I was gearing up to have a big casting session this weekend only to just now discover I am all out of mold release. I can't think of any known distributors of mold making products in my city, and any order I'd make wouldn't get here until Monday, so I am hoping you all might have some alternatives that one might find at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Home Depot or maybe even auto stores that will project my molds and still produce a quality cast. Any thoughts?
Vaseline will do the job
I guess if I brush it on really thin then wipe it down...
I was looking at the Hobby Lobby website and saw they sell spray on candle release. Think that might do the trick?
ThrowingChicken said:
Dilute it with Mineral Spirits first...once you have a good syrup of Vaseline you can brush it on, or if you thin it enough you can spray it through your spray gun or airbrush.
I'd go with a good 2 coats allowing the first one to dry about 15 min first.
Good Luck,
David
Brush it on thin with a wide brush and warm it with a hair dryer and it will avoid streaks
I couldnt say for sure about the candle release.
A lot of the mold releases I've used say they are silicone spray, any chance it's just a re-branded version of a general lubricant spray?
Is there a Dick Blick in town? They carry Mann Mold Release.
I've seen Mann 200 in Hobbytown. If it's feasible you could also spray a light coat of paint into the mold, I've done this recently and it worked great.
I just gave Hobbytown a call. Fairly certain the gentleman I spoke to was high as a kite. He couldn't find anything but they say they are going to look around some more and give me a call back in the next hour, so fingers crossed!
Unfortunately, no luck at my local Hobbytown.
I wonder if WD-40 has any chemicals that would eat the mold or the cast. Do you have a small mold you can cast and test with?
I'll second what David Said. Ive used Mineral spirit thinned vaseline in a pinch it works just fine.
Forget what I originally had here, I misread the OP.
Last edited by NormanF; Aug 10, 2012 at 10:27 AM. Reason: Reading is hard
WD-40 is a solvent and not a lubricant, There's no way I'd get that anywhere my molds or plastic. I have read alot of people mention Vaseline before, seems to be the most popular alternative.msleeper said:
Before mold release, and in some instances, I use Vaseline. That works just fine.
Also, Isopropyl alcohol mixed with dish soap seems to work well, too.
Alright, I'll try the vasaline thing. I worry that there could be water in the dish soap, which could mess with the resin, no?
I think I will pick up a few things and try them, see what works best. Any opinions on the silicone spray made for lubricating tools and other hardware?
Jsu do thinned down Vaseline or go the easier route and just dry brush the Vaseline and hit it with a hair dryer as previously mentioned. In a pinch for a quick mold I use Vaseline to fill areas that would normally be clayed in. Just keep in mind your parts will be as shiny as the surface of the mold and Vaseline makes for a nice shiny part. This is also very important, if your brushing or touching the part surface in any way when laying down the silicone, you will mare the surface. This will show up as a brush stroke, finger mark, stick line checking the silicone depth...
Ok, I read the OP wrong. It said casting session but I thought it said molding session. So I change my suggestion to talc/baby powder.
Sent from my Etch-A-Sketch
Right, casting session, looking to protect the longevity of my molds.
well poop, thats something different. Honestly I never use mold release.
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