Rocking Horse of Course

Doshi Levien

Sucess: 2 part mold

Good news. We have a successful two-part silicone mold, and it's ripe for hot metal! Everything went smoothly this time around. Well, the positive form was a bit stubborn to come out, so I had to give it the chop. It's all good to go now. I will be moving on to the spectacular pewter casting very soon. Stay tuned.

Justin

Hip Hop Anonymous

Say Hello to Hamilton the Hippopotamus. This is the newest addition to the Busted Safari series. He should be arriving in his 3D printed Hippo form in a couple weeks. I'll be sure to post some images upon his arrival. Until then, I'll be moving forward on the 2nd half of the Avington mold as soon as I get some of that sweet, sweet mold release.

Justin

(re)Mold

Yarr! Here be the 2nd attempt at the 1st half of the Avington mold.

Justin

Look who showed up

I just received the 3D print of Lewis the Lion; I will have to say that I'm pretty satisfied with the model. Moving on this week, I will be (re)making the silicone mold of Avington the Alligator. Let's hope all goes well this time around.

Justin

Enter: Lewis the Lion

Welcome the next addition, Lewis the Lion, to the Busted Safari series. Seen above are views of the 3D CAD model. Soon to be released will be the 3D printed version. I'll have images up when the model arrives. The pewter versions have been pushed back a bit; I should be able to make another mold within the next few weeks. Until then, I will be working on further development of the Safari. Up next: Hamilton the Hippopotamus!

Justin

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.

Justin