Silicone Moldmaking For Production Resin Casting - Make Copies Of Your Stuff!

Silicone molds and urethane resin casting are a great way to make a bunch of copies of whatever you want. In this video I show you how to set up a typical production gang mold. The project is to cast several hundred tiki pendants carved by the legendary Crazy Al Evans.
-------------------------------------------
Check out Crazy Al Evans on his website. www.tikimania.com
and his KZbin Channel. / crazyalevans .
-------------------------------------------
Would you like to mold and cast something but have no idea how to start? Send pics of your project to me and maybe I’ll do it as a KZbin video.
Here’s a .pdf with the info:
www.dropbox.co...

[@RobertTolone]

Here is a link to a downloadable PDF file with a list of the rubber, resins and waxes I use in my videos: www.dropbox.com/s/kz6mhmf7v5vpy7l/Material%20and%20Suppliers.pdf?dl=0

[@dianeharris2687]

I appreciated the diagram showing how the mold fills...Helped me better understand the placement of the vents.

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks Diane, I really appreciate that you watch my videos!

[@design321]

I appreciated the diagrams as well. Always confused about where to put vents/sprue, so illustrating gradually filling and showing where the bubble would be was a big help.

[@blewprent]

Agreed.

[@willbyrne8493]

I make a mold every now and then, and I have had good luck, but I always learn something new

[@chartle1]

I'm binge watching your videos. I've used urethane, epoxy and polyurethane resin but never poured a mold. I would have poured one yesterday but now know certain mold making materials have shelf life. I wasted that 40% off coupon at Michaels 3 years ago. 😆 So waiting for Amazon

[@spookysmomma]

You sir, are so fun to watch!

[@nathandc]

Awesome video!!

[@KikiBirchASMR]

I wish I had found you two months ago, it took me many trials and errors to figure out that vents exist and where to place them. It would have saved so much time. I was now searching for another topic and found your channel! I am now definitely a permanent subscriber, your videos and personality are amazing!

[@RobertTolone]

Glad you found my channel Kristiana! Glad you found my videos helpful.

[@adammischysyn5560]

The explanation on venting is spot on! The visuals helped me a lot! I’m a new subscriber and you’re becoming my go to watch on KZbin!

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks for watching Adam! I appreciate it very much.

[@adammischysyn5560]

Robert Tolone What gauge wax wire do you use? Thanks

[@rich_3d]

Such brilliant explanations! Thanks

[@cazlucci]

I love you & think you’re brilliant thank you 😊

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks for watching and for your lovely comment Caroline!

[@septarian3337]

I just found your videos and you do a fantastic job of explaining why you do things in a way that's very easy to understand. You are a great teacher! I've done some work similar to this with epoxy for a local business and was an apprentice to someone who wasn't so great at teaching/explaining. So I really had to do A LOT of learning just by trial and error. It would have been a dream to have you as a mentor. Well done!

[@RobertTolone]

Thank you so much fir your nice comment!

[@septarian3337]

@@RobertTolone you're welcome!

[@realitymill]

I've just recently stumbled upon your channel. I love your videos, they are very informative!

[@pauldominic2150]

Hi Robert-- I just found your channel today... I will be doing some production resin casting in the near future, and am so happy I found your channel!! You videos are so informative! Thanks for your uploads!!

[@kamarte]

Very nice tutorial, thanks!

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks for watching!

[@dianeharris2687]

(Re: you appreciate that I watch your videos) Are you kidding? It's Friday! New Robert Tolone KZbin video!!!

[@ДмитрийЛитвиненко-п9й]

Thanks for your videos!!! Can’t wait for another one!

[@RobertTolone]

Glad you enjoy them. Thanks for watching!

[@bradfordloebs8133]

If I hadn't seen the previous video, I definitely would've been thinking "uhh what's going on between that tiki guy's legs" 😂

[@RobertTolone]

It couldn't be helped. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

[@evanlane1690]

Great channel and great content! Subscribed!

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks Evan! Let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like to see me the cover on the channel. It really helps me plan a future videos.

[@evanlane1690]

@@RobertTolone There is actually! I'm trying to make modular molds so that I can customize each pour with different features. Can you do a video that shows ways to do this successfully? I CANNOT find anything on this at all. I can give you more info if it helps. These videos are really useful.

[@treblam1]

AMAZING!!

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks Albert!

