Mould material

[Dalboy]

What mould material do you guys use and where do you get it from. Also does it have a usable life in as much how many casts can you do before having to replace it.

 

[GSteer]

I spend the weekend thinking about moulds and then two threads pop up asking things I've been thinking. Looking forward to the answers on this too.

 

[bassethound]

Well dunno about others but I use a very high tec mould and it is very re usable indeed!



when you get fed up you melt em down lol
To hell with the price

 

[Buckeye]

For PR I use Vinamold it is not expensive and can be melted down again and again.

This is where I buy it, when I first bought it it was the cheapest stockist. It is not good for polyurethane resin, but is brilliant for PE. Yellow is the toughest and they sent me the Red even though I ordered the Yellow, but they told me to keep the red as it was their mistake and you can mix it, which I have done, PR releases without a problem.

Peter

 

[Jim]

Silicone rubber is what i use Derek, from here ..

 

[Penpal]

Great info mI will make moulds after our winter.

Peter.

 

[wm460]

I made a mould out of Silastic they type that gives off Acetic Acid smell(smells like vinegar).

 

[Penpal]

The question is open ended a bit like how many kms do you get from such and such a tyre. People I know wreck their molds be careless use some get great numbers of uses. I like the type Peter uses sounds economic when it can be re melted and reused.

Peter

 

[Buckeye]

The question is open ended a bit like how many kms do you get from such and such a tyre. People I know wreck their molds be careless use some get great numbers of uses. I like the type Peter uses sounds economic when it can be re melted and reused.

Peter

I have two saucepans dedicated to melting the vinamold, I put a layer of sand in the larger pan then the smaller pan inside that on the sand and then fill the gap between the two pans with sand, it acts line a bain-marie and helps distribute the heat for melting the vinamold. I also use a digital thermometer with alarms so it will bleep when it gets to 100C so I don't burn it and can then keep a closer eye on it until it gets to the correct temp.

Peter

 

[Dalboy]

Thank you guys the one Jim linked to is also the company that I get my resin from.

The silicone sealer moulds that I have seem to be expanding and the bottom of the mould is no longer flat this is the reason for going with proper material

 

[Themackay]

I still have to purchase /make moulds is the stuff you use ok for Alumilite Peter

 

[Buckeye]

I still have to purchase /make moulds is the stuff you use ok for Alumilite Peter

No, it is not good for polyurethane resin, although I am fairly certain it would work with a release agent, but I haven't tried that as I prefer not to use a release agent as if the tubes touch the release agent the resin won't stick in that place.


If you are making a block mould then you don't have to stick with vinamold or latex just use the plastic cutting board material and cut it on the bandsaw and screw the pieces together, I will take a photo of some I have made.

Peter

 

[Buckeye]

These are the mould in vinamould and I think made the others from HDPE.

Peter

 

[Dalboy]

Seeing those Peter would Corian make good mould for polyester

 

[Buckeye]

I am sure that's been asked before and I said, I don't think so, as I think the resin will stick to it, you could always try a bit of resin on a piece and see if it will separate. I seem to remember someone saying you could use corian if you use a release agent, but I would rather use hdpe even though I had to buy it. If corian works it would be cheaper as I have lots of it, but I also wonder if it would deform when the exothermic reaction takes place.

Peter

 

[Dalboy]

I am sure that's been asked before and I said, I don't think so, as I think the resin will stick to it, you could always try a bit of resin on a piece and see if it will separate. I seem to remember someone saying you could use corian if you use a release agent, but I would rather use hdpe even though I had to buy it. If corian works it would be cheaper as I have lots of it, but I also wonder if it would deform when the exothermic reaction takes place.

Peter

They were the two things I had questions about

 

[Buckeye]

I thought you had asked before about corian and I was right have a look here you will see that mark uses Corian with a mould release.

I wouldn't use a mould release as it could be problematic when stirring colours. I think it would be better to use thick builders polythene over each piece of corian before you screw it together, or you could get a nice thin even layer of silicon over each piece, but then you could do that with wood.

Peter

 

[Dalboy]

I thought you had asked before about corian and I was right have a look here you will see that mark uses Corian with a mould release.



Peter

Blimey Peter that was last year I have been asleep since then

Looks like I will make the box out of corian then use one of the mould materials inside. I feel an order coming on

 

[wm460]

I made a mould out of a chopping board, like you did Peter, the bloody resin stuck to the board and I had to cut it off with the band saw.

 

[Buckeye]

I made a mould out of a chopping board, like you did Peter, the bloody resin stuck to the board and I had to cut it off with the band saw.

I actually bought hdpe sheet which the resin doesn't stick to, but maybe the cutting boards in OZ are made from different material or you were unlucky that the board wasn't the right material.

Peter