Making Moulds and Growing Crystals!
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- Опубліковано 18 тра 2023
- This was my first time making a silicone mould and while the first attempt failed miserably, I got there in the end.
Then using some Borax to crystallise the casted shells and making some awesome Crystal Snails!
(I recommend doing your own research before following any how too you see on the internet especially those involving chemicals!)
Come say hi and share your work!
seb.makes.stuff
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film.imakestuff@gmail.com - Навчання та стиль
Witchcore is new favourite word now
Great word and a great asthetic to search in Pinterest haha
He snailed it on the first try 😂
Hahahaha well played!
It says here it's been 3 months so I don't know if you've made any progress in your mold making journey, but here are a few tips that I learned that may help you or a viewer out there
1 - The clay: You seem like you didn't have any problem with it. It's probably sulfur-free clay, as it's what impedes the silicone to cure properly if present in it's composition
2 - Filling something with water may not work (depending on the weight and shape of the object) because the silicone is still denser than the water. I like having something tacky at the bottom of the mold casing to help hold it down, like repositionable adhesive, double sided tape can work with enough contact surface. Maybe poster tack.
3 - Dont pour the silicone straight into whatever you're trying to copy as it's a great way to trap bubbles underneath it. Aim the pour at the bottom of the casing and the silicone level to rise steadly. This can pick up some bubbles if there are crevices facing the floor of the casing, which may or may not get release when you shake the mold. Thus, with very detailed things it can be a good idea to apply a little bit of silicone into those crevices beforehand with a brush or toothpick to be sure that they get filled and no bubbles are trapped there.
Love this kind of comment! Always looking to learn more tips and tricks in this stuff. I haven't don't many more moulds since but I have been watching a lot more videos on it. Gonna get some more going soon and all these tips will be noted for sure
Love this low-tech (me = 3D-printerless). Have you tried paperclay (shred-paper + white glue + drywall joint-mud) as cast &/or mold? Less detail, yes, yes - but cheap as... well, cheap. On another note: fantastic fail! Drama! Tension! Action packed! Thanks for the excellent video. What did any of this cost?
Yer I want to make more things that dont require a 3d printer. As much as I love that tech I know a lot of people don't have access to them. I'll have to give the paper/glue casts a go, always good to find cheaper options for things.
The costs weren't too bad, since I've got a lot of left over materials for future builds now.
The silicone mould kits cost me about $45 aud
And the resins I used were about $50 aud for each type, these builds didn't take much resin. But they did use up a fair bit of silicone, I'm sure you could use less depending on what you're casting and how well you design the walls around the item you want to mould before pouring the silicone. I'll be working on this in future builds
Ahh yes, molding... I give this also a try, a couple months ago. So a few tips from another amateur:
If you use foam board, you have a good clean Surface and it's also a bit more modular. Use Dental plaster, it's a bit sturdier and the synthetic Ingredients make a much more detailed Cast. If you have a electric toothbrush, you can use it to hold it on the frame or building plate to eliminate the air bubbles... Otherwise great video! It's always nice to see, that even a master of crafts like you make mistakes in the first try. And the result is absolutely stunning!!!!
These are some super helpful hints. I'll be adding a cheap electric toothbrush to my molding kit for sure! And I'll have to try out this dental plaster. I feel like there will be a lot more molds coming in the future
You can instead of the toothbrush everything, that vibrate. Sometimes in the Dollar store, they sell one of these cheap electric massage balls. Those would be better...
Cheap options are always me favourite haha
Looks good for batching out these lower resolution models. The final coat of 'slime' was tops :D
Oh yer, super usefull. Going to be making a heap of moulds for doors, windows and other greebly bits I think. For all the future fantasy terrain builds.
Best part is if you keep track of how much resin they need. You can pour any excess resin into prior moulds instead of just wasting it in the bottom of the mixing cup.
The slime makes it much more realistic! 👌 and the variety of colours on the crystals makes it pop!
Questions though - when you were doing the silicone moulding for the shells (around 1:31) it looks like you put three little clay bits down on the foamboard around the shell, is there a reason for this? Does this help when the silicone sets?
Also when using the borax, do you have any measurements to help us?Would you need that much or a smaller amount would work just as well?
Great video though! You never fail to impress. 😊
Thankyou kindly, love your support 😁
1- the bits of clay were to make some keys to hold the top layers in place. But ultimately I didn't really need the top layers since the shells got glued down to the slugs anyway.
2- the borax mix is tough, you basically just keep adding in more and mixing it up untill no more will break down and dissolve. So the less water you use the less borax needed to fully saturate the mix
Would alcohol ink work with borax crystals?
I don't see why not. I'll have to give it a try at some point.
Could probably mix the ink straight into the liquid mix
Pleas please PLEASE for the love of god wear a mask when you’re pouring resin!!! It’s unbelievably toxic 😅
Haha yer I've been told this a few times. I've upped my PPE game but still have a lot of work to do. I'm also working in a large, well ventilated area with fans running but can always be better