Dread rings...molding/casting went wrong...

[munson]

Hi all,

I've sculpted a set of Berzerker dread beads onto wooden dowel rods [three sizes, 1", 3/4", and 1/2"]. I then proceeded to make a silicon mold of the beads on the dowel rod. The silicon mold was good. I then used the same method for the mothermold as I did for my Falconer bio. The mothermold wasn't the best or prettiest, but it worked pretty good[next time I might use plast-paste]. I took the molds off and they where fine. Here's what I was thinking to make the beads. When I made the mold, I made it so that I could put the dowel rod in the middle of the mold so that it would create a nice, smooth inside for the beads to attach to the dreads [that and make it stronger too]. I sprayed the dowel rod with mold release, as well as the mold. When making the mold, I put a little section on the end to pour in the resin. I poured it in and it didn't really leak out anywhere. After it cured [which took a little longer then normal], the molds came off good....but not the bead. it stuck fast to the dowel rod and it wouldn't move, and I mean wouldn't move...at all! I have no clue what I did wrong with it. I then tried to just cast it up in just the mold [slush casting I guess it's called], and that was a disaster, mess, and didn't turn out right at all. I'm at a lose for what went wrong.

I would like to restart the sculpt, and this time I have a set of dreads that I could sculpt the beads to fit perfectly [a 40 set of biohunter76's dreads], that and I could sculpt the dread tips too.

I'm asking my fellow hunters for their help on this, I'm not sure where I went wrong on it...but I'm more then willing to give it a second go!

Thanks in advance for your help, it's greatly appreciated!

Here's the molding process that I tried to use:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCIO_2J1gF0

 

[fastburst]

How did you prep the Wooden Dowel? with just mold release? Did you sand and seal the wooden dowel first?

-James

 

[Elkman]

How about making a silicone plug of some kind, in the same shape and size as the wooden dowel you were going to cast your beads in? That might be worth a shot, even though it'd be more difficult. Or, if you can find something that big, maybe a piece of Lucite rod or some other kind of plastic.

Maybe you can cut the bead and wooden dowel in half and see if the plastic was actually starting to bond into the wood. Maybe the wood is more porous than you can seal with mold release.

 

[fastburst]

Maybe you can cut the bead and wooden dowel in half and see if the plastic was actually starting to bond into the wood. Maybe the wood is more porous than you can seal with mold release.

Thats exactly what I was thinking on the wood being more porous and if he sanded and sealed it or not with something before the mold release. MOST Wooden Dowel I have seen are porous enough and still some prepping before you can use them for anything.

-James

 

[Milk1]

I mold and cast my dread beads the same way. What you can do it is just wrap some thin packaging tape reversed over the dowel rod. Slide it into the mold. Pour the resin and when you removed the dowel from the mold you can just slide the tape off with the rings attached.

 

[munson]

Thanks for the help guys, greatly appreciated. I have a set of biohunter dreads and I think I might try and make a plaster version of it with plaster strips, that way it will be [or should be] the same size as the dread. I really like the ideas and I'm going to give it another shot....I just have to re-sculpt the beads.

 

[fastburst]

The way I did my beads believe it or not, took a bit of time because I had to make each one. I made them out of Air Dry Modeling Clay. Was very light weight and very in-expensive to make them. I got a small bucket of the Air Dry and was able to produce about 90 beads all 3 sizes without even using half of the clay.

I know its not the resin technique, but I wanted to see how they would turn out. gave the Biohunter Dreads I have just enough weight to hang and make them swing naturally when turning my head or shaking my head.

 

[Eaglewood]

I do lots of molding and I would just make a small block mold for a series of beads with the top parts that have some sprue areas that could be easily cut off and sanded. Pour, pop them out, pour more and you are golden.reuse it bunches of times.
Use sorta- clear 18 or similar.

 

[munson]

I do lots of molding and I would just make a small block mold for a series of beads with the top parts that have some sprue areas that could be easily cut off and sanded. Pour, pop them out, pour more and you are golden.reuse it bunches of times.
Use sorta- clear 18 or similar.

Huh, that's pretty interesting. I'll have to look into it more...thanks!

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Huh, that's pretty interesting. I'll have to look into it more...thanks!

I, for the record, have NO IDEA what Clay is talking about...

 

[munson]

Clay, is this what you're talking about?

http://www.smooth-on.com/gallery.php?galleryid=289

 

[Eaglewood]

Clay, is this what you're talking about?

http://www.smooth-on.com/gallery.php?galleryid=289

Very similar to that. I would make a small mold box and pour in just a small amount to cover the bottom to about a 3/8 thickness Let that cure . Spray release agent on it. Then place your bead on that. Fill it in the rest of the way and fill the boxup with rubber to cover about a 1/4 inch.
Let it all cure.
Take it out of the mold box. Turn it over and peel off the bottom part that you put release agent on. Pull your bead out and viola-- there is a mold complete with the center already in. Fill it with resin and put the top back on, let it cure and pull it out. There may be a little flash to clean but you should be set.

 

[Darth Pinhead]

Awesome! Thanks, Clay!

 

[munson]

Awesome! Thanks, Clay!

What he said!

Many thanks!

 

[newpred]

when i made my beads i made a clay ring without any support inside it, made a small square plexi glass box with no top and just glued the box together set the clay ring inside the box and made sure it was flat against the bottom of the box then filled the box up carefully with rubber mold let it cure and pulled the mold from the box and there was an opening on the bottom of the mold to pour resin in heres two pics of them