Help / Advice needed please

[831]

Hi All.

I do a lot of plaster cast moulding with lots of things, I have teddies galore. I have fish, letters, numbers, animals in all kinds of actions. I think that gives you the idea, anyway I have come across some mouldings that are up on some tiles in a bathroom & I would like to take moulds of them.

Now I can not take them off the walls, so I have to find some way of being able to take good moulds of them. Has anyone any idea's, I need to find something that I can put in lets say a small made shallow box, just big enough to go over these items I wish to take moulds of. So I need some kind of material that I can put in these boxes that will set very hard quickly & that will come off the item with no problem after I have done what I need to do.

I think that explains what I want to try to do & I hope that there may be someone out there in the big beyond, that can give me the information I need to get the moulds I would like.

Yours in hope
831

[Potter Doodle Doo]

Maybe Alginate or clay would work. Alginate is what dentists use to take impressions of teeth, but it does set extremely quickly. It's not something that I have used however. Clay would make a very good impression, but maybe messy and the water from this may drip on your wall.

Whatever you use, I would test in a small area first to ensure that it works for your chosen practise.

[goldy1]

I have made molds in this way in the past and it is a 3 step proses.
1. you need something to make the impresion with.
2. fill impresion with plaster. remove from mold when dry.
3. paint latex over plaster building up layers.

If your latex isn't to thin you could try painting over tile in thin layers. only if the tile is glazed. but this method is tricky.

This site sels various latex moulds and is very helpfull with any questions if you phone them. They have a shop in Mancheshter. ttp://www.fredaldous.co.uk/category_L.htm

[Apple Tree Crafts]

Fimo?

The air drying variety? Would that do?

Press it over your shape, ease it off and leave to dry? Or could you mould plasticine over the shape and use the imbossed shape to make a latex mould, painting thin layers into the plasticine?

I'm no potter/sculptor, you can probably tell....

Jules

[831]

Hi All.

Thanks for all your help up to now, its all very useful. I just have no idea on what I can use as its not an area I have gone into as of yet. Though as I said I can not take these things off the wall, or even damage them in any way. If that happened I would be in a lot of trouble & I do not want that now do I.

Mind you I am always in some kind of trouble with my wife as she is always saying to me, what on earth do you want to keep that for, its just a piece of old plastic packaging. But you can get all sorts of things from some of this packaging. Shapes designs, plinths for models, you can carve some of them into models.

So as you can see I am a bit of a squirrel as well with this crafting. Its like some kind of bug you get & can not shake it off, te he he. Again thanks for all your help up to now all further advice & suggestions welcome.

Have fun all
831