mikey5string Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 With the great thread on RTV Silicone molds, I decided to try to go that route and make my first mold. I have a question. "RTV Silicone" is different than "100% Silicone" The title says RTV but the posts seem to say just plain old 100% silicone. I bought a tube of "High temperature" RTV at an auto parts store and the stuff was nasty. Very strong fumes, hard to work as its very stiff. I ended up making my mold box too large for a tube so I failed my first attempt. Then I read some stuff about RTV molds and it seems that people are using 100% silicone and adding water to basically turn it into RTV? I actually went to walmart and bought 4 more tubes of RTV. These were "low odor formula" regular "blue RTV" They were $4 each for small tubes. I was looking at plain silicone and it is much less expensive. Am I using the wrong stuff? Can I use the RTV now that I have it? IS there any way to thin it out a bit so it flows better? Thanks BTW My name is mike. Long time lurker etc. I love plastics and bass fishing as well as art, design and sculpting. I want to get into pouring and eventually make my own original designed baits. I have been researching, sculpting, messing with POP molds and buying materials for a few months and decided that the winter would be a good time to start actually pouring. thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oksparks Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) Here is an example of the RTV silicone that is being referred to: You can get it at Hobby Lobby. The cost of RTV "mold making silicone" is what has driven many to use regular silicone sealant (like you use to seal around your tub). Edited October 1, 2012 by oksparks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 2, 2012 Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 RTV stand for room temperature vulcanization. The 100% silicone caulk you buy in tubes is an RTV. It is just not as soft and flexible as the Alumilite stuff. Depending on how thick you make it, it takes at least 24 hours to set, straight from the tube. Adding a few drops of water to the 100% silicone makes it set up faster. It can set up in as little as ten minutes if you mix in the water well. Husky posted a tutorial here on RTV silcone molds. Use the Search feature, and you'll find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey5string Posted October 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2012 (edited) thanks. I returned the tubes of "RTV Silicone" and bought 100% Silicone in white. The RTV I had was in the auto section. It was in a tube and very thick and tough to work with. It was more expensive than 100% silicone as well. I used a few drops of blue acrylic paint as the catalyst to make it set fast and also to serve as a visual guide when mixing. It worked perfectly. Well, the silicone worked perfectly but I was using soft plastics to copy and they were a little soft for the silicone and some of the fine details werent captured very well. I am trying to copy a rage craw using an open pour so I cut the flange off one side of the claws so it would sit flat. I put the claws on the body of a bait that had a flat bottom as well. After the silicone mold, I made a POP mold. I am going to pout both and see what comes out better. I cant seem to find any pourable silicone or Alumalite at any of the hobby/craft/home improvements stores around here. I know that would be better in capturing details and thin appendages. I might go to a larger art store a few towns over to see if I can find anything better. You cant beat the silicone route for hard baits or baits with few appendages. I like how it seems possible to end up with a more round end product because of the flexibility of the silicone. I think you call them "undercuts". Still getting used to the terminology. I am going to pour a smoke color tonight. From what I have read a few drops of black and some glitter in the plastic before heating is how to get a translucent grey. I also have green pumpkin that I will pour. The thin claws and tails that I like so much will probably be my biggest challenge . Plan on having a few scrap attempts first. Thanks again. This is a really valuable forum for guys like me. I would have wasted a lot more $$ than I have trying to figure it out myself it it werent for this place. Mike Edited October 2, 2012 by mikey5string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixon529 Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) I cant seem to find any pourable silicone or Alumalite at any of the hobby/craft/home improvements stores around here. I know that would be better in capturing details and thin appendages. I might go to a larger art store a few towns over to see if I can find anything better. This is from the Alumilite website. Don't know which of their products these businesses might have available. Alumilite Retailers in CT Manchester - Time Machine Hobbies 860-646-0619 Middletown - Amato's Hobby 860-347-1893 Wolcott - Hobby Gallery 203-879-2316 Hope this helps. Rick Edited October 7, 2012 by rixon529 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildwolfproducts Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 Is there any place with more info on using the regular silicone sealant? Tried out some yesterday and did half a mold, but sure not as easy as the 2 part deal. Wish there was a way to make it thinner where it pours into and around Master part. I tried mixing did not work well. so just filled the bowl I was using and then placed my master part into the silicone then my keys to stick both parts back together. Any ideals on thinning this stuff down where it pours? Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
