Mold Making with MonsterClay.

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:07 pm

Hi Guys & Dolls. I posted awhile back, having some query's of My Molds I make for Silicone. This is My Formula of ( 50% MonsterClay to 50% Paraffin Wax ). (common candle wax). ( 5lb.tub of clay, to 5lb.tub of wax, melted & stirred in a big 'visions' Pot ). here are some finished Molds of a Head for my "VIXSIN" Booty Body. The Mold made is a (2pc.) Mold. some would say, well...why not just mold in urethane, resin, or some other type material ? well, I'll tell you my good man. 1st, if you mold in other materials, & you have any air holes, lines, imperfections,....that's it ! your stuck with your mold, & waisted material..$$$..by, by to your $$$ !
so, I, ..am old school. I don't mind a little work. you see, the 50% mix, is "WORKABLE" !!! so, when I Molded my pieces, yes...I did have a couple, literally 2 pot holes in the Mold. so, all I did was trim my fingernails, go in with a VERY little spec of MonsterClay, dipped my finger in Mineral spirits, & smoothed in my Imperfections. the pics speak for themselves ! so, my good man, with a little finesse, patience, time &....for heavens sake, calm down, & go slow,......"YOU" can have "PERFECT" Molds for your projects ..Every time ! ....the best part ? everything I used is,...."RE-USABLE" !!!
you can melt these molds down, Indefinently ! so,....

here's to you & best of luck.

hints.: to smooth clay, (trim fingernails), dip finger in mineral spirits, smooth out. rough areas can be smoothed with 3M pad lightly, then rub a "Paper Towel" dampened with Mineral spirits for final prep. Paper Towel is equivalent to 800-1000 grit sandpaper for the Clay-Wax Mix.

( re-cycle-re-use-re-purpose ) save your $$$ for your Doll !........& Your Welcome !......MM.

dollman2 · Post by **dollman2** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:12 pm

great idea

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 4:14 pm

NOTE: The back half was not worked because the head will be covered with a Wig. I also skipped working the ears. you can tell the difference between the two...........MM.

Post by **AikoDoll** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 5:06 pm

What was your original model made of? Did you make the mold over a silicone head, what the head made of? I am doing some mold making myself. Thanks

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Sat Apr 12, 2014 9:23 pm

grafx,. hi. The head I molded was a Fiberglass mannequin head. you can also mold other materials with MonsterClay, except extruded plastic. it will run right off, UNLESS you "dip" the piece into a Pot of Melted MonsterClay/Wax mix. you will have to do this, several times, but yields a great mold. what I do, is have my Pot of Melted Clay, & a Large bucket of cold water near by. dip the plastic part in the Liquid clay, then the water, dip in clay, then in water, ....so on, until you are happy with the thickness. MonsterClay Hardens pretty quick in cold water, so this would be a quick, "Dip Mold" Technique.then, just cut your mold in half (seamline), with a dull butter knife, pull the Mold apart, & pull your piece out. I usually use PAM cooking spray as a release on everything, & it wont hurt your Clay !....MM.

Jaycent · Post by **Jaycent** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:31 am

A very interesting material. I tried getting it to work, but it quickly separates if it is left to sit in its liquid state. How did you apply this to get thick walls as you have? Did you apply it in thick layers and let sit, or did you apply it in several thin layers, cooling each in water like you've described? If I pour any significant amount of it in one go, it will separate before it cools.

I did find a great companion material to your rigid re-usable mold. A FLEXIBLE re-usable mold. The home made version uses 1 part water, 1 part honey, 2 parts gelatin and 2 parts glycerin dissolved together over low heat. http://www.instructables.com/id/Using-g ... ics/#step1 There's a brand name variant called "Composimold" http://composimold.com/. I don't know how it differs as I haven't tried it, but I'm happy with the home made version. I stumbled upon this recipe while googling around for "re-usable mold". This stuff melts and re-solidifies (gelatinizes?) very easily, and it behaves very much like some of the tougher shores of RTV silicone. You could use this stuff for a surface mold, and then the clay/wax combo for a mother mold. However I have come to love the stuff for testing. I can throw the stuff around in experiments without worry of using up expensive silicone. For example, testing out various filler substances doesn't use up your silicone supply. I'm trying out some ideas with embedded magnets into for concepts like attachments and temporary joins.

MannequinFan · Post by **MannequinFan** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 2:10 pm

Wow Jaycent thanks for that link! I've bookmarked that one!

Sounds like some interesting stuff. Does this stuff deteriorate or decay if not kept refrigerated?
Any experiments with the foamed gelatin mix?

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:03 pm

MannequinFan, hi. No, the Mix does not deteriorate after time, & no need to refrigerate. (although refrigerating does make the material become harder & more durable.(like hard plastic) (at room temp., I have separated a 2pc. mold, pulling them apart & you can actually "bend" this stuff without cracking or breaking. I did this intentionally, just to see how pliable it was, & I just squeezed & shaped the mold halves back together, matching up the keys & they slipped rite in, & I couldn't tell any difference. ....AMAZING STUFF ! the MonsterClay is just the shit by itself, but the 50/50 mix is...'da bomb'
only thought of

... yours truly !...MM & your welcome. I haven't cast anything but Silicone yet, but sure other Materials would come out ok. I know urethanes will work fine. I forgot, but yes, I cast a urethane face, & it came out fine. no mold release really needed because of the wax content, although a light dusting of pam wont hurt....MM

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Wed Apr 16, 2014 4:15 pm

Jaycent, hi. yes, when working with the 50/50 mix, you must stir occasionally, & once mixed, pour it on. I did several coats. building up the mold. yes, you can cool with water at each coat, but that might cause separation. what I do, is melt the clay & wax together on the lowest setting on the burner, (MonsterClay can scorch), stirring occasionally.) have "YOUR WORK" chilled before you pour, is how I got each coat to cool so quickly. this will eliminate the need to cool each layer. try that, & see how that does for you. I think you'll be happy. did I mention that I used "Regular" MonsterClay for my mold wall as well ? put a thin dusting of Pam on this as well as your CHILLED work. .MM

Jaycent · Post by **Jaycent** » Thu Apr 17, 2014 11:43 am

Mannequin man:
Okay, so it works in coats. I will retry it this way. I have an interest in the re-usable, so I think this is great.

MannequinFan:
After about a week, the stuff tends to collect dust and debris, but it feels fine after washing off with cold water. I don't sense that it's losing any water as it sits out in the open, but I will keep a piece out for an extended period just to see how long it does last. If it does lose water, I can't see why it couldn't be restored during the remelting process. I don't expect to use it for a long term mold though. It certainly lasts long enough for my purposes of temp molds and experiments.