Mold Making Tutorial Part 3

[Pseudologic]

Thanks. I've been looking for figure casting.

[mmm0109]

Great tutorial Ron! I was wondering how you didn't mention undercuts in your sculpture. You didn't seem worried about it a bit. Do you have tips on how to avoid (or not worry about) undercuts? FYI - I'm learning how to make molds for ceramics.

[animatorIsomer]

@mmm0109 The reason I didn't refer to undercuts is because undercuts are mostly a non-issue when you mold something in a soft material and will cast in a soft material as well. In both cases, you can remove the object being molded and cast without worrying so much about parts getting 'locked' in the mold. Undercuts are primarily an issue when the positive you're replicating, the mold and the casting are rigid. So long as the object being molded and the casting are flexible, it's not an issue.

[kezadrone]

Yep very bloody useful stuff Ron.

[francacereu]

Thank you very much for your series of videos on plaster molds, it has been really helpful, cheers.

[Howyaduing]

That was great but how do U get the Foam Latex in the mold?

[animatorIsomer]

@Howyaduing - Either by stippling it in with a brush and pouring before closing the mold or by clamping the mold shut and injecting the foam with a large syringe. The mold I made in this tutorial cannot be injected into because that method requires that you put vents in the mold where it can be injected and vented out. I believe most people just use the stipples and pour method.

[predator666pain666]

Absolutely terrific tutorial. Perfect example on how its done. Thank you

[bluesilverworks]

very informative videos, thank you :)

[Eduardroid]

Awesome video, thanks 4 sharing, good tutorial!!! i wanna do it right now!!! 

[LeGrandSculpture]

Wonderful video Ron ... GREAT JOB!

[vlydwlr]

Great work. Also, huge thanks for adding "click here to go to next video" buttons. So many times it's difficult to track down other parts of series.

[brennig2]

How do I pour the latex in then, do i paint a thin layer on then inject it, or just inject or pour it in? How long at what temperature should the latex be left? Roughly how many puppets/models could you make from one mould

[animatorIsomer]

@brennig2 Which kind of latex are you talking about? If you're using casting latex, temperature doesn't matter. Foam latex requires baking and the temperature depends upon the brand of foam latex you're using so, you'll need to follow the instructions that come with the kit.

I don't know the limit on how many castings you can get out of an Ultracal 30 mold - at least 20 or 30 I would guess. And there is an additive called Acryl 60 you can add to it to make it last longer.

[novalombardia]

I'm assuming that you can use plaster molds to make silicone puppets?

[animatorIsomer]

@novalombardia Absolutely.

[novalombardia]

@animatorIsomer

How would you go about making hollow objects with molds... lets say a hollow head? I was planning to make a hollow head so i could fit a facial armature inside of it; and how thin would you make it but still be able to hold?

[animatorIsomer]

@novalombardia Hollow castings are produced by creating a 3rd part to the mold called a 'core' which is made by layering clay onto the inner surface of the mold in the thickness you want your casting to be. You then close the mold and pour plaster in. After that cures, open the mold and clean out the clay so that when the mold is reassembled with the core inside, the gap left by the clay will reproduce the hollow casting. CAUTION! It's more complicated than that and needs to be done with care.

[animatorIsomer]

@novalombardia The core will need to be registered to the other two parts with mold keys similar to the ones that align the other halves together. Where and how to register the mold core depends upon the design of what you're casting so, I really can't describe how to do that without seeing what needs to be cast. If you're casting a head, the core would make contact with the other two halves at the bottom of the neck but, it's kinda difficult to describe without a visual. Sorry.

[novalombardia]

@animatorIsomer perhaps another tutorial sometime in the future? :D

[shortcut007]

@novalombardia when you pour in the material dont fill it up instead put a thin lair and rotate the mold! :)

[animatorIsomer]

In this case, the puppet was cast in foam latex afterwards but, you could use a mold made this way for casting anything that's possible to cast from a plaster mold. So you could cast silicone, urethane or any other material that is soft. Never try casting a hard material out of a hard mold, one or the other needs to be soft. So if you intend to cast something like plastic or stone you should have a flexible mold. You can push clay into it but that needs to be planned carefully for your needs.

