Molding WED clay sculpture

I'm ready to mold a WED clay sculpture and am looking for advice on best products to use:

My plan is to seal the sculpture with clear coat(rattle can) a couple of times.

I'm planning to create mold separation lines with a line of playing cards embedded in the clay and taped with aluminum tape.

I'm open to suggestions on a mold release process: I've heard spray on PVA glue(not sure where to get it) then a spray wax(really not sure where to get this). This was suggested to use prior to gel coat and fiberglass although I have no idea where to buy these.

I'm open to other suggestions. One option is to use Smooth-on Shell shock on the clay and back it with Smooth on plastipaste.

Any other suggestions out there?


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PVA (Poly-Vinyl-Alcohol) is a green liquid that releases fiberglass very well, and NOT glue.

Your plan sounds good as long as you understand that the water in WED clay is the enemy of polyester resin (Fiberglass resin). It is wise to many coats of clearcoat to protect both the PVA and fiberglass.

Photo is always welcome. Depending on the complexity of the parting line, there might be better dividing walls. YouTube is the goto for all learning.

I can recommend plasti paste for the support shell as an alternative to FG, depending on the size of the piece you are molding. I recently used it to make a shell for a Magneto helmet support shell and whilst it worked fine I think if it was anything larger then you would have issues with the material curing before you can get a good application all over.

clonesix said:

PVA (Poly-Vinyl-Alcohol) is a green liquid that releases fiberglass very well, and NOT glue.

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True, but polyvinyl acetate is a glue. Typically white, often used for wood and used in schools a lot. I believe 'Elmers' is the common US brand of it, here in the UK you get in made by lots of people and in small pots with a brush in them all the way to 5 litre bottles.

Paint you sculpture with a colored paint (rattle can) its the same as crystal clear, but you can see where you have painted and where you haven't. This will give you a surface that reflects light better than the raw clay and you will be able to see what the surface actually looks like. I prefere to stay away from glossy paints. Semi gloss or satin is best. The crystal clear thing some how makes sculptors feel their work is not being "filled in" by paint, but the reality is, the clear can't be seen so you have no real way to tell where its been added thickly and where you have missed all together.

Mold division can be done with thin sheet metal available in a home improvement store as roof flashing. Either as a coil or straight pieces. These can be cut with scissors and will not require tape. They will also be stiffer than cards. If you plan to use FRP directly on the clay, be sure to use PVA release and catalyze the resin at 2%-3% (by weight) in a room above 70 degrees. The clay will suck a lot of heat out of the resin, depending on how thick and cold it is. Use a gel coat and let it completely cure before adding additional material. Make sure all batches of resin are catalyzed at the same rate.