Casting and Creating Modeling Work With EnvironMolds, LLC

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!

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.

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.

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!

EnvironMolds has emerged as a leading supplier of mold making and casting materials, tools, name plates engraved and other accessories. Apart from equipping both novice and experienced artists with anything and everything they need to bring their vision to life, Ed McCormick tries to assist them every step of the way.

The company even provides access to instructional books, videos and live workshops that prove to be very helpful. This is supplemented by the storehouse of information available on the website Artmolds.com.

There are helpful links to almost anything you want to know, from mold making basics to life casting technicalities to even material safety information. Even a casual visitor to the website can quickly glean various useful tidbits such as the fact that silicone rubber does not stick to anything but itself, and therefore does not usually require a release agent. Or the reality that liquid latex rubber should not be inhaled deeply as it has a good amount alcohol mixed in it!

Just by looking carefully, you can understand the role of fibers and fillers in mold making and casting as well as the difference between polyurethane resin and its polyester counterpart. Clicking on the particular links will also help you to learn different things from how to make a life cast to even doll reborning.

There’s all this and much more in store! Go check it out!

containers to vibrating tables, vacuum pumps and chambers. There are different types of mounts and even