Molding and casting.

[Ron]

What are the best molding and casting materials to use for making duck heads?

[James Parrish]

RTV Silicone.  Pour your rubber and put the mold into the freezer (if you don't have a vacuum chamber).  Just make sure the original bill is free of water.  The rubber will take a couple weeks to cure properly, but the low temps allow the air bubbles to escape better.  The other option is to make the mold with RTV and fast catalyst @ room temp.  Make a cast and fix them imperfections w/ apoxie sculpt and make a mold with regular catalyst.

[Bruce Foster]

easy way to eliminate air bubbles in RTV is to put an empty container on the floor, take your catalyzed RTV, and from above your head, pour a small steady stream into the floor container.......this will eliminate air bubbles without freezing, and a vacuum chamber

[Mark B]

I use Pour-A-Mold and Pour-A-Cast i get good duck heads with it. Make sure your original head is dry or pour-a- mold will not work well. When you make your cast make sure you use a good release or you will tear your mold getting your cast out. Its cheaper and easier to use then some of your other choices. If you pour and mix carefully there isnt a lot of problems with air bubbles

[Ron]

Where do you get Pour a mold and Pour a cast?

[Niki]

www.dickblick.com

www.pinkhouse.com

spelled Por-A-Mold & Por-A-Kast

Those are two of the places that came up when I Gooled real quick.  It's made by www.synair.com  Synair Corporation.  They might have a distributor closer to you.

Good Luck.
~ N

[Mark B]

Click on the WASCO symbol at the top of the home page it will take you to there web site they sell it.

[fishwork]

I think that is really the problem with Por-a-Mold vs RTV. Por-a- Mold is Urethane based and not tolerant of water...where as RTV is more forgiving. Ive done both on numerous occasions and I personally feel safer with RTV and ultra fast catalyst.

[Bud Hull]

Looking for a guy in Anderson, Indiana that does vacuum forming
Address
 HEI
P.O. Box 1124
Anderson,IN 46015
Please call Bud Hull Taxidermy 706-866-7357
Lost your info

[niki]

not to bust any bubbles, but....  I know a lot of people refere to RTV as silicone only.  Not true.  All RTV stands for is Room Temperature Vulcanising (don't know if I spelled it righ).  So there are many rubbers, both silicone and urethane, that are RTV.  Used to be rubber had to be cooked to vulcanise.  But not anymore!  
~ fountain of useless information ~

~ N

[Grueby]

Synairs RTV.
   .I use pourakast  with a couple drops of LQ paint for coloring/tinting on the dark billed casts. makes for nice shadeing/mottleing
   I do a alginate pour with the original head then proof any errors with apoxie sculpt. Getting eye rings ect sculpted in also any shrinkagewrinkles coverd .Then stand it on a board secured down with a wire pin and clay to form a pouring funnel/spur in the mold. Then a apropriate diameter PVC tube for mother,hot glued down.
   When you pour the RTV dop it so that it drizzles all over the subject covering it so to elliminate bubble possiblities on the cast,then pour to fill..I use a palm sander pressed down on a homemade vibrating table to assist bubble rise.Once thats done I set the mold in a homemade heat/dryer mode from a old chest freezer set at 75 degrees. Once set take a band or hack saw and cut the pvc on opposite sides lengthwise to remove the RTV.Make a relief cut on the underside of the head in the mold for subject removal..A good shot of 531 let dry before pouring between pours will do the job.Allow for tension removal dont just grab and rip the cast out of the mold give it time to come loose.
           Ive had the same open mouth molds for 4 years now.OM are notorious for detail deteriorating. Outside of time these molds cost at the most $10 from start to finish.....