make the mold box, clay is commonly used to seal the edges so that the mold making material does not seep out from the gaps. It can also be applied around the edge of the base to fill the gap between the model and the base.

Types of clay


The regular water based clay is suitable for children’s art classes and playrooms only as it tends to dry and shrink quickly. The professional grade oil-based clays are preferred by artists around the world. They have the same flexibility as regular clay, but the oil content keeps it from drying or cracking even after being exposed to air. They are firmer, capture fine details and can hold the form better as well. Heating and cooling allows the artist to control its malleability. In fact, this clay can be remolded and is inherently reusable.

Another variant of non drying and oil based modeling clays ballistic clay. This is primarily used by government agencies to test body armor as it is considered to be of similar density and elasticity as live animal muscle tissue.

EnvironMolds offers a range of oil-based clay options like Chavant Plasteline clay, Del Milano Plastilina clay and Roma Plastilina clay along with regular earthenware pottery and ballistic clays. Sulfur-free alternatives are also available as the sulfur content of regular clay can interfere with the curing of silicone and polyurethane rubbers. In addition, it also has a variety of tools for carving and sculpting during clay modeling.

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