Casting and Creating Modeling Work With EnvironMolds, LLC

Plaster is a simple, cheap and easily available material. It enjoys versatile usage too – right from coating walls and making false ceilings to craft works and other projects.

Plaster is also popularly used to make molds, shell molds, casts and even life casts. However, regular plaster will not do as it is quite soft and chalky. What you need is specially treated plaster that will be durable, resist crumbling or chipping and can hold finishes well.

And this is exactly why EnvironMolds provides CastRite Art Casting Stone. This fine arts powder proves to be an excellent choice for making all types of castings – be it figurines, statuary, picture frames, restorations or life casts.

The plaster is easy to mix and simple to work with. It cures quickly to create hard casts, and yet the casts can be carved and will hold good and crisp detail. The high-definition casts have a natural bright white finish and even air bubbles are minimized as long as correct mix ratios are maintained.

While CastRite obviously cannot be applied directly on the skin, the same formula can easily be used to make shell molds, latex slip castings and backup flexible molds.

So go ahead and source CastRite powder for your plaster casting from www.artmolds.com. Enjoy the casts and life casts but be careful while mixing and pouring, as all plasters tend to heat up a bit.

I have been practicing my hand at mold making and casting since the past many months. The horde of information available on the EnvironMolds website has been my guiding force throughout my journey into the world of these beautiful art forms. I have accessed the various instruction sheets and videos many times and managed to learn everything from how to make a simple block mold to complex mask making and everything in between.

I have been itching to try my hand at the more intricate art of making body molds right from the live human body. While www.artmolds.com again puts a lot of information and techniques at my disposal, I wanted more hands-on learning to get me started.

I soon found that EnvironMolds offers live workshops on a variety of subjects to fulfill this particular need itself. Customer service informed me that they have a Life Casting workshop scheduled soon and were even willing to accommodate my convenience.

I immediately signed up for the workshop that was to be conducted by none other than Ed McCormick himself! The 2-day workshop opened the doors to rich learning and interaction – I gained knowledge of everything from material selection, preparation, mixing and application to demolding, repairing, plaster casting, finishing and mounting. As I worked through hand casts and face casts on a live model, I even grasped the fine details about model preparation, comfort and posing.

This dream-come-true opportunity has managed to make me adept at creating beautiful life castings!

EnvironMolds has emerged as the perfect place to find any and every kind of art materials. The wide-ranging compilation features a selection of exclusive and valuable products as well.

Take SkinRite 10 for instance. This ArtMolds silicone rubber can easily bring your artworks literally to life. The soft and translucent rubber is suited for varied purposes, such as:

• It is the ideal rubber for realistic mask making.

• It lends itself especially well for doll ‘reborning’ projects. The dolls truly look lifelike.

• It can be effectively used for creating different kinds of special effects.

• It can aptly simulate real skin surfaces too. In fact, this rubber is regularly used for making realistic prosthetic skin pieces.

• Skins for robotic and animatronic figures can also be created using SkinRite 10.

• It is used for making different types of props, especially theme park props.

• Apart from casting arts, the same silicone rubber can also be used as a mold making material for easy demolding from severe undercuts. The molds will capture high detail and can be reused for multiple castings.

The best thing about SkinRite 10 is that it can be easily colored by adding silicone based paints. The resultant tint can imitate skin hues very well. Moreover, the silicone rubber is also stretchable and the elongation makes it further mimic the elasticity and translucency of skin.

Order your stock right away at Artmolds.com.

Working with clay – be it on the potter’s wheel or by hand – is quite an interesting and enjoyable prospect. You are only limited by your own creativity when making ceramic items. However, you do need to arm yourself with the right tools of the trade to be able to create a complete and attractive product. In fact, an artist requires a variety of tools for everything from rolling and preparing the clay to cutting, sculpting, piercing and finally finishing the ceramic object.

Given the popularity of designing ceramics and the difficulty of finding high quality tools, EnvironMolds has recently added a Ceramics section to its website Artmolds.com.

The superior collection features hand crafted and carefully assembled tools that by top European craftsmen. Each tool designed using potter’s recommendations. They contain only the highest quality materials including selected hardwood of European beech (Fagus, sylvatica) from the Catalan forests, carbon steel forged in Barcelona and cast aluminum. They are designed to last not for years but for generations.

It includes:

• Ceramic steel punches

• Hole cutters

• Potter’s ribs

• Wheel tools

• Trimming tool

•  Refractory supports

• Plaster rasps

• Tongs

• Funnels

• Gauges

• Sieves

• Mixers

•  Banding wheels and more

EnvironMolds’ product range includes all types of mold making and casting materials, tools and supplies for silicone casting, latex casting, resin casting, life casting and more.

