Question regarding Silicone-Molding

[Epona_Rhi]

Hi crew!

As some of you already know I'm actually working on a GB-Protonpack. The shell-master is finished now and the next step would be the mold to reproduce the pack.

As this is my first attempt at molding something of this size I'm not sure how much silicone I'll need for the complete mold. I would be glad to hear some suggestions from you regarding this matter...

Thanks in advance!

 

[swgeek]

Here's the advice I gave Birdie about molding a VK machine. It would work just as well for a proton pack.http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=68440

 

[exoray]

3-5 gallons to get a stable no sagging build up of silicone within a jacketed mother mold... The silicone on this one is approx 3/4" thick all over and took just over 4 gallons of silicone to pour... Technique used was similar to what swgeek outlined in the thread he linked to... Get 5 gallons as you DON'T want to run out half way through... 90% of the time progressive silicone pours on top of cured silicone will bond to each other, but I have had several instances where they have not, best to get a single pour...

As this is my first attempt at molding something of this size I'm not sure how much silicone I'll need for the complete mold. I would be glad to hear some suggestions from you regarding this matter...

Good luck I have poured this same mold multiple times now and it's still beyond nerve racking each time...

 

[Epona_Rhi]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. The idea to go with clay first sounds very good. I'll give that a try (and hopefully it will work as I definitly do not have the money to buy 10 gallons of silicone... :lol)

Kudos to your mold exoray! Looks simply fantastic and now I have some real aspiration!

 

[exoray]

I definitly do not have the money to buy 10 gallons of silicone... :lol

Yeah once you start buying 5 gallon buckets of it, it gets real expensive real quick it's not a cheap hobby...