Tutorial: Silicone mold making for casting custom parts

[Recluce]

I got part 1 of my molds done last night, now I just poured part two, so by later today I may try them out. It's interesting really, because you say your type takes 24 hours to cure, where mine is like 8. Must be the different type. Oh yeah, and mine is blue too. (But I am sure it is the same as far as stretchability goes.)

~Amanda

I have a plastics store about a block from my new place and they carry resin and silicone. I recently purchased their mold making stuff and they have 2 types on catalyst, one that is blue and cures in 24 hours, and one that's green and cures in 12. I got the green stuff. Different companies have different products, so shop around.

[babyjawa]

DD, I found that Dawn Dishsoap works just as well as Mold release.

[Lamanda2]

Man, I really need to find a hobby shop local to me. It would be so much easier to just pick up stuff there..

Hey, nice tip about the soap BJ, I am sure that will come handy to me if I run out of release.

~Amanda

[thecustomizerwithoutfear]

Actually I have release, plus the latex stuff, now Is shopped around and found that resin does work with latex, which is good to know eh .

So I now have to choose which site I want to buy my resin from, my local craft store does not carry any, only the latex plus plaster. i don't suppose plaster work work any good right? Maybe too brittle.

[Recluce]

No DD, skip the plaster. And good luck with the latex, I've never used it for molding.

[babyjawa]

Man, I really need to find a hobby shop local to me. It would be so much easier to just pick up stuff there..

Hey, nice tip about the soap BJ, I am sure that will come handy to me if I run out of release.

~Amanda

Thought it only works for silicone to silicone. If you want to use it with resin, it won't work.

[Lamanda2]

Man, I really need to find a hobby shop local to me. It would be so much easier to just pick up stuff there..

Hey, nice tip about the soap BJ, I am sure that will come handy to me if I run out of release.

~Amanda

Thought it only works for silicone to silicone. If you want to use it with resin, it won't work.

Ok, that's what I figured.
I actually don't use my mold release for the resin itself, it just doesn't seem necessary seeing that things come out nicely anyways.

~Amanda

[airborne trooper 2]

what color does resin come in.

[Bruce N H]

Hey Emily,

Once you put together part 2 on casting, mind if I transform this into an html version and post it in the "how-to" section?

Thanks,
Bruce

[Recluce]

Bruce it would be great to have it converted to html! Part 2 will be done once I get someone to take some pictures of me in the various casting steps.

Airborne trooper: The company I get resin from has some basic colors (black, white, tan, clear) and then you can buy dyes (black, red, blue, yellow, orange, green, brown, skin tones, etc.) that work in the white and clear resins to make other colors. Of course dyes can be mixed to make other colors but I do not suggest mixing resin colors as they are actually different and don't play well with each other.

[airborne trooper 2]

Thanks recluse.

Your helmets and tips are great.

By the way how much does dye cost.

[Recluce]

I just bought a bottle of "Caucasian" dye (think of fleshies as being ONLY orcs and other baddies!) and I think it was about $5. Shipping can be high because its a chemical and a liquid and must go Fedex, but I'm cool with that.

[airborne trooper 2]

I found some pretty good prices on silicone and resin at some hobby stores I called.

Although the stuff definitely is not cheap

[Lamanda2]

Emily,
What brand of Silicone and Resin do you get?
The prices seem a bit more reasonable than what I have got,
but then again, that may be fue to the fact that you can
just go to a hobby shop and pick it up.

~Amanda

[Recluce]

Well I used to be able to go to a shop and pick up the stuff, but now I have to order it. I am trying out a new brand of silicone, made by Tap Plastics (a local plastics company), and my silicone is actually only about $30 for both parts. I still have tons of mold release but it runs about $8. If you order silicone through Alumilite its pricier.

The resin I get from Alumilite, and it can be ordered online. One kit of the white resin (both part A and B) is I think $37. I believe that is for the 28 oz. size, and I just bought 2 of them. Their different colored resins can be different prices.