As a casting artist, I feel that plaster is about the most versatile and efficient material for making both molds and casts. I use it regularly in my art studio and have even tried my hand at making life casts with the multipurpose plaster.

The only downside I face is the curing time. Indeed, art plaster takes a long time to set and cure completely – a few hours or even days at times. I often try to speed up the process with direct sun exposure, hand dryers and even baking in the microwave oven. This requires additional care as plaster can crack or spall at high temperatures. Therefore, it often gets quite frustrating to wait out the drying time, especially during humid weather.

Recently I chanced upon QwicKast Plaster and Gypsum Accelerator on the EnvironMolds website, www.artmolds.com. This accelerator claims to decrease set time to almost 8 minutes! And just a tiny amount will suffice.

I decided to give a try. All I had to do is add 1% accelerator to the plaster powder by weight and voila! The plaster cast had actually set in just 8 minutes. Adding 0.5% will bring down the set time to about 12 minutes while 0.2% require set time of around 18 minutes.

A word of caution - Use a gram scale to get the proportions right and never add the accelerator to the water first.

Apart from the useful accelerator, EnvironMolds also stocks plasters, gypsums and plaster of Paris bandages.

The art of mold making and casting makes it possible to reproduce anything you wish - be it a figurine, candle, soap, jewelry or even screws, door knobs, tires and architectural details. Similarly, it is even possible to duplicate body parts or even make face masks. An extensive offerings of materials and supplies are available to the artist such as clay, wax, plaster, gypsum, alginate, resins, rubbers and more.

Armed with the right materials and techniques, even a novice can replicate almost anything. EnvironMolds, a leading manufacturer and supplier of mold making and casting products, makes it easy for us to access all kinds of materials, supplies and equipment required in mold making and casting.

In addition to the regular range of rubber, resin, alginate, plaster and other materials, the art materials company has even covered studio accessories such as chisels, mixers, rasps, brushes, containers, gloves, masks, modeling stands, vacuum chambers, turntables, pumps, mounts, name plates and more. Every small requirement is thoughtfully covered – be it fibers, fillers, release agents, paints, dyes, eyes, body parts or anything else.

What helps EnvironMolds emerge as a truly comprehensive resource for mold makers and casting artists is the broad range of instructional materials, books and videos. This is supplemented by hands-on workshops and the founder, Ed McCormick is always ready to consult with artists who are in need assistance.

The company itself functions as a complete almanac with its How-to sections, safety instructions and more. So if you want to pick up stock of silicone rubber and polyurethanes or just find out how to make a two-part mold, look no further than EnvironMolds!

Plaster is a popular material for making molds, shell molds, casts and life casts. All you have to do is mix it with water to form a smooth paste. This will set quickly to form a hard mold or cast that can be sculpted easily.

However, regular plaster or Plaster of Paris is naturally soft and chalky. It starts peeling and cracking over time and fails to hold details well.

EnvironMolds offers specially-treated and high definition plaster powder that yield durable and high-definition molds and casts. Take a look:

• No. 1 Pottery Plaster – This superior plaster serves well for ceramic and latex slurry molds as well as for casting decorative ceramic ware, sanitary ware, dinnerware and fine china. It should be mixed with potable water and higher water temperature will significantly reduce the setting times.

• Dental Plaster – This white plaster forms a smooth mix and is easy to use. It is especially formulated for use in the complex field of dentistry such as articulation and flasking procedures. An advantage is that it does not harden like dental stone.

•  Ultracal 30 – This extreme-strength gypsum cement is particularly useful when high accuracy and surface hardness are required, such as close tolerance tooling or duplicator molds.

Each of these plaster varieties is available in 5 lbs, 20 lbs and 50 lbs packages.

In addition, EnvironMolds also stocks a full range of mold making and casting materials such as alginate, polyurethanes, latex, silicone and more.

Alginate is every life casting artist’s dream come true. It captures detailed body molds without harming the model in any way. However, it is a soft mold and needs to be reinforced with a shell mold for it to retain the shape.

While plaster or cheesecloth will work effectively as a mother mold that keeps the alginate from flopping on itself, another problem arises. Given that alginate does not adhere to anything, how will the alginate mold and plaster bind to each other?

Artists have devised a novel means by embedding fiber in the alginate mold surface. The fibers are what will bind the plaster to the alginate, thus keeping the two molds together after demolding!

However, regular cotton fiber will not do here. EnvironMolds offers veterinary grade and fluffy Kendal cotton roll for this purpose. And you don’t have to coat the entire alginate mold surface with the cotton fiber either; just a small square will do the job!

