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This page is for those who create
their own Master Molds. Here I will try to describe the
processes and things I have found that have worked. This page is
to assist those who are working on making masters molds whether
the artist has a found object or those who are creating a
product line using the artist imagination in developing the
shapes.
The local hardware store
I have found my neighborhood
hardware store to be a place of ideas and a great place to just
hang out.:) When I get stuck trying to solve a problem the
hardware store has solved it for me several times. A couple of
examples:
Plastic base board - I made a round
master on my wood lathe and I had it water proofed. Now I needed
a dam around the outside edges so I could cast Best Mix in it. I
could not think of what to use. Making a round wooden dam was
out of the question. As I wandered in the hardware store I found
different widths of plastic baseboard and of different lengths.
I can cut it to any length I needed. I also found straps that
can be adjusted and that snap together solving my issue.
I had the unfortunate problem of
dry rot in our bathroom. After replacing part of the floor I
discovered I now have two different levels of floor by about 1/4
to 3/8 of an inch. (I cannot believe 3/4 flooring from 15 years
ago is not 3/4 today... Sorry for the rant) So I found out that
floor leveling compound is available and I made my purchase at
Home Depot. After using it I thought this stuff might make a
good compound making master molds. A couple of weeks later I had
a request to make a slumping mold and the example had one good
side and of course not the side that would make it easy. So, I
used the floor leveling compound for the first cast. It came off
the glass sample easily. I sanded the rough edges very nicely
but it did plug up the sandpaper quickly. I them dried the
casting and sealed it with fast drying spray paint. (the really
cheap stuff) Then I cast Best Mix over it, let it set up and the
two parted easily. The floor leveling master stayed together and
seems very strong compared to plaster of paris and worked very
well.
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