[rybotic]

Excellent tutorial! My question is where would you go from here? Is this like a cast where you pour a liquid into it, or push a clay into it?

thanks!

[mellodge]

brilliant tutorial

[CookieFridays]

Wonderful tutorial. I may use this in the future.

[wingedsoul]

That was awesome advice at the end for getting rid of plaster/water bucket.

[TheAnimationHQ]

Thanks so much for these videos.

It makes a change from most of the mold making video's on here, you can really tell your passionate about the subject.

I've a question though.

I'm trying to find out if a release agent is needed if you cast silicone (platinum or tin cure) in a plaster such as ultra cal.

I've came across things like talc, soap, Vaseline or just nothing at all so Im confused now.

I thought Id do tests, but first ask your opinion as you seem (are) quiet the professional :P

[animatorIsomer]

I don't believe that applying a release agent is entirely necessary but, it is recommended as a precaution. Hand soap can be applied as a solution and you allow it to dry for about an hour.

The reason for it is because plaster is porous and absorbent and there may be some low risk of it getting stuck to the mold. Try to find a plain soap like Ivory soap without any scents, moisturizers or aloe in it. That's so you don't have to worry about any unforeseen chemical reaction.

[DeathMazk]

thank you master i wil allways be grateful with you and if i win my contest i will say that i owe you everything i know !

[animatorIsomer]

No problem, glad I could help. :)

[ZallyAward]

Great toturials, Ron! Very inspiring! It would be super cool is you would make a tutorial on how to make armatures or use foam latex in the moulds - or whatever your specialty is. Non the less I enjoyed these tutorials and am planning to try it out myself. Thanks!

[mamoses123]

awesome tutorial i have done some casting before, did it bit differently but your way is very good im working on a short at the moment, i might use a cast for my character.

brilliant

[animatorIsomer]

Thanks and good luck! :)

[bgrt40]

Great information in this series. Thank you for taking the time!!

[british501]

hi great tutorial,watched all 3.I'm new to this and want to give it a go..after stage 3what material do you use to make a cast of what you have just molded.would be great to see you do a tutorial of that hint hint....

[animatorIsomer]

You can use a plaster mold for a number of different casting rubbers, foam latex, casting latex, silicone and urethane. Plaster molds are also used for clay slip casting. (for firing)

I hope to be able to do some more tutorials in the future but it's hard to find the time. The biggest reason I made this one is because I get a lot of questions about mold making so, shooting this actually ended up saving me time. (plus I needed to make that mold anyway!) Thanks :)

[wildchaozxz]

nice and neat tutorial

[TK42138]

Could you use car body 'stopper' paste to repair tiny air bubble damage in the moulds?

[animatorIsomer]

Sure, that would work just fine.

[TK42138]

Using popcicle sticks as mould separating wedges - brilliant idea!!

[TK42138]

I wished we had teachers and instructors like you when I was at school. My career may have taken a completely different path.

Thanks for uploading these tutorials.

[Travis12345678913]

one question. how to you get the petroium jelly off. i have made a similar mold with the similar method but i cant get the jelly off. great videos. they helped alot!

[animatorIsomer]

I honestly have never had a need to get it off and I've made tons of molds over the years. The plaster is so absorbent that it sucks the petroleum jelly in like it was never there. I suppose there is a residual bit left but, I've never known it to interfere with any material cast in the mold so, it really doesn't matter.

I apply only a thin coating of it, I don't leave any globs of it on the surface, it just looks shiny when I'm done applying it. After it's absorbed it just seems to vanish.

[pinkslurpees]

Your series was really helpful, thank you! :) fo one on rubber molds and casting! :)

[gaarainblood]

bad ass vid and even more bad ass bob ross shirt

[914peru]

great tips thanks

[ARTBODY1]

if you take Kaolin as releaseagent you'll never have problems with removing the release agent.

