I want to mold/cast morels

[Agren]

Morel season is coming soon and I would like to try and mold a few and cast them. I attended a seminal that covered some of the information but I didn't take notes. I also tried searching and didn't quite find what I wanted. I'd like to know what products I would need.

[Ross Vogler]

If you want to do it better, buy better materials, but I just smear a very light coat of clear RTV on mine, then after that dries, put a heavy but flexible coat of white RTV over that. Your mushrooms will deteriorate, but it will be molded. I then put a nice coat of bondo inside and smear the edges with a popsicle stick, making sure the whole mold is covered.

[Doug Bridges]

Here is what I do with mushrooms.

I use Rebound 25, but I know lots of people that use dragon skin. I would think you could also use Moldstar 15 or any good silicone.

These are all Smooth-On products found at www.tfbplastics.com by the way.

On with my story. I use rebound 25. When I go in the field, I like to take the rubber, mixing containers and a form with me. I use a round form that will fit over the shroom. I make my molds right in the woods, but you can bring them into a shop and mold them too. I clear away the dirt from around the base of the shroom and set the form over the shroom, seating it well into the dirt to form a seal. I mix my rubber and pour in a thin stream into the lowest point in the form. I allow the silicone to flow up and over the shroom, covering it to 1/2" over the top of the shroom. Then I cover the form with a bucket. If you take your materials in a 5 gal bucket, carry 2 and use the second as the cover. Then, I leave it overnight. Come back the next day and remove the form/mold from the dirt. Take the mold back to your shop and let it set for another day at room temp. That will ensure it's cured. Then remove the shroom and clean the mold. You can make a cut to allow the shroom to be pulled from the mold and to pull the casting.

To cast, use SmoothCast 300 or 320. Mix and pour to fill the mold. Or you can mix a small amount and pour into the mold and then rotate the mold to coat the inside of the mold and form the casting. Let the cast sit for 1/2 hour and then pull from the mold. Repeat.