i'm wanting to mold and cast some noses but i don't know what to use or how really to do it. lets say for instance, i got a reproduction nose or some other small object that i want to cast. i want a flexible mold, then pour in a resin and out comes my nose when it sets up. i need to know what materials to use and where i can purchase them. thanks
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First of all - don't even THINK about copying a reproduction nose.. thats someone elses work and copyrights are likely in effect. Get a head and mold yous own nose.
Steps in point form follow.. for details look in the archives using the words below as search words.
Mold nose with aglinate. Fill a plastic tub with it and jam the nose in.
Cast with plaster
Chase then seal and wax
make a flexiblem mold with silicone or urethane (standard sources of insutrialpolymers.com, eagerplastics.com, alumilite.com, synair.com, WASCO, dickblick.com all apply)
Using appropriate mold releases if required by product instructions, cast with polyester resin, bondo mix or urethane.
dickblick.com, your dentist and 'dental supplies' in your yellow pages are all sources for alginate.
You could also use flexwax or moulage from dickblick.com and cast directly in resin, thus skipping the plaster/chasing stages.
Call ( 800 ) information for SINAIR in Tennesse ask them for
pour-a-cast 2 part mix pour in latex mold remove in 45 minutes.
You can call me at (7050476-0483 I can get you the number and the exacte info you will need.
type ( 0 ) (705)476-0483
Its synair (synair.com) and if you go with a latex mold and por-a-kast yer had better have a really good mold rleease or it will bond to your mold. Por-a-kast is a high strength urethane and is really light... but costs a lot more than polyester resin. Most common now is por-a-kast mark II which has a 3 minute pot life and can demold sometimes as early as 5 minutes after that.. really fast stuff...
Latex I find isn't a good choice for casting noses unless you are working off a cast to begin with. Two things latex needs to 'cure' are dry and warm envirnments to help the water and ammonia evaporate out of it. A deer nose is cold and wet (frozen most likely). Freezing can outright ruin your latex (the water in it freezes). You also build latex up in several layers which take a fair bit of time to cure dry between layers. So you have to keep that deer head out of the freezer, which leads to more thawing and more liquid which leads to less evaporation.... Not saying you can't do it... but if I had to pick one material to mold with and one to cast with; I would opt for flexwax to mold and polyester resin to cast.