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APRIL Tip of the Month

 
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jegner
Site Admin


Joined: 30 May 2003
Posts: 2144
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:35 am    Post subject: APRIL Tip of the Month Reply with quote

Mold release.

Silicone molds are a wonder of modern science. It only sticks to it's self, and it comes in different hardnesses, is pretty non-toxic, easy to get, and is reusable.

But, over time, the oils leech out of the silicone, and the chemicals found in resins, cause the surface details to break down, eventually leading to a dead mold.

One way to slow this deteriation is to apply a mold release. There are many options available.

Mold release agents create a barrier between the silicone and the resin, greatly extending the molds life, and making it easier to remove the resin casting.

Vasaline is an effective mold release, and you can warm it up, and brush it on, or even thin it down with mineral spirits. It's cheap. Easy. But it leaves a bit of goop on the cast part that can be a challenge to get off. Other oils have similar issues.

A Spray mold release usually contains a wax, and a slight dusting is all that is needed to give great detail, and protect the mold. These can be harder to find, but I found that SYNLUBE http://www.bare-metal.com/polytek/other_products.html to be a good option.

All that is require of the casting is a warm soapy bath, and it is ready to paint.

Silicone molds are easy to make, give great detail, but are expensive. So anything you can do to extend the life of these molds is worth it. Silicone molds do not require a mold release, but using a release agent is a way to extend the life of these expensive molds.
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Stomper
Master


Joined: 01 Oct 2005
Posts: 473
Location: Woodburn, Oregon USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, they are expensive.... my first mold I made of a M38 scope was just about $50 in silicon, and the mold for the Biker Scout blaster is around $100 worth of material. I'll have to try that Synlube stuff, it's TEDIOUS diluting petro-jelly with mineral spirits... you can never get all the brush stokes eliminated from your cast, and if you thin it too much... well you may as well not bother in the first place! Laughing
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Tony Krewson
FEAR... is not my god!!
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Katachi
Newbie


Joined: 27 Dec 2007
Posts: 17
Location: Madison, WI

PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UMR all the way. I've never had a problem with it. Ever. I don't know how you guys feel about Oomoo, but personally, I hate it. 95% of my molds are PMC-121/20 or PMC121-30, and UMR has been very good to me. It doesn't work on porous surfaces like plaster, but for that, I use a thinned down spray of vaseline.

Word of caution: DON'T BREATHE IN THE UMR! It comes out of the can in a fine cloud, so always wear a respirator when applying it.
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jegner
Site Admin


Joined: 30 May 2003
Posts: 2144
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UMR = Universal Mold Release. Good stuff.

http://www.smoothonsecure.com/store/index.php?cPath=66_71&osCsid=8162098c96bdfc0d0210f285a499f6d6

Also, Mann's Ease Release 200 is a good product. You can get it here:

http://www.smoothonsecure.com/store/index.php?cPath=66_67&osCsid=05359467e79bc93676dd483869f52bae
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