Hot glue for a mold - Success!
- Thread starter Blaxmyth
- Start date
Blaxmyth
Sr Member
Looks like we can! There's a firm here in new Zealand with it on their web site. Definitely going to check them out - thanks heaps for the heads up! :thumbsup
Can you get vinamold over there? Its a silicon type rubber that you can melt down and reuse. It holds alot of detail and you can melt it in the microwave
I paid around £6/kgSo it may work out cheaper than glue sticks for slightly bigger jobs.
Theres a couple of things to watch out for.
1)Its frigging hot so be careful when mixing.
2)It stinks. Nothing really offensive but its a sweet sickly smell
On the plus side, you don't need mold release because it doesn't stick to itself or anything else really(dont use MDF as a box, it likes to stick to that stuff).
Pyrex dishes make a great mold dish
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I can make a vid when I get home if you want to see it in action.
1)Its frigging hot so be careful when mixing.
2)It stinks. Nothing really offensive but its a sweet sickly smell
On the plus side, you don't need mold release because it doesn't stick to itself or anything else really(dont use MDF as a box, it likes to stick to that stuff).
Pyrex dishes make a great mold dish
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I can make a vid when I get home if you want to see it in action.
Where there's a will... there's a way... great job!
Chaank
Sr Member
On a more positive note - my wife actually invited me to use the kitchen stove to heat the glue, because it's winter here in New Zealand and the shed is a little chilly.
Blaxmyth, a KIWI!!! Good to see you here brother. I'm an ex-pat living in the UK. Always good to see NZ rep it on the board!
Blaxmyth
Sr Member
Latest update - I've made four of these moulds off the same master now. It's getting a little worn around the base, although the model itself is holding up well.
One great discovery was to lay a sheet of aluminium foil on the base as the edges of the glue tended to grab really hard to the base even though the surface was resin coated and waxed thoroughly. The aluminium completely stopped it sticking and it doesn't matter that it coats the mould around where the cast goes.
Anyway - I dusted the inside of one of the moulds with some bright aluminium powder I got from Nick K, after first giving it a coat of wax. I poured some rondo into two moulds, one without the ally powder. Check out the result! Given that these fleurs will only be seen on a raised structure and a super smooth surface is not needed, I'm thrilled!
One great discovery was to lay a sheet of aluminium foil on the base as the edges of the glue tended to grab really hard to the base even though the surface was resin coated and waxed thoroughly. The aluminium completely stopped it sticking and it doesn't matter that it coats the mould around where the cast goes.
Anyway - I dusted the inside of one of the moulds with some bright aluminium powder I got from Nick K, after first giving it a coat of wax. I poured some rondo into two moulds, one without the ally powder. Check out the result! Given that these fleurs will only be seen on a raised structure and a super smooth surface is not needed, I'm thrilled!
This is getting better and better!
Makrel Johnson
New Member
Blaxmyth - nice work on the molds!
...getting back to the cheap-o silicone molding - I've used this in a pinch:
Supplies:
- Tube of clear 100% silicone - cheaper the better
- Can of mineral spirits (probably the same aisle)
- tinting in the form of acrylic craft paint
- Good cake auto wax (not the liquid) for release, also anything that has 'polish' or looks like a restorative should be avoided. More actual wax, the better.
(Even better is a good, real release spray, worth it's weight in gold)
1) Place clothes pin on nose *stinky*
2) Squirt a blob of silicone into a wax cup or whatever to mix in, just estimate enough to cover the model in a skin
3) Start adding a little Mineral Spirits at a time until you thin it enough to spread easily - the mineral spirits content changes the final firmness a little too, so if you can stand thicker stuff, stay with it. It'll be tougher.
4) when you're ready to cover the piece, add UP TO a couple drops of the acrylic paint. Careful, the water content will start to kick off the silicone so use as little as possible. Just enough to tint the silicone to see you've got coverage, the first coat should be thin and get in all the crevices. The 'print' coat...
5) dab/brush/smear on the released model and take it outside to cure *stinky*
6) Repeat until you've got a thick enough mold
7) Back it with something like some resin, friendly plastic (can reuse that when you're done) or even fiberglass
8) Pop the part and clean the silicone oils off if need-be
It's not perfect but can help in a pinch. If you need a putty for a push mold, SLOWLY add talc while mixing. You can end up with something you can model with your hands but it doesn't like to stick to stuff a whole lot.
Good luck
- Mak
...getting back to the cheap-o silicone molding - I've used this in a pinch:
Supplies:
- Tube of clear 100% silicone - cheaper the better
- Can of mineral spirits (probably the same aisle)
- tinting in the form of acrylic craft paint
- Good cake auto wax (not the liquid) for release, also anything that has 'polish' or looks like a restorative should be avoided. More actual wax, the better.
