A few years ago ceramic molds and glass molds were used by dipping first in hot water then cold water so the casting would pop out. Many molds cracked or shattered using this method.
Throughout the years advancements have been made to the resin mold by using polyethylene plastic.
For molding polyethylene, tiny suction holes must be made in the model to allow suction to form the plastic over the master mold. Sometimes these suction holes are visible on the polyethylene molds.
These are not defects. To ensure molds stay in good condition for repeated castings, use mold release and clean your molds with soap and water. A sharp fingernail can make an indentation into a soft polyethylene mold.
Mold release is used for the resin not to stick to the mold. If you don't have mold release agent you can use baby oil by dipping a q-tip into baby oil and rubbing it inside the mold. You can also use cooking oil. Not to much.
(I personally wouldn't use mold release in the mold if I was using any form of clay. Using the mold release for clay you would have to allow it to air dry however it will moisten the clay making the clay sticky. I use ARGO Corn Starch as a mold release agent or baby powder or baking powder )
To keep your mold from sweating and moisture, brush or rub some corn starch to your mold and store them in an open container. If storing in a close container make sure you keep it away from where the temperature is a bit high.
Corn starch or baby powder can also be used as an easy release agent for clay. This helps the process of the clay not sticking to the mold. (Please note that I am not referring or speaking of "Paper Clay" since I don't have much experience working with paper clay. Clay I am referring to is Sculpey and Fimo Clay).
Also when molding with clay use corn starch or baby powder to rub and press down into the mold to get a smooth flat surface and to be able to remove any over lapping clay that is on the mold. This technique helps you shape your clay on the mold leaving you with less filing to do after the clay is baked. (I personally recommend ARGO Corn Starch) The clay I use the most is Sculpey Ultra Light Oven Bake Clay which comes in a pink and white package and has a necklace with a round pendant on the packaging. This clay is soft and extremely easy to work with. As for shaping and filing my clay or resin piece I use an electrical nail filer one that can be purchased at K-Mart in the beauty department. Valued at $9.99. And you would use the skinny round filing tip.
You also have the option of making your own molds with RTV silicone or latex.
Note:
Always test molds that are not made specifically for resin by putting a little resin on the back of the mold. Resin will become permanent in most candy molds.
I hope this information is useful. Any questions feel free to leave a comment either here on my blog or on my FB http://www.facebook.com/victorian.fairys or you can always email me at inspireadcreatemagazine@gmail.com
Thank You.
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