[@gabrielaalcantara9984]

Thank you for the list of products and sources. I want a translucent resin. I reckon it's not the urethane, is it?

[@RobertTolone]

You can get clear and translucent casting resins in both epoxy and urethane systems.

[@gabrielaalcantara9984]

@@RobertTolone Hi Robert! Thanks for your message. I sent you an email at your Yahoo address.

[@silviaantill8994]

You Are Awsome

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks for watching!

[@ArcticFlies56]

You made an interesting point when you said that the sprue is too small to pour more models. Why couldn’t you make the sprue line larger to accommodate the faster pour? Richard

[@RobertTolone]

Everything in moldmaking, like life, is a balancing act. If you make the inlet sprue too small the resin will not fill the cavity in time. If you make it too big you create a much larger, more time-consuming cleanup job for each casting. Ideally the sprue should be in the Goldilocks zone. Big enough to fill the mold rapidly - small enough to be easy to clean off the casting.

[@calv46]

Love your videos! :)

[@RobertTolone]

Thanks Mari! I appreciate your nice comment very much!

[@JJJ54321]

When you mix your rubber in stages do you use the same container without cleaning it out?

[@RobertTolone]

I mix each batch in a clean container. But you can pull the leftover rubber out of most plastic containers after it cures.

[@angelsandfaes]

Which silicone should I use for hobby mold making with out a vacuum chamber for degaussing?

[@RobertTolone]

I can’t answer your question out of personal experience. That is because I added vacuum degassing to my studio almost immediately after I began mold making. So I have never really experimented with any other method. There are low viscosity rubbers on the market. Smooth-On Mold Max 14 NV is such a rubber. The manufacturer claims it does not need to be degassed because the viscosity is low enough that the bubbles rise out easily. Always pour the rubber into the bottom of the mold case and let it rise to the top. Pouring in a thin stream also helps to pop bubbles. Good luck and let me know if you find a rubber that works for you.

[@angelsandfaes]

@@RobertTolone Thank you

[@k913gunner]

Greetings!!! Can you tell what the tool is that melts the wax & you use rather often to stabilize the item you are about to build mold for? As well as where to purchase Thank you & have awesome weekend!!

[@RobertTolone]

It is a Foredom Wax Carving pen. They are easily found from many sellers on the internet, including Amazon.

[@NicoleHam]

This is inspiring me to attempt to 3D print multiple copies all in one go and then build the casing around it... anything I should look out for? I'm thinking of making the tubes a part of the design as well... I just wanna make sure I dont miss something TT_TT.. in terms of making the mold able to be taken apart, I was thinking of making each model keyed to a printed platform. I dont have a workshop space AT ALL so thats why I had the idea to try.... Thank you!

[@RobertTolone]

Check that the silicone rubber you are using will cure against the 3d print and you should be good to go.

[@altinokz]

I wonder if I could have you make a few molds for me ☺️

[@RobertTolone]

I am currently only taking projects for my channel. If you want, send me pictures at [e-mail].

[@gerbendenheeten6905]

I just visited a dutch 'Home depot' and saw a toolbox/suitcase filled with plastic compartments (of the same size) I was wondering, could such a toolbox be handy when I want to make sillicon multiple molds of my little figurines for production casts? I could just put the sculpt in the plastic box, without the hassle of foam+glue a 'box'. After haveing made all the molds, I could then easily cast them all, and since they are already neat in the suitcase, it will be a quick way of working... Great idea, or not?! :-)

[@RobertTolone]

Without seeing the things you are casting it's hard to tell. If you can easily remove the mold from the compartment after pouring the resin it might work. You need to flex and open the mold to release the casting. Then you need to put the mold perfectly back into it's compartment and that might be easy or difficult.

[@gerbendenheeten6905]

@@RobertTolone Thanks for your reply! I guess I just need to try it, as with every new thing! I just figured those compartment boxes, also the ones that you can buy at Staples, seem such an easy way to do mutliple 'shoots' at once. (I have small kawai cat kind of sculpts, so they fit perfectly in them)

[@Jkauppa]

how about one-time sand-type casting mold, cast once melt-away mold

[@Jkauppa]

goal is to have minimal trouble in molding, casting and removing the mold

[@Jkauppa]

hmm how about casters plaster casting

[@RobertTolone]

I have very little experience with foundry work, other than lost wax jewelry casting in high school. I will do a video on waste molds, however. And also on the reusable silicone.

