King Bait Co. Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 (edited) Tried serach came up empty. what would I need to buy to make resin molds? Is it stuff the I can get at Home Depot or Lowes? What is the resin called? I think it is trasparent brown in color. How much does it cost to buy? Whats the best way to make the mold glue to a pan or press in from the top? Thanks for any help! Edited June 22, 2008 by King Bait Co. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Tried serach came up empty. what would I need to buy to make resin molds? Is it stuff the I can get at Home Depot or Lowes? What is the resin called? I think it is trasparent brown in color. How much does it cost to buy? Whats the best way to make the mold glue to a pan or press in from the top? Thanks for any help! There are 2 other active topics on Resin molds today, but heres a quick primer: Yes you can get it from Lowes or Home depot, look in the paint section around the adhesives & solvents, better deals can be had online. It is called polyester resin or fiberglass resin, there are other resins, but this is likely what you're looking for. Translucent brown is a standard color, it can be had in other colors, including water clear. Last time I checked it was @ $12 a quart at the home improvement stores (Bondo brand). You will get better results if you pour over the master models, rather than embedding them. embedding them requires pretty good timing. Other tips you should take into consideration is: mold release (PVA spray wax, manns release products & car wax come to mind) noticeable shrinkage of the resin as it cures (making 2 part molds almost impossible) Poly resin will eat styrene plastics & foam Exotherm cure, this stuff gets considerably hot as it cures, overcatalyzing has casued smoke & even spontaneous combustion. Hazardous vapors, prepare your area with good ventilation & protect your lungs. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COBRA Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 yes, fiberglass resin can actually be a real pain to make molds. i have made quite a few two piece molds, but they have been 50/50, some good some bad. you can use epoxy resins also and lose the shrinkage, but you are talking bout more $$$. with open face one pice molds, the shrinkage can warp the mold, if you keep your molds relatively thin you can drop in some boiling water and press flat to straighten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redg8r Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 Just for reference, after the "less than consistent" results with polyester molds, I tried a higher quality "vinyl-ester resin" to negate shrinkage, didnt help. I also tried adding powdered aluminum (i think its called "Alumina Trihydrate") to help disperse the heat in a heavily used mold.......nightmare. Another note to polyester pioneers, it helps tremendously to get the catalyst measured accurately, again, too much & it cooks the mold, too little & it's tacky for weeks. Honestly I think the only positive over plaster molds is the fact that you dont need to seal the mold cavities, because breakage (if dropped) is still an issue. Poly resin is relatively brittle, but I have some that still work great. Chirmy sent me one almost 6 years ago that still works like a charm. Cobra, you say epoxy resin has a negligible shrinkage factor? I'd love to make a GOOD 2 part resin mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zbass Posted June 22, 2008 Report Share Posted June 22, 2008 King, The fiberglass resin that i use is the Bondo brand. I have tried other brands and had different issues with them and have only used Bondo brand for the last three years. I get it at the Home Depot. I can't tell you about making a 2 part mold with it as I have never tried. You would have to use a good releasing agent to get them seperated and shrinkage could be a big problem if you don't get the hardner exact in both halves. There is probably a better material for that out there somewhere. The one sided molds are easy to do. I use a ceramic tile to glue my masters down to using super glue. The forms are wood and the insides are coated with vaseline. Seal the form down to the tile with caulking or silicon. Put something heavy to hold the form tight to the tile. As soon as the mold is hardand still warm, use a razor knife to cut the caulking and gently pry the form off. The mold will come off the tile without the need for a release agent giving you a glass smooth finish. Hope this helps. Zbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
