How do I make a 2-part mould around a clay figurine

Nicoolai

Nicoolai

New Member
Hi guys,
I'm completely new to sculpting, moulding and everything related to it.

I've watched a lot of videos about mould-making, where clay is used around the master, to create the first part of the mould.
But how do I go about this, if my master is made of clay (chavant/monster-clay/etc)?
 
That is a pretty vague question. You can get a better answer by providing more information, like What kind of clay? How Big? (Adding a photo, if like adding 1K words!) What will the final part be made with?


YouTube has many mold making videos. They can be a great resource.
 
Are you worried about building clay partitions on a clay sculpture & damaging the surface detail on your sculpture in the process?

If so you can use very thin plastic or metal sheet cut roughly to shape & pushed into the surface of the clay sculpture. It'll leave a seam line but there would be in the mould anyway.
Another way would be to support your sculpture securely & build the partition out of anything suitable up close (very close) to the surface of your sculpture leaving a tiny gap & then paint over the gap with silicone with thixotropic additive mixed in to thicken it like caulking, that's assuming your using silicone of course.

My last sculpture was oil clay & I used the last suggestion above with success.

HTH
 
Leigh said:
Another way would be to support your sculpture securely & build the partition out of anything suitable up close (very close) to the surface of your sculpture leaving a tiny gap & then paint over the gap with silicone with thixotropic additive mixed in to thicken it like caulking, that's assuming your using silicone of course.
HTH
Click to expand...


A slightly easier and cheaper way for small parts such as figures is to suspend the piece from behind and use alginate to pour up to the half way point. Once the alginate has gelled, boom, instant dividing line! You'll want to dry it as best you can with paper towels and the you're good to mold. It is often times a lot faster and easier than claying up small parts. Washing the surface down with acetone can help fry it, as well as dealing with a clear coat. Just be careful not to get the solvents on the clay.
 
Leigh said:
Are you worried about building clay partitions on a clay sculpture & damaging the surface detail on your sculpture in the process?

If so you can use very thin plastic or metal sheet cut roughly to shape & pushed into the surface of the clay sculpture. It'll leave a seam line but there would be in the mould anyway.
Another way would be to support your sculpture securely & build the partition out of anything suitable up close (very close) to the surface of your sculpture leaving a tiny gap & then paint over the gap with silicone with thixotropic additive mixed in to thicken it like caulking, that's assuming your using silicone of course.

My last sculpture was oil clay & I used the last suggestion above with success.

HTH
Click to expand...
Yea, this is exactly what I'm worried about. How to get it off the master again, as well.
But those are some good tips, I will try them out.
Thank you!

Would you use the same type of clay to build up partition in your second method, or some other type?
I guess WED clay would be fine for the partition?

- - - Updated - - -

Mr Mold Maker said:
A slightly easier and cheaper way for small parts such as figures is to suspend the piece from behind and use alginate to pour up to the half way point. Once the alginate has gelled, boom, instant dividing line! You'll want to dry it as best you can with paper towels and the you're good to mold. It is often times a lot faster and easier than claying up small parts. Washing the surface down with acetone can help fry it, as well as dealing with a clear coat. Just be careful not to get the solvents on the clay.
Click to expand...

Do you then discard the alginate half afterwards?
 
Nicoolai said:
Yea, this is exactly what I'm worried about. How to get it off the master again, as well.
But those are some good tips, I will try them out.
Thank you!

Would you use the same type of clay to build up partition in your second method, or some other type?
I guess WED clay would be fine for the partition?
Click to expand...

My sculpture was quite big & consisted of several parts. I used cardboard & MDF covered in sticky back foil to make a platform for building the partition. I
built a free standing structure around my sculpture strong enough to support its self & the weight of the mould half which was silicone with a fibreglass jacket. You could use anything as long as it'll support the weight & wont negatively affect your mould material.

There's a thread in the sculpture section where a guy sculpted a couple beautiful Dinosaurs & built the moulds as per my first suggestion & his sculptures were a bit smaller than mine. He did a lovely job of both the sculptures & the moulds :)

EDIT: I'd suggest practising these methods first on something like a quick & rough sculpture just so you don't damage your master :)

HTH :)
 
Nicoolai said:
Do you then discard the alginate half afterwards?
Click to expand...

Yes, you discard the alginate. It is only there to make the dividing line if you need one. Do your first half, flip it over and remove the alginate, and then pour your second half, using release of course so the two sides don't stick together.

Like I said though this is only practical for smaller pieces that would be too tedious to clay up. Without saying your piece I can't say anything for sure, just thought I'd throw it out there as an alternative to what Leigh suggested. :)
 
Thank you guys, these are great advice.
I will make some small stuff to try out your various techniques and to practice!
 
Yes :thumbsup
Try different techniques!
It'll help you to understand the limitations of the materials & your abilities.

To be fair I'm relatively new to all this myself :) I threw myself in the deep end with my first project & had to make things work due to the investment. I learned a lot in the process but I still have more to learn :)


Mr Mold Maker.... I'm liking this Alginate idea :) I have a figure sculpt I've yet to mould. My only concern would be the moisture content in the alginate, I assume it has no negative effects with silicone?

:)
 
Leigh said:
Y
Mr Mold Maker.... I'm liking this Alginate idea :) I have a figure sculpt I've yet to mould. My only concern would be the moisture content in the alginate, I assume it has no negative effects with silicone?
Click to expand...

You definitely want to dry it out first, like I said a wash down with acetone and sealing it helps quite a lot. It tends to stay pretty cool which can slow condensation cure silicones but in a pinch it works pretty well. :)
 
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