100% Silicone Caulk over antlers

[Drenalin]

I was curious if you can use caulk to make the inside mold of replica antlers? Does it pick up all of the details like some of the other products? I bought Dragon skin from smooth on, but the stuff is pretty expensive.

[Doug Bridges]

I am sure it will work. The amount of detail may be somewhat less than dragon skin. But to compare the 2 is like comparing apples and airplanes. I don't think I would make an entire mold out of caulk. Use the right tool for the job. Why dont you use rebound 25 and brush it on? Alot less expensive than DS and very good properties. I just check the price and it was $76 for a gallon size.

[fishdude]

Silicone caulk will stick like a big dog if you don't use a seperator. It will be your worst nightmare if you don't proceed carefully. Done right it can make a great mold.
Good luck,

[Roadkill]

If it does stick, diesl fuel will melt it off. It takes a while.
Just make sure you have a seperator like wax on the antlers. I have made full molds and it works really well. YOu have to put it on in thin layers or it will not set up.

[KBauman]

Add a few teaspoons of water, mix it up well and it will set thoroughly in 1 hour.  I would recommend a high detail silicone first, then use the cheap stuff for the mother mold.  Good Luck.

[Old Fart]

Yes, it will work, I've done it. Use the 100% silicone "sealant" not anything that says caulk. It's not as strong as the paint on latex rubber that's used for similar molds but then it doesn't have to go on in as many coats either. You will need to use some kind of loosely woven fabric to give the mold strength or it will tear(guaranteed). The use of a mold release is a good idea, although I've done it without it on small projects. There are better products for what you want to do.

[Jeff F.]

There may be a tip here that might help also. http://www.smooth-on.com/txidrm.htm

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

silicone will rip. the Rebound 25 that Doug is talking about, stretches 690% before ripping. Good stuff.

[bill@hogheaven]

Who sells rebound 25??

[puzzledprofessor]

Regarding the Rebound 25; I noticed on the Smoth-On site that is it a "brushable".  I intreprite that to mean it will hold on vertical surfaces.  Am I correct?  Also, how is this product when it comes to capturing detail?  Will it pick up the growth rings on a fish scale?

[mr.T aka mr. friendly]

Yes Professor, it will stick to a vertical surface. They recommend 4 coats of Rebound to form a durable mold.
A layer of Dragon Skin on the subject will give even better detail, but the Rebound 25 gives very good detail by it's self. The Dragon skin will stretch 1000% I have read. A thin layer of Dragon skin applied on first will eliminate air bubbles, I read that too.

[Doug Bridges]

Prof,

The rebound will pickup all the surface detail as will the dragon skin. And yes it is brushable and will hold on the vertical. The first coat needs to be thin on the model. This is the detail coat. I use Rebound on antler reproductions on all the surfaces, vertical, flat, hanging horizontal, etc.  It wil hold and will get the detail. You could also use dragon skin or SortaClear. The choice is yours and can be based on the $'s you have to spend and the duration of use on the mold too.

[puzzledprofessor]

Thanks for the information guys.

I am assuming that the rebound 25 is not the most expensive silicone product offered by Smoth-On, but I was unable to locate the price on there site.  Could someone give me an idea about its cost?  Also, if I were to use it for antler reproductions how many pulls could I expect from a mold before it breaks down?

Thanks in advance for your time

[Doug Bridges]

About $76 for a gallon kit. Now, in the kit form a gallon kit means you get 1 gallon of part a and 1 gallon of part b. Net is 2 gallons of material.

With good care of the mold you can expect 50 to 100 pulls. It all depends on how thick the mold is, how many undercuts, mold release, etc.

[puzzledprofessor]

Doug,

If you don't mind, where are you getting your Rebound 25 for $76.00 per 2 gal. kit?  I priced it for $163.00 (ouch)

Again, thanks in advance for the help.

Vance