(Even better is a good, real release spray, worth it's weight in gold)
1) Place clothes pin on nose *stinky*
2) Squirt a blob of silicone into a wax cup or whatever to mix in, just estimate enough to cover the model in a skin
3) Start adding a little Mineral Spirits at a time until you thin it enough to spread easily - the mineral spirits content changes the final firmness a little too, so if you can stand thicker stuff, stay with it. It'll be tougher.
4) when you're ready to cover the piece, add UP TO a couple drops of the acrylic paint. Careful, the water content will start to kick off the silicone so use as little as possible. Just enough to tint the silicone to see you've got coverage, the first coat should be thin and get in all the crevices. The 'print' coat...
5) dab/brush/smear on the released model and take it outside to cure *stinky*
6) Repeat until you've got a thick enough mold
7) Back it with something like some resin, friendly plastic (can reuse that when you're done) or even fiberglass
8) Pop the part and clean the silicone oils off if need-be
It's not perfect but can help in a pinch. If you need a putty for a push mold, SLOWLY add talc while mixing. You can end up with something you can model with your hands but it doesn't like to stick to stuff a whole lot.
Good luck
- Mak
wolfchild59
Active Member
Interesting, I'd never thought of that for small pieces before. I'm definitely going to have to keep it in mind. Not for anything super detailed, of course, but for something simple I could certainly see giving this a try.
Blaxmyth
Sr Member
Well, some news to report - hot glue moulds break down after a few uses, no matter how much mould release is used...
But, on the positive side - learning happened!
Basically, even though I slathered wax onto the mould surface, the polyester resin dissolved little pockets from the mould, forming voids that were filled by the resin on the next cast and so on.
Two things happened -
(1) I tried something new and learned that it didn't work, and
(2) it gave me the impetus I needed to try an expensive silicon mould.
Here in New Zealand it costs $140 (about US$115) for 2kg of silicon, not counting freight, but I am sooo pleased with the results! Thanks to watching a couple of YouTube videos making the mould went without problems, and it is holding up beautifully. It is platinum silicon, not sure of the brand, but for any Kiwis on the boards, NZ Fibreglass in Auckland are awesome to deal with. Order over the phone, and the guys you talk to have been using this stuff for years. really quick delivery as well.
Anyway, summing up - hot glue will work in a pinch, but from now on I'll be assembling moulds until I've got enough for a pour of silicon. Hope this thread has been of some use.
Cheers, Phil
But, on the positive side - learning happened!
Basically, even though I slathered wax onto the mould surface, the polyester resin dissolved little pockets from the mould, forming voids that were filled by the resin on the next cast and so on.
Two things happened -
(1) I tried something new and learned that it didn't work, and
(2) it gave me the impetus I needed to try an expensive silicon mould.
Here in New Zealand it costs $140 (about US$115) for 2kg of silicon, not counting freight, but I am sooo pleased with the results! Thanks to watching a couple of YouTube videos making the mould went without problems, and it is holding up beautifully. It is platinum silicon, not sure of the brand, but for any Kiwis on the boards, NZ Fibreglass in Auckland are awesome to deal with. Order over the phone, and the guys you talk to have been using this stuff for years. really quick delivery as well.
Anyway, summing up - hot glue will work in a pinch, but from now on I'll be assembling moulds until I've got enough for a pour of silicon. Hope this thread has been of some use.
Cheers, Phil
ironmaided
Sr Member
i'll try this on some detail parts of my costumes and some figurines great job
great job
Blaxmyth
Sr Member
Yes, I will definitely give Vinamold a trial, but needed over 150 casts for a project, so needed something that was durable. Thanks for your kind offer, too, by the way. :thumbsup
Give Vinamold a chance, I'd send you a sample if postage wasn't robbery
sexyDEATHparty
New Member
Re: Anyone used hot glue as a mold?
So, what do you use for casting the new piece? I just made a mold out of hot glue and it turned out well, but now I'm wondering what material I should use for casting. I have a low viscosity super light liquid casting plastic (Alumilite brand) I was thinking about using but don't want to ruin the mold as I'm not sure what kind of reaction that might have.
So, what do you use for casting the new piece? I just made a mold out of hot glue and it turned out well, but now I'm wondering what material I should use for casting. I have a low viscosity super light liquid casting plastic (Alumilite brand) I was thinking about using but don't want to ruin the mold as I'm not sure what kind of reaction that might have.
Blaxmyth
Sr Member
Crikey, forgot about this thread. We went with polyester resin with fibreglass reinforcing, but we used a silicon mould. Honestly, the hot glue is OK for a very rough one-off project, but that's about it. I don't have enough knowledge of Alumilite to be able to help you with that, sorry.
