Krylon Crystal Clear Mold-Fusing-Problem! AAH!!!

[Tatterhood]

I've been "sculpting-ultrcal30molding-latexcasting" for Halloween and convention costumes for years, but I've always used Vaseline as a release agent. A few nights ago I decided I needed to up my game and use Krylon's Crystal Clear to seal my latest prosthetic sculpt, since everyone uses it.

To my horror when I went to remove the clay the next night, it was stuck to the mold.I spent the evening with toothbrushes and a bottle of acetone, trying to scrape it all out, but the clay is fused to the ultra-cal 30 mold; there's no way I'm getting it all out. I've never had clay stick to a mold like that before - even for times when I had forgotten to apply Vaseline.

I am pretty sure what happened was that I didn't apply enough coats of Crystal Clear and/or I didn't let it dry for enough time between coats/before adding the ultra cal. But I wanted to ask and see if this has happened to anyone, before I try again!! The products I'm using are Krylon Crystal Clear (Acrylic Spray), Vank Aken Plastalina (oil-based sulphur-free clay) and Ultra-Cal 30. Lemme know! Thank you


(If I'm successful in the new sculpt, new molding process, I shall actually make a post of the costume...and I will do a test next time around. I normally do tests, but I was feeling too overconfident and skipped one. Bah)

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

Sorry to hear about your mold not going the way you would have liked.
Keep in mind, Crystal Clear is a sealer.. Not a release agent. There is a big difference.. Mainly that a sealer "seals," and a release agent "releases." Next time, try sealing with crystal clear and applying a release agent on top when it's dried. Vaseline works, but I really like Frekote Lifft.

 

[Tatterhood]

Thanks Mr. Mold Maker!! Your answer, which does makes sense to me, did make me wonder why I kept finding tutorials online where people only say to use Crystal Clear - and nothing more about apply a separate release agent. So I did a little bit more searching, prompted by the new info you provided, and with a few extra words put into google, I found some new stuff!

I'm posting what I found, in the event that someone else runs into the same issue. It's all about the type of clay you use, and the time you wait beforehand. To quote the Monster Makers Mask Makers Handbook:

"Before you begin applying the gypsum to your sculpture, though, it is necessary to first seal the clay. This prevents the clay from sticking to the mold. One of the best seals to use is called Kyrlon Crystal Clear spray."

"It's important that you let this dry for a full day before you begin molding, since Krylon has a tendency to transfer from some clays such as Roma Plastilina and stick to the mold. This can create problems for you in the casting stage. Because it has a higher oil content, this is rarely a problem with Monster Makers Oil Based Clay."

A-ha! A-HA! I shall do a few tests over the next few days (including using Crystal Clear with and without Vaseline) to see what gets the best results with the type of clay I use.


I also found this forum post - on the Halloween Mask Association - about problems with de-molding:
"The Monster Makers handbook says to use three coats of Crystal Clear to seal the sculpt. That worked for me for years then I had a lot of problems de-molding a couple of sculpts so I called Arnold at Monster Makers and he told me that Krylon had changed their formula and that he was now using Lemon Pledge as a release agent. That works pretty well but can soften some of your detail. I asked Toby Sells about de-molding last year at his sculpting demo at Goo Con, he said the wax method (ie the lemon Pledge) worked OK but he preferred a couple of coats of dulling spray over the Crystal Clear."

 

[ChickenHaunt]

The sealer DOES prevent the clay from sticking to the mold, but unless you follow it up with a release, you're likely to have your sealer stick to the mold instead. Also consider that technically Crystal Clear needs something like 24 hours to properly and fully cure. I know some people use shellac instead because it cures faster.

And remember you don't need crystal clear from a technical standpoint unless you're using water-based clay, which will tend to stick to the stone if it's not sealed off.

When molding an oil clay in ultracal, my preference is epoxy parfilm. The clay peels right out, and the parfilm doesn't cause the wet ultracal to bead up like other releases do.