How to fix bubble holes in bondo/resin mold?

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Well I applied the gelcoat. Waiting for it to set now..... Oh I hate waiting! I added 9 drops of catalyst to 1/2 ounce of gelcoat.

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

First layer of resin and glass.

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Well it did not work out very well. When I separated the halves it split the cast down the seam. Yes the resin cured. I got one half of the cast out but in pieces. I must of not used enough coats of release. I noticed the cast wall was kind of thin where the seam was so that probably had something to do with it. Trying to get the other half out now. Its stuck in there pretty good. I like how great the detail is. Caught everything. I think next time more release and more resin on the inside. Will take another shot at it tomorrow. I am so bummed out. But I learned a lot from this though.

Ken

[JE]

Ken, I did exactly the same on my first cast, I did not have the patience to wait overnight for the resin to cure fully, since I started to do this, no problems. I also use very hot soapy water (dont know if the soap is necessary) and pour down into the cast once I have a crack started, this helps a great deal. And take it slowly, unless there are serious undercuts the cast should come out.
I use two coats of a hard wax, then one or two coats of PVA release.
Good luck
John

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Well would cold weather hurt the life of my resin? Just wondering because I had to use a hair dryer to get it to set up. As soon as I heated it up it kicked. I am glad I am not the only one that has done this before. Now my gelcoat seemed really thin. Should I make that layer thicker also? I was having trouble with it running down and pooling at the center. How do I get an even layer or does it even matter? 

Thanks so much for the help again. I will get one cast soon hopefully.


Ken

[kdogg_4]

marking

[GBRUCH]

All of this process is affected by the temperature.   I keep the gelcoat thin but thick enough to have a uniform coating.  I always place the mold in hot water to soften it up for demold. 

When you closed the mold halves you did put some resin on the edge of flange where the seam will be?

Just wait till you encounter the gelcoat prematurely pulling away from the mold sides or the sides collapsing in on themselves.  There is never a guarantee.  Your Christmas analogy was spot on.  At the taxidermy school I worked at we always played christmas music and hoped no one got a lump of coal.   LOL.

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Well here is the 10"in bass. I let it set overnight and then tried to open it but the resin overflowed the edge of the mold and glued the halves shut. So the mold broke apart when I was trying to separate the halves. One half of the mold is still okay/intact while the other half broke apart (I made it to thin). I was able to get the cast out and it looks great. At least to me. Now what would be the best way to trim the fins without cracking them? Also how should I clean the flashing around the seam? Could I use some apoxie sculpt and resculpt the scales back into the seam? Now for the eye. Do I use a drill bit the right size of diameter for the eye and drill it out? I also know I have some repair work to do. Nothing a little apoxie sculpt can't fix. Could I use drill and grind out the seams and? Thanks for any help you can send my way as for prepping the blank. Thanks

Ken

[FishArt]

I would use a Dremel cutting tool to do rough cuts around the fins and the flashing. Then, come back for the finalization with a sanding disc and a small bit for the really tight areas. I usually use a small drill bit to start the pilot hole for the eye and then switch to a bigger drill bit close to the size of the eye and a sanding disk to finish the eye hole edges...

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Ok thanks Marty sounds good. Thanks for the help.

Ken

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Here is the Black Crappie. Turned out nice. I have one question. How could I fix the bubble in the top and at the base of the spiny dorsal fin? I think I might try to inject it with some resin to see if I could fill up the void. What do you guys think I should do? It caught amazing detail and I am really happy with the results. I know I will have to sculpt some missing scales in though. Thanks for any advice.

Ken

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

Thanks for all the info Marshy Creek! That is a lot of info there. Never heard of cabosil? I know what you are talking about though as in the steps you said. Now is there anything I can do about the bubbles in the fins? I really wan't to use these blanks if I can. I am kind of limited on quantity of resin and bondo. I am saving the rest for my brothers 25" redfish so I kind of need the rest of the resin/bondo for this other fish. I will be posting pics of the redfish as soon as the high-fiber gets here. I bought a 10lb. bag of it. That should be enough to get the job done. Now is there a way to store this stuff? Could I refrigerate it or something? Thanks so much for all the help.

Ken

[GBRUCH]

I used to believe a moisture barrier was needed but I have poured bondo/resin over the specimen with no ill effects for years now. 

There certainly is a learning curve in taxidermy isn't there.

[marshy creek]

Ken..pardon me for even trying to help you with your problem...my post was not intended to step on anyone's toes, nor take center stage away from anyone.....the pedistal is yours Mr. Bruch......I am just a low life taxidermist with no experience, and could never achieve the honors of being an award winning taxidermist let alone know anything about fish molding....I will remove my previous post as I would never want to suggest something so aniquated nor offer assistance to anyone on this site.....let alone raise the hackles of any professional.....hope your next project works out Ken

[Ken's Fish Taxidermy]

There is no problem Marshy Creek! I like everyone's ideas. I like a variety of choices to choose from. That is just the way I am. Please leave your post there I am hoping someone will be able to use this thread one day to help him or her with molding fish and be able to avoid any of the issues I have had. The more choices you have the better choices you are able to make. Why would anyone be offended by your reply? Did I offend anyone in any way, please tell me if I did. I don't think you were stepping on anyone's toes.