[peterdsherrard]

Hi, Great videos. One thing maybe you could show people is how mold a figure that needs more than two parts, how to deal with undercuts. Not all figures will have such conveniently places limbs!

[animatorIsomer]

I've actually been in the planning stages of shooting some more in-depth tutorial videos and yes, I will definitely plan to show multiple section molds as well as many other techniques in mold making. I made this video just because I get so many questions about basic mold making that when I needed to make this mold, I just decided to shoot the video. I've gotten such a great response to these that I will be doing more.

[3vi10n3]

I am not in to using the molds for the same reasons as other people, I make special effects masks/ make up. but when I first stared, your videos helped me A LOT!! especially with full head masks that I had no idea how to make a plaster negative and then get the sculpture out of it. Thanx A MILLION!!

[chippievw]

Top work, any more pointers? Its a dyeing trade, i think your brilliant for sharing.

[animatorIsomer]

The only pointer I got right now is that it is FAR from a 'dying trade'. In major industry that is true but, the more technological our society becomes, the more people are looking to work with their hands artistically. People love the creative process, these arts seemed quite threatened for a while but, they are roaring back to re-take their rightful place on the stage. People have grown tired of pushing buttons, it's not interesting anymore - now that it's everywhere you look.

[jordancorey]

Hi these are great vids. Please, please make more, using different materials.

I am going to subscribe to your videos........

[lehienminh]

Hi, I could not break the block mold into 2 parts (I did rub the vaseline in between). What I should do? Please advise. Thank you very much.

[animatorIsomer]

If you can't get the halves apart, one of a couple of things must have gone wrong, either you didn't get vaseline everywhere it needed to be, or you locked the halves together by creating an angle on the parting line that is too extreme and restricts them from parting. In ether case the only solution is force. Without being there to see your mold, it's almost impossible for me to say exactly what you should do but, one other trick would be to warm the mold to soften the clay inside.

[animatorIsomer]

It's important to avoid hitting the mold too sharply but, I would try forcing wedges of wood into the seam with a rubber mallet. Try doing that in many different spots all the way around the seam, if you've made either one of the mistakes I suggested, piece of the mold will probably break away and remain bonded to the other half but, the mold may still be usable if that happens. No matter how hard it is to get them apart, don't give up on it, it's important to find out what went wrong. GOOD LUCK

[roadkillontheweb]

I don't understand why you don't use silicone rubber molding materials rather than plaster? I use 71-20 platsil fro Polytek and have for years. You might back up the skin mold with a plaster support but the rubber gives you much more fexability in releasing the original and the reproductions. Also when you brush it on there are very few if any air bubbles. Like the plaster you have to use petrolium jelly as a mold release between the mold halves I have some molds that are 10 years old.

[animatorIsomer]

I'm the guy who made this video and I have a question for all of you - this series of videos has gotten a lot of views and tons of great feedback but, I want to know if there was anything you wish could have been better. The video quality sucked, I know that because I shot it with a cheap camera and I have better equipment now. I'm thinking of making more of these in the future and I just want to know about the content, were there parts that I didn't explain enough or badly?

[bobharling1]

I think everything is explained well enough. The only thing i can think of is talking about other problems people might encounter other than air bubbles. Maybe showing still photos of casts gone wrong or any other mishaps.

[bobharling1]

Sorry one more thing. Maybe showing the proper placement of an armature inside the cast. I guess that would mean a Part 4 of the actual adding of the foam and so on.

[animatorIsomer]

Thanks for the feedback Bob, I do plan to do more of these in the future as a longer and more involved instructional video. I'd like to cover other types of molds, materials and techniques. I will definitely try to cover actually using the molds as a topic.

[thespazicat]

are you going to do a toutorial making a foam puppet? just wondering.

[sgtjlopez]

Hahaha, I love it. Great work. Maybe I'll try that in a few years when I take a break from clay.

[FierceEyedTiger]

This was a great series thanks! I wish you had a video of the final product that was created with the mold if you make one please send me a message so I can come watch it and add it to a playlist.

