My moldmaking failures and experiences...

i have had difficulty sourcing for good moldmaking materials here, they either cost a bomb, or i have to purchase them in bulk from a factory (in a very isolated area), looking at the moldmaking kits available from sculpey, i began to think they weren't so good in the sense that they seemed to be made from the very same clay we manipulate, just softer and more pliable when cured? moreover it's not suitable for resin pours either...

i had previously purchased some RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) silicone rubber, but that just was too messy and icky, moreover it was hard to measure out small amounts. i was going to purchase some alley goop online, but shipping to SG costs $15 for the 1 lb package, it seems they have very good reviews! i can only purchase that once i make some sales to cover the total cost (almost USD$44 :O ) :( yes, it's a rule of mine NOT to spend on supplies until i make sales, it's the only way i can justify spending and keep my habit in check :X

these are the pics of terrible silicone pours...i don't have a pressure pot so it was terrible trying to get the bubbles out.


this one was due to too much catalyst (the salesman recommended 5% for our climate, but it hardened up too quickly!)


so much so i couldn't tap out the bubbles in time...

that was the last of the silicone i had. i have a few more rather -ok- pours, made some bangle/ring and other oddly shaped item pours for my cousin's resin work, and some successful ones for my creams/raspberries/jellies/plates/cups...but i would say i wasted more than 70% of the material learning how to pour without having the bubbles ruin it. i like the pours cos i don't require any release agent, and they were extremely flexible/durable. however the learning curve is just too steep for beginners.


this is my pushmold for citrus pieces. i sculpted a segment of orange and grapefruit, and played around with a bead i had to get the flower shape.
i made this just last week and only got round to making the orange segments last night. you can see in the bottom 4 pieces the needle marks where i got lazy and simply poked the clay out of the mold, the upper two pieces show one glossed, the other unglossed.

so what do i think of these experiments? after reading, experimenting, and hunting around Singapore, i will stick to making polymerclay pushmolds for now (until i get the silicone putty). i haven't yet been confident enough to make 2-part molds, but so far i'm rather satisfied with what little i made.

hope this will help some other newbies, as to where i got my silicone rubber, you can see Wee Tee Tong's website, i got the RTV585, call them up for a quote as i am not affiliated with them in any way and prices might fluctuate....be prepared to travel, i lucked out as my cousin drove me but we took so long i fell asleep in the car -_-"

sheesh. i have got to stop posting half-fudged 'tutorials' HAHA!