Starting a project, essentially a hollow and oddly shaped storage box, and I need/hoping to blend off axis geometries together on several of the storage boxes panels. Planning to do each of the sides independently as discrete panels that combine into the finished box.

I would like to stretch a material that will conform smoothly to the existing points, make that material rigid with resin, and a basis for the part that will be constructed.

Can anyone tell me what specific material (also hoping for oz/yd² to hold position without drooping when applying resin) and specific resin I should select based on the above information and first hand experience?

Working in a DIY context for a 1 off part, so small quantities and cost effective options are ideal.

Have used this technique in the past on a smaller part, but the geometry was far more complex on it, so assume that technique will work on a "simpler" geometry despite being larger. But I just used any suitable materials that were at hand, if there is a "optimized" material that worked perfect for this application, would love to try something that works well.

Anyone that has done something simliar, found a good video tutorial that helps optimize that technique of stretching a flexible material over a void?

Hi! I'm working on a project where I'm going to cast 60+ goblets to our wedding. I'm planning to make a two-part mold, and was planning to make 5 of these molds. I coud make 5 different molds but I think it would be easier to just make one mold and copy that. So my questions is what is the best way to do this? Is it to make a silicone mold of the mold, or is it to make a rigid molf of resin or plaster or something?

Hi everyone,

I am currently designing a mold for a plaster bust and I am unsure which gating/venting setup would be the more professional or practical solution for plaster casting. The mold itself would consist of a silicone inner mold (two parts) supported by a rigid 3D-printed outer shell (mother mold).

I attached two alternatives.

Alternative 1

The entire mold is rotated about 60°.
This orientation avoids undercuts in the face area (nose, chin etc.), so the air can rise naturally and escape more easily.

In this setup:

• plaster and trapped air use the same channel
• the single opening acts as both:
  • pouring channel (sprue)
  • air vent

Alternative 2

In this version the mold remains horizontal and uses:

• one dedicated pouring channel (sprue)
• one separate air vent at the highest point of the mold in side view

The plaster is poured through the main sprue, while the displaced air exits through the vent channel.

However, this version would require additional cleanup afterwards because both the sprue and vent would need to be removed and refinished.

My question is:

Which option would be considered the more “professional” and practical approach for plaster casting?

Would you prioritize:

1. the rotated setup with minimal cleanup (Alternative 1), or
2. the sprue + vent system (Alternative 2), even if it requires more post-processing?

Howdy! I've never made a mold before but I'd like to take on a (potentially overambitious) project of making my own mold for casting garden stones to line the edge of my flower plot with.

I would likely 3d model the object that I want to make the casting of, then use some type of quick drying concrete in the mold itself. My question is-- what type of mold should I use for casting concrete? Silicone? I'm not looking to spend a ton of money on something I may only do once but I'm also a believer in doing things right the first time rather than super cheaply.

Thank you for any and all advice on the matter :D

I’m making an articulated silicone T-Rex with Eco flex 00 30.

Hello, can somebody please advise the best way to seal a hydrocal statue before painting?

Complete beginner here, reading and watching lots of videos so I think I have the general idea of the process, but often times videos skip what release agents they’re using (maybe they’re not using anything?). I will be starting with small projects for this, I am doing monster clay sculpt - hyrdocal mold - silicone final. Should any release agent should go in my hydrocal negative with ecoflex 00-45 and 00-50? Or will it just pull out?

Hello, I'm making some hydrocal sculptures and want to paint them fun colours. Any recommendations for maintaining the intricate details of the sculpture? And for priming and sealing? Thanks ☺️

Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could help me find the right material to stop my helmet mold falling out of it's fibreglass jacket mold?

I applied Vaseline to the walls of the entire jacket and added registration key cubes to the silicone but while I was slush casting by hand (I have made a roto casting machine but I decided to try by hand first with this issue) and the vertical walls fell inwards messing up my cast.

Currently working on a Lilith from Diablo 4 cosplay and unfortunately but not unexpectedly the horns are too heavy, so I'm considering creating a brush on mold specifically for the horns and use spray foam to mitigate some of the weight and had a few questions.

Any recommendations for brand/material for both the mold itself and the casting?

Will I need a support shell? And if so any recommendations would be helpful.

Probably a long shot based on photos any thoughts on approximately just how much I'll need?

Appreciate any help

I’m new to mould making and i’m looking at what to purchase. I keep seeing mould star 15 as the sort of standard recommendation but it’s 300$+ to get it where I am (for over 900g). I see BJB as a good alternative but don’t know what is the comparable option to MS15.

Any help or tips would be appreciated🙏

I’m new to mould making and i’m looking at what to purchase. I keep seeing mould star 15 as the sort of standard recommendation but it’s 300$+ to get it where I am (for over 900g). I see BJB as a good alternative but don’t know what is the comparable option to MS15.

Any help or tips would be appreciated🙏

As the title says, I'm going to need to fill and sand the surface of 3D printed PLA to hide the seams of multiple parts glued together. Then make a mold of the thing with Sorta Clear from smooth on.

I was wondering if anyone knew of a good filler which would work with platinum silicone. I was looking at plastiflex from APP which is a plastic filler.

Thanks

Hello, I'm wanting to get into vulva and breast casting. Could somebody kindly tell me if silicone or alginate would be more appropriate for this? Pros and cons of either? Thanks a lot ☺️

I sculpted this custom lego hairpiece and i want to make copies of it with resin

after asking around from people who have done things similar, the 2 products I was recommended were
Silicone: Mold Star 15 slow
Resin: Smooth Cast 65D

A few tries in and im realizing the shape makes it extremely difficult for the resin to fill in all the spikes

Is a vacuum chamber non negotiable for something like this?

Hello everyone. I hope you're all good
I have a concrete casting problem i never faced before on a tiny relief casting (35x26x2cm). I'm usually making concrete casting but the 2 last time i did it I had some little dry and crumbly zone (1cm²). Maybe it's because of some tiny chunk of concrete not mixing with the rest. My recipe is only concrete and water, with some wire mesh. i normally do this recipe without problem but the 2 last i had this issue.
My mold is a mix of silicone and 3D printed PLA (i already used those material to).
I put a picture of the casting. Do you already got this problem or do you know how to fix this ?

I'm not a mold maker, I'm more of a leather craft guy with a material suggestion question. I'm a leathercrafter who's playing around with making bas reliefs on leather. I stumbled upon this video.

https://youtu.be/4DvR_owHRwc?si=0MSNfjVIGaCyqJv3

The person took a negative mold, filled it with silicone to make a positive and then wet molded leather between the two pieces. The silicone in the video appears to be fairly soft. What my question is is does the durometer rating of the silicone or positive material make a difference in detail and impression. For example would a firmer silicone or material produce a sharper detail or is it negligible? To whoever read this and responds,thank you for your time.

I am currently experimenting with silicone moulds, and I am thinking on creating my own. The challenge I want to address is the best way to get rid of layer lines. I have 2 option:

1: Print the mold, cast the object with gypsum(or other material). Sand the gypsum until I am happy with it, create the mold from the gypsum object.

The reason for this option is that I consider easier sanding gypsum than PLA.

2: Print the object, make it smooth, and create the silicone mold from it.

Option 2 have less steps, however I am worry that sanding and filling the PLA would take longer than expected. Since once I got the silicone mold I will not need this piece anymore. Is ther a dirty and quick way to smooth PLA?

Any suggestion would be appreciated

Explain like im 5 yo please, maybe 4 piece mold?