I paint statues for a man who owns a statuary business here. He's told me about making molds but never knew how he does it so now I know. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing. I do a little painting with my gnomes and some other statues, but most of my "painting" is dry-brushing to give my outdoor statues an aged look.
Thanks, and I have the next one ready and posting tomorrow morning. My second beaver statue is curing, and I had one mistake that will come up in the 2nd video, as I tried something different, but overall, you shall see...
I have not in the statues I have made and never had an issue. The latex pops off of things like shiny ceramic or plastic much easier than concrete, but sometimes it causes lifting or bubbling if it doesn't stick as well. I prefer no mold release.
I bought some nice latex molds from the UK but I’m not having much luck casting them without support. My goal was to make another latex mold and a fiberglass mother once I had a good statue. I’ve tried hanging them and using sand in a tube around them for support but they keep getting deformed. How can I make a fiberglass mold without having the statue inside of the latex?
The go-to way to get the support you need is to use sand around the latex mold to hold the shape, whether in a bucket or box. Would this work for your casting?
I tried that method by putting them into the 8” tubes for making pillars. I slowly added concrete then sand alternating until it was full. I am still having issues with them sagging. Is the sand supposed to be wet because I’m using it dry. That’s the only thing I might be messing up. I’m going to try using shredded paper to stuff them and make the fiberglass mother mold around that. They are very thick molds so they hold their shape well empty so I’m hoping it will work.
Hi. I make my own sculptures. My most recent is an angel. She is a pretty complex piece with a flowing gown and large wings, and I'm not sure how to make the mold. Have you ever had experience with something like that, and do you have a place where I could possibly send you photos of the project for advice?
Good question...I never have used a mold release before the first layer of latex, and my experience has always been that the latex rubber comes right off the item. My reasoning is two-part. First, I am concerned about any sort of chemical reaction or damage that could affect the latex, and second, once I have had success, I figure why change. The one area that I have had challenges with my latex is on porous plywood, but it still came off with a little more care. What has your experience been?
@@backyardadventureswithandy I started doing some silicone molds and used release agent but for some reason I damaged a few of molds. Then I changed doing mold using latex and still applied release agent before first applying. Item comes off very well so I started doing it on regular basis.
You have a good point, as most of the things I duplicate have a seal or coating over it that makes it less porous. Some are plastic or porcelain, so those also release well. I could imagine an unfinished concrete benefitting from the mold release.
I have not used it, but the concept works. The latex provides a thin and durable mold that is quite flexible for ease of removal. The silicone might be too stiff, but I am not familiar with it enough to know.
How big is it and how much gap between the statue seems to be there. I usually keep painting over smaller areas that lift and ignore it, as it never seems noticeable. Tell me more...
You've ignited a fire in me that I will have difficulty extinguishing. Thanks for the videos!
Thanks, and I hope your own statues work out nicely. Good luck!
I paint statues for a man who owns a statuary business here. He's told me about making molds but never knew how he does it so now I know. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing. I do a little painting with my gnomes and some other statues, but most of my "painting" is dry-brushing to give my outdoor statues an aged look.
Great video looking forward to # 2
Thanks, and I have the next one ready and posting tomorrow morning. My second beaver statue is curing, and I had one mistake that will come up in the 2nd video, as I tried something different, but overall, you shall see...
Awesome
Thanks for watching! The mold actually turned out really easy for me to make statues, and I am glad there were no seams in this one.
do you put any type of mold release on the statue before the latex?
I have not in the statues I have made and never had an issue. The latex pops off of things like shiny ceramic or plastic much easier than concrete, but sometimes it causes lifting or bubbling if it doesn't stick as well. I prefer no mold release.
I bought some nice latex molds from the UK but I’m not having much luck casting them without support. My goal was to make another latex mold and a fiberglass mother once I had a good statue. I’ve tried hanging them and using sand in a tube around them for support but they keep getting deformed. How can I make a fiberglass mold without having the statue inside of the latex?
The go-to way to get the support you need is to use sand around the latex mold to hold the shape, whether in a bucket or box. Would this work for your casting?
I tried that method by putting them into the 8” tubes for making pillars. I slowly added concrete then sand alternating until it was full. I am still having issues with them sagging. Is the sand supposed to be wet because I’m using it dry. That’s the only thing I might be messing up.
I’m going to try using shredded paper to stuff them and make the fiberglass mother mold around that. They are very thick molds so they hold their shape well empty so I’m hoping it will work.
Hi. I make my own sculptures. My most recent is an angel. She is a pretty complex piece with a flowing gown and large wings, and I'm not sure how to make the mold. Have you ever had experience with something like that, and do you have a place where I could possibly send you photos of the project for advice?
My email should be posted on my channel site, so feel free to send me a message. I don't know if I can help, but I'll tell you what I know!
Do you use mold release agent before applying first latex coat? If no, why?
Good question...I never have used a mold release before the first layer of latex, and my experience has always been that the latex rubber comes right off the item. My reasoning is two-part. First, I am concerned about any sort of chemical reaction or damage that could affect the latex, and second, once I have had success, I figure why change. The one area that I have had challenges with my latex is on porous plywood, but it still came off with a little more care. What has your experience been?
@@backyardadventureswithandy
I started doing some silicone molds and used release agent but for some reason I damaged a few of molds. Then I changed doing mold using latex and still applied release agent before first applying. Item comes off very well so I started doing it on regular basis.
You have a good point, as most of the things I duplicate have a seal or coating over it that makes it less porous. Some are plastic or porcelain, so those also release well. I could imagine an unfinished concrete benefitting from the mold release.
what if i used silicone rubber for mold moaking instead of latex rubber?
I have not used it, but the concept works. The latex provides a thin and durable mold that is quite flexible for ease of removal. The silicone might be too stiff, but I am not familiar with it enough to know.
Hi could I ask is natural latex or prevulcanised better for casting?
I am not sure if it is prevulcanised, but I suspect it is. I don't know the science behind it and the formula they use...Sorry!
I have a resin mickey mouse birdbath that I wanted to make a mold and cast for concrete would it be the same process?
Yes, it can be. You might be able to cast it in two parts that assemble together.
About how many latex molds can you make with the gallon of latex?
It really depends on the surface area and size of the statues. I tend to get 2-4 per gallon. The beaver took about 1/3 of a gallon, for reference.
Where do you get your latex?
The latest gallon was purchased from Amazon.com, and before that, I bought it from TAP Plastics.
I have a huge, air pocket, between my statue and Latex Help
How big is it and how much gap between the statue seems to be there. I usually keep painting over smaller areas that lift and ignore it, as it never seems noticeable. Tell me more...