Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Me, Oh my, Mold Fail

Well, I poured the second half of the mold the other day and it was smooth work. Sorry to say though, (and it pains me as much as it does you) but it looks like there wasn't enough mold-release applied to the first half of the mold. What you have here is an unfortunate instance of some hard core silicone on silicone action and it won't let go without a fight. Silicone doesn't tend to stick to much, but it will stick to itself like what. Without the necessary lube layer between mold halves, the silicone just fuses to itself. I've just experienced it first hand and it's nobody's friend. As a saving grace, in some instances you may be able to cut the mold apart to oust your pattern if this happens. With a sharp blade and a steady hand I did indeed try to free poor Avington the Alligator from his suffocating tomb of silicone. It was a futile task, for this RTV Silicone was fused tight. Plus, the high derometer of this Mold Max 60 doesn't leave a great deal of flexibility to aid in the task.

I had a sneeking feeling that the second half of the mold was going to be trouble maker. This was my first shot at molding Avington and it's insightful to assess your mistakes and failures in order to make your next attempt that much better. Lesson learned; on to seconds.



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Making Moldy Moves

Check it. Below you'll find a series of shots for the silicone mold set-up of Avington the Alligator. Next up is the second half of the two-part mold. Then we move on to the much anticipated super-hot pewter casting. Let me know if you have any questions about mold-making or if you're just into pouring goo all over stuff.


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Supply High


Behold. Materials and supplies are slowly creeping in to start transforming the Busted Safari series into pewter pieces. What you see here: silicone for molds, pewter ingots, graphite crucible, forged tongs, lead thermometer, ceramic heat block, and casting putty. There are still a few odds and ends to pick up, but we're well along our way to working with molten metal. It's hot stuff.

Also, be on the look out for the world premier of Lewis the Lion; the newest member of the Busted Safari crew.

Justin