Post #626290 by KokoKele on Fri, Feb 24, 2012 12:06 PM

Good luck with the mold!

First step is to review this valuable tutorial:

Tutorial

Make sure you've built or acquired a mold form of the appropriate size. The one shown in the tutorial will work great.

I'm listing equipment and materials only. Refer to the tutorial above for handy hints and expert guidance. I'm not that good at this but have done it a few times.

In addition to everything below you'll need clear, fresh water.

Remember not to dump plaster down the drain! If you do you'll no longer have a drain!

You'll need:

Safety equipment! A dust mask for sure, rubber gloves if you're concerned about the effects of plaster on skin!

Drop cloths as needed

Paper towels or shop towels as needed

Clay-Soft, oil-based clay

Filler - you can use wood strips or some other material to act as filler so you don't have to use as much clay

A variety of tools to help you smooth the clay and get into corners and crevices

Stir sticks or a cage mixer and drill motor

Pottery plaster (ceramics shop have the perfect type; plaster of paris also works)- Buy a lot. It's cheap.

A couple of plastic scoops for getting plaster from the bag to the containers.

A kitchen-type scale for weighing your materials. You can use a fairly cheap one, but make sure you can "tare" it (set it to zero when something is sitting on it).

Several lightweight plastic containters for holding plaster and water when you measure them. Half-gallon or gallon should be fine.

A few cheap paint brushes (I use the throw-away types)

Orange shellac (optional)

Spray bottle for mold soap (optional)

Mold soap (found at ceramics shops; I believe you can use other media also)

A clean, good-sized plastic bucket (one gallon minimum? I use larger)

A wooden wedge to help part your finished mold parts

A rubber mallet for gently whacking your wooden wedge

Did I miss anything?

[ Edited by: KokoKele 2012-02-24 12:07 ]

[ Edited by: KokoKele 2012-02-24 12:22 ]

[ Edited by: KokoKele 2012-02-24 13:57 ]