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Post by realnicemark on Dec 8, 2007 16:38:37 GMT -5
I'm looking into making molds, running into huge number of options on sculpture websites, and wondering if anyone has some recommendations before I start from scratch.
Have you for folks you know made positive molds from wax, or clay, or wood, and to make the negative molds from them have you used silicone, plaster (which you'd presumably then coat with teflon or shellac)? What materials have you used? I'm interested in Elastack, as it can be re-used (and I'm likely to make lots of mistakes), but it melts at such a high temp that it'll melt any wax I work with. I'm curious about the two part epoxy-ish modeling clays, but they're expensive, and have other problems.
In short, have others out there made their own molds, and if so what has worked for them?
I'm of course also interested in hearing how safe some of these materials are which have not been certified as food-grade, but which are at least sufficiently non-toxic that skin-contact is expected.
Thanks for any information, Mark
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Post by Alchemist on Dec 17, 2007 8:08:53 GMT -5
Hey Mark. That seems to be the situation - expensive or toxic. I have yet to find any good middle roads. I have been making non-food molds for years, and nothing seems to be easy. I can offer a few tips based on years of work.
Don't go with a plaster of any type. It will break and is just not worth it in the end.
You could consider liquid latex of the type used in the makeup industry BUT BUT BUT I don't know if it has any properties that would prohibit it from being used for food. And if you do us it, you are going to want a very thick mold and/or back it with something rigid.
Silicone: You want to look for food grade or one often called "Platinum". Many are tin based and not appropriate for food. There is a product by Chef Rubber that I find quite expensive, but is for just what you are talking about.
BTW, I always use clay for my mold positives. But you have be to aware of what you are going to mold with it. Some mold compounds don't play well with some clays. Sulfur in the clay keeps some elastomers from setting up.
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Post by joyojoy on Dec 17, 2007 14:37:43 GMT -5
I've actually been researching mold compounds because I want to make a chocolate picture frame mold. I think I'm going to try the Silicone Plastique (which is available at just about every chocolate equipment supply place*) -- it's a bit expensive (About $22 per lb), but it looks like it's easy to work with and it is food safe. *Try here: www.culinart.net/silicone.html
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Post by realnicemark on Dec 17, 2007 20:15:26 GMT -5
We looked into the Plastique, but decided it was too expensive to experiement with initially, and ended up trying Elastack (http://www.sculpt.com/catalog_98/RUBBERS/Elastack.php). We were worried about our clay sticking to the Elastack, so we coated the former with ghee, which may relate to why, even though we cleaned the molds out well, the chocolate, after being poured and seeming to have set properly no top, was slimy (and quick to bloom) where it interface with the Elastack. I think we'll not be doing more tests in the near future (I'm through with Chocolate for a while), but wanted to at least post up the results of this experiment.
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Post by Alchemist on Dec 18, 2007 10:33:02 GMT -5
I've actually been researching mold compounds because I want to make a chocolate picture frame mold. I think I'm going to try the Silicone Plastique (which is available at just about every chocolate equipment supply place*) -- it's a bit expensive (About $22 per lb), but it looks like it's easy to work with and it is food safe. *Try here: www.culinart.net/silicone.htmlYep, that's the stuff - pricey. Due to it's softness you end up using quite a bit. But it seems to be one of the only games in town.
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Post by ripvanwinkle on Dec 31, 2007 12:57:56 GMT -5
I'm wondering if a rough mold cant be made with the expensive silicone for the fine tuning only.
I have worked with Dow Corning. I wonder if we couldnt open a supply line with them. Wouldn't here be a good quantity if we all could buy together - say thru Alchemist?
One problem is the hot spots that I have been getting when molding my white chocolate in commercially available silicone molds. Is the silicone the cause of the hot spots? Are the hot spots caused by the thickness of the silicone? Does that make the silicone a dead deal I wonder?
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saki
Neophyte
Posts: 1
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Post by saki on Dec 1, 2008 13:41:03 GMT -5
i was just wondering if anyone's thought of using alginate to make a negative mold..?
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Post by doris on Dec 1, 2008 22:55:38 GMT -5
I made some chocolate molds, or some molds that I poured chocolate in, and they came out perfect. I think it is not food-grade, though. It is the green silicone rubber from Dow Corning. You can call Dow Corning and they will direct you to a distributor in your area. That supplier will send you a free one pound of the Dow product you want to try. That is what I do. Then I know if it will work for me, and I buy from their distributor. Anyone wanting to hire a sculptor/artist can go to www.guru.com. The most well-known artists are on there, to just starting people. One person that I would recommend is Sue Beatrice. Look her up. She appears to be Disney's first choice. She's a great lady, and somehow, she is related to Al Capone or someone like that. Used to scare her dates! LOL! She has a website that you can look up on line. Great to work with!
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Post by doris on Dec 1, 2008 22:55:57 GMT -5
When I did cast my chocolate's, they looked so pretty, no one would eat them! LOL!!! Great medium to work with.
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