Indeed, just cut out about a six-inch square from the cotton roll and separate it into two equal halves. The inside will have soft and fluffy fiber which should be gently patted on to the alginate surface after spraying it with an alginate retarder. A light touch is needed so as not to disturb the alginate surface. One half of the cotton pad is enough as the fibers will adhere to the plaster mold and keep them together!

EnvironMolds even offers brass name plates engraved to give the finished life cast and elegant and professional finish!

The leading art supplier, EnvironMolds provides a variety of silicone mold rubbers to suit any kind of mold making activity. This two-part RTV material has emerged as the best choice for various mold types. And there are different varieties to suit different applications, such as:

• MoldRite 25 – This is a very popular variety as it is suitable for most general silicone mold making. It will create traditional silicone molds for figurines, giftware prototype tooling and stereolithography. It has a good shelf life, pot life of 2 hours, 40 minute working time and requires about 6 hours curing before it can be demolded. 

• 5-Minute Mold Putty – This is your choice of silicone rubber for making molds very quickly and easily. You can make good impressions within just 5 minutes even without a mold box. The silicone mold can be cast immediately. It is suitable for food grade applications too.

• SkinRite 10 – This is a soft and translucent silicone rubber that can be used for special effects or to simulate real skin surfaces. All it requires is a little tinting. It is apt for making realistic masks and doll reborning

• LifeRite – If you are looking for a skin safe silicone rubber for making life casts and duplicating body parts, LifeRite is the perfect answer. The body molds will be reusable too. 

•  BakeSil – This food safe silicone is FDA approved and can be easily used to make food molds and baking containers.

Perfect the art of making one part and two part molds to enjoy making silicone molds of almost anything!

As an art teacher, I am often faced with confused students who just don’t know when to make single part molds and when two or more part molds are required.

EnvironMolds has everything that a mold maker, life casting artist or sculptor might need and then some more. The catalog not only covers a full range of mold making and casting materials but also extends to all kinds of supplies, equipment and accessories that are routinely required by artists in their studios. The art supplies are truly varied and there’s almost nothing that can be found wanting.

Take the Bubble Buster for instance. EnvironMolds has carefully included this PVA mixture in its materials section so as to help artists cut down on the risk of bubble formation when making molds.

When making a mold, first apply a release agent on the original model before spraying a generous amount of Bubble Buster to cover the entire model. Now you can continue with the mold making and readily pour the mold material over the model without worrying about any bubbles.

The trick is that the mixture reduces the surface tension so that bubbles will not stick to the mold! The mix comes in a ready-to-use 6oz and 16 oz spray bottle.

Similarly, EnvironMolds also proffers a rich selection of brass name plates engraved in the art supplies section. You can choose from the sizes, fonts and mounting type to get a customized name plate for your artwork. This will instantly elevate your creation to a professional and gallery-like finish.

Check out your requirements at Artmolds.com.

As a fledgling casting artist, I have become quite adept at capturing the form of simple objects in negative molds. All I have to do is secure the model in a box before pouring or applying the mold making material of my choice. I am adroitly able to capture the intricate undercuts and angles with clay, alginate and even resins.

Now I am just itching to move on and try my hand at making molds of more complicated objects. I picked a shapely figurine for this task and was well aware that the level of detailing all around the model required me to make two part molds.

In simple words, this means that I cannot make the mold in one go. What I need is two molds with each part capturing one half of the model before merging them into a single composite mold.

I chose plaster for this job and started by making a parting line all around the figurine. I followed an ArtMolds video that showed me how to portion off below the parting line with clay and make keys on the clay perimeter. Making a mold of the remaining half was quite easy.

Once cured, I carefully removed the clay border before making a similar mold of the other side. The video guided me on exactly how to join the two parts of the mold together and strap it securely for the subsequent casting.

The mold turned out a little shaky but I was still elated with my first attempt at two part molds!

I have recently started indulging my hobby to make unique and artistic jewelry. The techniques of resin casting are simple to use and perfect for capturing almost anything before fashioning it into a distinctive accessory.

I started with plain items like small dried leaves and beads. I used small round and oval caps and containers to pour the resin over the item. Once cured, finished and glossed over, I could easily turn them into lovely pendants and earrings. The transparent hue framing the tiny pieces did look quite exceptional and very soon people started complimenting on my accessories.

It was when various friends started asking me for the source and I saw how they really wanted to pick some exclusive items, that I considered moving my hobby to a professional level.

