Advice Needed: WED Clay Sculpt, Rebound 25 Silicone Mold

[jzerot1437]

Hi all,

I've made two Lich (from Adventure time) sculpts in WED clay and am hoping to create a mold using rebound 25.

I've never created a mold using silicone before, and thought I'd test the silicone on some scrap dried out WED before diving in on the sculpt; I covered the dried WED in multiple layers of shellac, then mixed my silicone and got to work.

When I peeled the first layer of silicone off, a thin layer of the WED clay came off inside the silicone as well. Is this normal? And if not, how do I prevent this from happening? Is there any way to get the clay out of the mold if this occurs with the mold I'm making of the Lich?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

No need to worry. This is a very common mistake, and you should be able to just go at the silicone with a brush and some water to remove the clay.

The materials are sticking to the silicone because you're using shellac, which is only a sealer, without release.. You need to provide a release agent (Frekote Lifft, Ease Release, etc.) on top of the shellac to facilitate the easy removal of the WED and shellac from the mold.

Just so you know, shellac isn't necessary when molding a WED clay sculpture in silicone. I'd suggest sealing the piece with Crystal Clear and releasing (over the Crystal Clear) with Lifft. The only time shellac is really needed is when you're using a polyester gel coat to mold WED.

 

[jzerot1437]

Just so you know, shellac isn't necessary when molding a WED clay sculpture in silicone. I'd suggest sealing the piece with Crystal Clear and releasing (over the Crystal Clear) with Lifft. The only time shellac is really needed is when you're using a polyester gel coat to mold WED.

This is great info! I'll stop by the sculpt store and pick up some Lifft after work.

I ran another test this morning, this time sans Shellac (or any kind of coating). Here's a photo:



Top is sans Shellac, bottom is with Shellac.

I'll try the Crystal Clear/Lifft when I get home tonight.

Really glad I ran tests before starting on the sculpture! Here are my Lich Heads:



I made 2, in case I mess up one of the molds and ruin a sculpture. They still need some finessing, but this is the basic shape they'll be in.