Friendly Plastic - Has anyone here used it?

Now, I know that people suggest Smooth-On kits or the Alumilite mold kits for doing casts of pieces for any scale. But, I'm always open to looking at possible alternative, namely the DIY-types, just to see if there's any techniques that I could possibly use (not for creating molds, but how to get a piece ready for casting, creating mold boxes for pieces, etc. I've picked up a few noticeable tips, such as using a thin layer of petroleum jelly on an item being casted helps in making sure that the mold doesn't stick to the item, though I know most kits come with a mold release). Anyways, I found this video here just to see what's out there. While watching the video (at 10:24), this woman revealed she used a product called Friendly Plastic to make casts from the mold. I was wondering if anyone has heard of Friendly Plastic, has used it and what their opinions on it is.

Has anyone heard of it and/or used it? What's your opinion on it? Good, bad, ugly?

i have. its pretty cool stuff. i only got a bit to toy around with but i put in a bowl of water and put in the microwave fpr about 45 seconds and i could meld it however i wanted and i wouldnt doubt with enough making a decent mold

it defiently doesnt get close to getting the details as silicone but for parts you dont mind doing some extra cleanup with itd be awesome PLUS resuable

I used it years ago for some underskull sculpting. When I went back to look at the work a year or so after I'd started, it had turned very brittle-don't know if it has the same formulation nowadays....

Sleeping Lionheart said:

i have. its pretty cool stuff. i only got a bit to toy around with but i put in a bowl of water and put in the microwave fpr about 45 seconds and i could meld it however i wanted and i wouldnt doubt with enough making a decent mold

it defiently doesnt get close to getting the details as silicone but for parts you dont mind doing some extra cleanup with itd be awesome PLUS resuable

Click to expand...

Mostly Fantasy said:

I used it years ago for some underskull sculpting. When I went back to look at the work a year or so after I'd started, it had turned very brittle-don't know if it has the same formulation nowadays....

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I figured it wouldn't capture as much detail from a mold. But a big concern about this is that I don't know how strong or weak it is after it's been molded. I mean, I suspect it would break apart easy or is rather flimsy to the point where it could break apart (especially with Mostly Fantasy's comment about it becoming brittle after a year). Is that normally the case with this stuff?

For making quick molds for parts I find this stuff very useful

Instant Mold

Sounds like the something similar.

You sit it in hot water for a few mintes, press you master into it, dip it in cold water, and you've got a very nice mold that nothing sticks to. It is pretty rigid when cooled

blakeh1 said:

For making quick molds for parts I find this stuff very useful

Instant Mold

Sounds like the something similar.

You sit it in hot water for a few mintes, press you master into it, dip it in cold water, and you've got a very nice mold that nothing sticks to. It is pretty rigid when cooled

Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up (I may have to try some of that). But I'm wondering about Friendly Plastic and how it is as a means of making copies from a mold.

It should work fine for you if you can warm up the mold in the warm water too. That will ensure better detail. I've use that stuff for years it does have limitations but it's great for .