Dragonskin question

[kendall1987]

When applying Dragonskin do you need to spray the antlers with any degreaser or anything in order to Remove it or does it peel off fairly easy?

[Doug Bridges]

Dragonskin is a silicone rubber. By nature silicone will release from most materials. But, silicone will also lock, mechanically lock, on to porous materials. So, you need to clean those antlers of bark and dirt. Then a cheap insurance policy is to use a RELEASE, not a degreaser on the antlers. Purchase the RELEASE at the same vendor that you purchased your dragonskin from.

Look at it this way, you are about to apply over $100 of rubber to a set of antlers to make a mold. There is no reason not to apply a spray of $15 release to make sure you get your antlers out of the rubber without an issue.

Is a release required? No. It's insurance.

[John Helm]

Occasionally I stop by the Smooth-On location to buy things so I get a chance to talk to the tech guys there.  I had a problem with Synlube 1000 mold release agent causing silicone to actually stick to resin objects I was molding.  They gave me Mann Ease Release 200 to use with Dragon Skin and it's worked perfectly every time.  Some release agents are for use with materials other than silicone such as polyurethane foam, and since they contain silicone, they can act as a primer for your molding silicone and make it adhere to the part you're molding.  The Ease Release contains a small amount of silicone but Smooth On recommends it for Dragon Skin and I won't do without it.

[Doug Bridges]

Good point John.

Yes, ER 200 is the thing for use with silicone.

Always keep in mind to know what you are molding from and casting into. Then research the release that you need and buy the right one. Don't just use something because you have it and you think it will work.

Mold releases do contain silicone and silicone adheres to silicone.