Silk Mermaid » Moldmaking: the hair (4 of 4)

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Coral Mermaid (2006) - photo by Mike Edenfield

"If you are going to take your precious free time for months and build something, there is no excuse for second-rate work. You cannot claim client deadlines or lousy budget, since you have control over both of them.

"The opportunities to do the great defining pieces of your career come around once every couple of years. Are you going to waste those rare chances on a less-than-grand endeavor?"

Read "How it happened."

About Kim Graham

Kim has sculpted since the mid-1980s in a wide variety of media and sizes, ranging from fired clay figuratives to architectural ceramic pieces to 22-foot fiberglass dragons. The online Kim Graham Studios gallery shows some of her work. Her current interest is large-scale architectural pieces. Kim lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. She is accepting new commissions at kimsculptor (at) gmail (dot) com. (More about Kim Graham.)

Kim’s recommendations

Sculpting supplies

I use "Le Beau Touche" modeling clay from Chavant. This plasticine goes for approximately $4/pound. It is mid-level hardness, formulated for northern climates.

I make molds using these materials from Smooth-On corporation:

Mold Max 30 high-tear-strength silicone rubber
Plasti-Paste Trowelable Plastic
Thi-Vex II Silicone Thickener (thixotropic agent)

My supplier here in Washington state is Far West Materials.

(By the way, Smooth-On's site offers amazing must-see moldmaking video instructions. I wish I'd had these when I was starting out!)

I strengthen the mold rubber by adding small amounts of Fibermesh 150 e3 polypropylene multifilament fiber (often called "stealth fiber"), sold by concrete suppliers . Here in Seattle I use Glacier Northwest.

Glue gun

My hot glue gun, the 3M Scotch-Weld Hot Melt Applicator TC, costs about $100-140 and is well worth it. I’ve burned up seven ordinary $25 glue guns in the past two years. This orange beast can effortlessly put out several pounds of glue a minute. It requires specific shaped glue sticks available in 11-pound boxes. You can find great deals on the web.

Silk Mermaid > Moldmaking: the hair (4 of 4)

Moldmaking: the hair (4 of 4)

Posted by Allen | Art and design, Technique | Sunday 30 November 2008 4:14 pm

Moldmaking: the hair (4 of 4)

To open the mold, remove all the bolts and place screwdrivers in the seams. It is easier if you work three or more sides at once. As one opens up and stops, another will have just enough leverage to move more.

Lots more photos after the jump.

First piece off! Yeah!

First piece off! Yeah!

Step ahead through a day of intense grinding. I have smoothed and cleaned all the edges. You can see the bolts holding the whole thing together. They are close to the surface and easy to remove.

Step ahead through a day of intense grinding. I have smoothed and cleaned all the edges. You can see the bolts holding the whole thing together. They are close to the surface and easy to remove.

It is also easy to see the advantage of legs. They elevate the mold to a comfortable level and permit effortless access to the underside bolts.

This little trick will save you hours: brightly colored seams, a different color for each of the edges (in this case, ten). When a mold is disassembled and on the floor, it is impossible to tell what fits together where.

Removing the rubber from the original. Yes, the original clay will be damaged or destroyed in this process.

Removing the rubber from the original. Yes, the original clay will be damaged or destroyed in this process.

The mold interior. I have drilled small holes in the registration grooves, one hole every five or six inches.

The mold interior. I have drilled small holes in the registration grooves, one hole every five or six inches.

The rubber snapped into place. Notice how aggressively the rubber is held into the hard outer shell. No slumping or slipping.

The rubber snapped into place. Notice how aggressively the rubber is held into the hard outer shell. No slumping or slipping.

The mold exterior showing a hole drilled on the registration line

The mold exterior showing a hole drilled on the registration line. The drilled holes allow you to see if the rubber is fully connected to all the registration groves. In a mold this complex, it is easy to have areas that don't snap in. Instead, they float. That would mean disastrous distortion in the cast piece. This is how you check to see that it is all correct.

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