Now I use mold trays of varied shapes and sizes to make inventive jewelry. I have even started adding dyes to create lovely hues and effects. Buttons, stones, feathers, sparkles, you name it and I have captured it in a delightful setting. People even bring special keepsakes that they want me to make into a memento that they can display or wear as they want!

You can rest assured that every earring, finger ring, bracelet, pendant or neckpiece will be totally one-of-a-kind and almost inimitable. The style quotient is bound to zoom!

A good thing about liquid latex rubber – apart from its flexibility and tenacity – is that it does not require a release agent. Indeed, a latex mold or cast will peel off easily on curing and generally does not require any release agent.

However, if the model used for making the latex mold is porous or brittle, a release agent is recommended. The preferred products for such applications are paste wax, thinned soap or a silicone spray. If using a watery soap mixture, it should be allowed to dry out before applying the latex.

Keep in mind that latex is soluble in petroleum based products. Petroleum jelly or other oil based compounds are a strict no-no unless you want the latex mold or cast to turn soft and mushy.

Many artists often use a thin mixture of castor oil and denatured alcohol (1:4) as an effective release agent when making latex molds or casts. It can be sprayed easily.

It is always better to test a release agent on an obscure area of the model or latex mold. Also ensure that the release agent does not leave any bubbles that can mar the final mold or cast.

EnvironMolds offers a wide range of mold making and casting materials and supplies such as liquid latex rubber, silicone rubber, polyurethanes, release agents and even mounts and name plates engraved for displaying the artworks.

Alginates are the mold making material of choice for life casting. This dental impression material is derived from seaweed and is completely safe for the skin.

The only drawback is that even after curing it stays soft and flexible. Therefore, it has to be reinforced with a mother mold that will enable it to hold its shape. Plaster bandages are commonly used for this purpose. Thin strips of plaster are rolled out, wetted and applied over the alginate. The plaster in the bandage dries quickly to form a firm and supportive shell mold.

However, the plaster itself may tend to peel back or curl away at times, especially on large surfaces. This will disengage the alginate and can distort the shape of the body mold.

We can overcome this problem by making locking keys before applying the plaster bandages. Place small acorns or clay molds with undercuts around the alginate mold while it is still mushy. Ensure that you completely cover these protrusions with plaster bandages as you work your way over the alginate. These ‘keys’ will lock the alginate and plaster molds together to form a hard body mold.

The plaster sets quickly and is demolded from the model before beginning the life casting process.
Keep in mind that at no point do you have to ‘unlock’ the two molds. They are used together during the casting.

I have been working on a play that has an elaborate tea party as its central theme. This is my first attempt at directing a play and yet, I have to admit that the painstaking planning and rehearsals seem to have come through. The curtain will go up this weekend and my team has been running helter-skelter to get the costumes and props ready for the big night.

It was only during the last minute preparations that it dawned on me that one of the boys will have to run out and raid the nearest delicatessen every evening to have the tea table heaving with buns, donuts, cakes and other delectable tidbits.

There is the fear of the foods going soggy or attracting pests, but the regular props I saw always looked so fake and phony! It was then that my assistant presented me with a selection of faux food casts from EnvironMolds. I really thought he was pulling my leg and actually picked up the ‘chocolate cake’ to see if it was ‘genuine’!

I have to admit that the donuts, petit fours, cakes and coffee looked oh-so-real even from up close. The food cast is made with liquid latex and the color and quality is such that they really deceive the eyes. We even used the Duncan coffee spill in a scene and it just added to the realism.

The audience is easily lulled into thinking the actors are partaking of a real feast and some even call us up to ask for the details of the bakery that makes all that ‘mouth-watering’ stuff!

Signing paintings with a flourish is always the trademark of a professional artist. It brands the art and gives a professional touch to the art.

How will you duplicate the same on your eye-catching cast or mesmerizing life cast? How will the gallery visitors or even your own generations-to-come identify your artwork? Do you want to let your hard work and creativity go unrecognized? Don’t you want your creation to get the honor it deserves?

The answer lies in a brass name plate! A fine nameplate not only elevates an artwork from the ordinary to a professional realm, but also lends a fine elegance to the art. It can be used to gracefully display the title of the cast/life cast, name of the artist and also the date of creation (if you want).

EnvironMolds recognizes this need and supplies chic brass name plates in addition to its sizable collection of mold making and casting materials. They are offered in varying sizes, edging and type of mounting. The company even offers to engrave both the art and artist details on the nameplate with a choice of fonts available to suit your taste.

The brushed low luster finish along with the customized details will work to enhance the importance of the artwork in the eyes of the viewer even while branding your masterpiece forever!