[@underthecarport1311]

Is it true that you can shrink your mold with a 1:1 mix of mineral spirits and latex rubber in order to make smaller versions of parts?

[@RobertTolone]

I have never tried that particular formula. I know there are commercially available rubbers that shrink or expand but I haven’t tried any lately. My experience with them in the past was never very satisfactory.

[@johnnyclifton3373]

Regarding using wax to coat wood for mold making, have you tried using the wax that is used for wax toilet rings? I was having trouble finding bees wax and when I was shopping at my local big box store I came across the wax toilet rings and became curious if it would be a usable alternative. What are your thoughts?

[@RobertTolone]

A quick search through the Googlesphere told me that toilet wax rings used to be made of beeswax but are now mostly made of a proprietary blend of petroleum-based waxes. So I don’t know how well it would perform but would certainly recommend that you make a test. Melt some toilet ring wax, brush it on a sample of the wood you’re using for your mold boxes and see if your rubber sticks to it. Might work like a champ! Let us know what you find out.

[@johnnyclifton3373]

Thank you for your reply. As you suggest, I will do a test and report back. However, what I am doing is making a wood mold for resin. How do you go about melting your wax?

[@RobertTolone]

@@johnnyclifton3373 The trick to using silicone with wood is to seal the wood all the way down into the pores with melted wax. I have a friend who does a similar thing with melted Vaseline. If you are going to do a lot of this work the simplest way to melt your wax is to dedicate a crockpot to the job. Be sure you get one that has a low heat setting because beeswax melts at 145°F (or 63°C) and it burns at higher temps. Otherwise you can just do it in the microwave, on the stove over low heat, in an oven, pretty much any way you can apply low heat. or use your heat gun. The essential tool is a heat gun. You need to keep the wood, the wax and the brush hot while you brush it onto the wood so that it absorbs into the pores. I don’t like to melt the wax with a heat gun because I’m lazy and I’d rather use a hot plate than waste time waving my heat gun at a container of wax.

[@johnnyclifton3373]

Cool! I appreciate your comprehensive description. I will use a hot plate and pot like you do. Hopeful the wax toilet ring behaves similar to bees wax.

[@patientgrace]

@Johnny Clifton what was your result? I'm really curious now !!! 🤣

[@leannewright1865]

If you fill the mold with rice you can know exactly how much silicone to make up. Pour out rice and fill with silicone.

[@RobertTolone]

LeAnne Wright That’s an excellent method for molds in situations where it works. For the molds I made in this video I wouldn’t use it for two reasons. First, the assembly of patterns in the mold case is fragile. If I filled the case with rice and then poured the rice out there is a very high probability that one or more of the patterns would break off from the base. Second, even if I knew the final rubber quantity required I would still mix it in batches. I pour slowly to give the rubber time to rise from below. A large batch of rubber might begin to gel during the process of the pour. Thanks so much for your comment!

[@roger.agburn]

10:24 Did you say: Touching is "verboten"? =D

[@RobertTolone]

Ja, es ist verboten.

[@roger.agburn]

@@RobertTolone =D How does it come you are able to speak german? So, greetings from Cologne then. (Or at least very close to Cologne.)

[@RobertTolone]

My father is Italian, my mother is from Sweden. My sister was a French major in college and I took years of Spanish in school. So I have the habit of sprinkling my speech with foreign words that fit the use. I don’t speak German, but know some useful words and phrases. When I replied to you I checked with Google that my answer was correct! 😊 Greetings from L.A.

[@roger.agburn]

​@@RobertTolone :-D That's pretty cool. That habit is a bit similar to one of my favorite authors literary gimmicks. Lemony Snicket uses to write a foreign word followed by "that's french and means...". But the words are never french, and also they are never translated correctly. They just fit the meaning of his description. ^^ Like "We serve pasta putanesca, that's french for 'few ingredients'". =) Similar but quiet the opposite.

[@scavengerjoe1012]

I've found my hot glue gun to be useful for sealing and sticking :)

[@RobertTolone]

Yeah, a lot of people use hot glue. It works fine.

[@GeoffreyGonzales]

Robert Tolone do you prefer wax and why?

[@ZILLION4EVER]

nice vid but please, nomalise your sound, watching your vid caught me by suprise on how loud you kept the saws, pressure chambres,.. and woke my 2y old daughter sleeping the room next door (she quickly nodded off again after activating her sleep-well bear ;)

[@vicgarbutt3310]

instead of dropping them in, put the casing over it and push down?