Casting and Creating Modeling Work With EnvironMolds, LLC

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!