Casting and Creating Modeling Work With EnvironMolds, LLC

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!

Sodium silicate – or water glass as it is popularly known – is easily available on the EnvironMolds website. It is offered as an aqueous solution that is relatively odorless. Other benefits of this inorganic mix are that it is resistant to moisture, fire and even high temperatures.

Given that the primary contents of water glass are sand and alkali, the solution is largely nontoxic and also does not harm the environment in any manner.

EnvironMolds provides sodium silicate solution for sale in a 1 pint bottle with options of buying 1 gallon and 5 gallon containers too. The price remains reasonably low and cost-effective in keeping with the general price policy of the accomplished art supplier.

The bottle recommends that the product should be used within a year after the date of manufacture. However, it has been repeatedly proved that unopened and properly stored containers retain an almost unlimited shelf life!

So, always seal your sodium silicate containers properly and store them in a cool, dry and

Do not allow the sodium silicate solution to freeze either. On the off-chance that this happens, you can try thawing it with indirect heat before mixing properly again.

It is always advisable to wear splash-proof goggles, rubber gloves, boots and coveralls while using water glass as it may irritate or burn the skin and eyes on contact.

Making a mold with clay, ceramic, rubber or polyurethanes seems quite simple. All you have to do is capture the shape of the model you wish to replicate with the mold making material of your choice.

However, a lot of finer points also enter the picture. I too realized the technicalities involved only when I actually got down to the task of making a mold. I was trying to reproduce a beautiful statuette and this opened the door to learning how to make a two-part mold!

That was not all. While making the first part of the mold, it dawned on me that I should be able to join the two parts of polyurethane molds together too. I started reading up about mold keys and carefully watched a demo video before using acorn nuts for the task. I carefully placed them all along the perimeter of the first mold part. I now knew that once the other part was done, the protrusions and indentations would help me to properly patch up both the parts in the right place.

As I was getting ready to make the cast, an experienced artist happened to point out that air could easily get trapped inside my closed mold creating unsightly gaps in the finished cast. I was flabbergasted once again until he explained to be that I should make small sprue holes along the surface of the mold to allow the air to escape.

I was finally able to make a decent reproduction of the statuette and I know it’s no cut-and-dried job at all!

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!

When it comes to polyurethanes, we mostly think of rubber formulas that are widely preferred for their superior physical and performance properties. They are known to capture minor details and undercuts well, making their resin counterparts pale in comparison.

However, polyurethane resins cannot be left behind for long. What works in favor of the resin formulas is that they are very easy to use and have a wide variety of setting times – from very fast – to slow. You are saved from the carcinogenic producing smells of polyester resins too!

Available in both opaque and water-clear with non-yellowing, UV inhibitors varieties, these resins are especially favored for cold casting artworks to reproduce a realistic look of metals, stone or wood. Apart from this, they can be effortlessly used to cast figurines, displays, rapid prototypes, special effects and sculpture reproductions.

Take EnvironMolds Casting Resin for instance. This polyurethane is a pourable two-part resin that is used to make castings from both rigid and flexible molds.

The curative and prepolymer have to be measured and mixed together in equal quantities. The casting system cures quickly at room temperature to form anivory-colored, lightweight, hard plastic. Therefore, mix only as much as you can pour within its 2 minute pot life!

Just like polyurethane rubbers, this resin also needs to be de-gassed prior to use to avoid air bubbles. Using an appropriate release agent is also imperative. After a few hours, you can drill, grind, sand or paint it as required!

Liquid latex rubber is a popular art material that is used for making latex mask as well as creating other theatrical effects such as wrinkles, scars and gashes for film, television and stage. The cheap price coupled it qualities of toughness and durability make latex rubber a commonly used material in the world of art.

However, regular latex rubber proves to be quite viscous. Fillers or extenders are required to control the flexibility or rigidity in the rubber latex castings.

EnvironMolds offers ‘RubRfil Latex Mold Rubber Filler and Extender’ expressly for this purpose. All you have to do is mix requisite quantity of RubRfil with the liquid latex rubber. This will thicken the mix and also extend the material so that you need to use less quantity of latex rubber.

RubRfill works by subtly altering the form and function of the latex. Varying the amount of this extender and hardener enables you to easily control the amount of hardness and flexibility as desired.

For beginners, the following recommended combinations will prove handy:

•    Very flexible - 1 part liquid latex rubber  to 0.5 part RubRfil

•    Flexible - 1 part liquid latex rubber  to 1 part RubRfil

•    Medium flexible - 1 part liquid latex rubber  to 1.5 parts RubRfil

•    Very hard - 1 part liquid latex rubber  to 2.5 parts RubRfil

You can work your way through these suggested ratios to get the kind of flexibility or hardness you require.