Thanks

[animatorIsomer]

The puppet I'm making in this video will be animated in a video soon enough and it will surely get posted here when it's done. It will be a Harryhausen type thing but all animated. Thanks!

[gus361]

one more question, i found the chavant clay...when you showed the hard piece, was that after baking? or does it harden on its own? because im planning on getting an armature and wanted to use it more than once...thanks.

[animatorIsomer]

The Chavant clay is not a baking clay, it's like any other clay in that it always remains pliable and sculptable. Making a plaster mold from a hardened sculpture would be a bad idea because you would most likely not be able to get it out of the mold! The Chavant clay is hard but not SOLID, great for sculpting fine detail.

[paplooo]

thanks very much !

[gus361]

could i use kleen clay for my sculpture and molding?

[animatorIsomer]

You CAN use Kleen clay for both the sculpture and the mold wall but, not without risk. Kleen clay will stick to itself and you will have a harder job cleaning it off the sculpture. But I do have something of a solution for that problem... if you give your sculpture a few coats of acrylic clear coat spray (either gloss or matte) that will seal the surface and help to prevent the clay you use for the wall from sticking too much. That will also make it easier to remove the clay from the mold.

[gus361]

ok, so coat it in gloss. i asked because i found that kind of clay on ebay cheap. another one i saw was called super sculpty clay, that would be a better choice to sculpt and mold? not that cheep though...

[animatorIsomer]

Super Sculpey is best used for sculptures you intend to bake hard and make a rubber mold from. I love Super Sculpey for doing lots of kinds of projects but, I wouldn't recommend it if you intend to make a plaster mold.

[gus361]

alright, im not planning on baking anything though. i'll use the kleen, also i wasnt going to mold in plaster. i going to use the silicone, thanks for the info.

[deadpope66]

great video! i dont really know what the mold is for because i dont do stop motion lol but it looks really cool! it would be awesome if you ever made a like "how to make a stop motion puppet" or how you made the clay sculpture inside of the mold =D but ya it was awesome and now i feel like buying clay lol

[BRUTUALTRUTH]

Excellent clear instructions. It is as simple as that - great video, thanks ;)

[brennig2]

great video, your great at teaching the method. thanks a bunch for making this video.

[VisionQuest2012]

Could the Ultra Cal 30 be placed under vacuum to remove air bubbles? Thank you for taking the time to educate us.

[animatorIsomer]

I suppose it could but I can't say that would be any help in assuring that you won't get bubbles on the surface. The bubbles you get mostly come from the act of brushing it on and missing spots that are invisible to you once you coat them. One thing you can do to help avoid bubbles (this is gonna sound weird) is wet the sculpture with slightly soapy water first - it helps to absorb the plaster into crevices you might miss. (use for casting plaster also)

[manatarms79]

This was awesome, thank you for sharing!

[jaquelina999]

an excellent teacher! thanks

[quilterPam]

Very nice tutorial. I enjoyed it. I am getting into sculpted dolls and needed to learn how to make master molds for my paper clay push molds. Thank you.

[heywilli]

These videos are excellent, I appreciate you posting them. My question is where do I find "clean clay"? I have googled without a good result. Who makes this clay? Thanks a lot.

[animatorIsomer]

That's because that's not how they spell it. It's Kleen Klay. It's a very popular brand and they even make a lot of the colored clay that you find in a toy store for kids and that's basically the same stuff only with colors in it. If you Google that spelling you should find it easily. Cheers!

[spendyourtime]

great video series! I wish you would continue so I could see the finished figure in the foam latex, and how to put an armature into the figure as well.

[22DrewDawg95]

thanks for posting this video series because I really enjoyed it!

[animatorIsomer]

Thanks for your comments on this video series

22DrewDawg95, I learned how to do the mold making techniques I showed everyone here long before there was a YouTube or similar site and so, I can appreciate how difficult it is to find the information needed.

I knew that I could have charged money for this tutorial but, I wanted to post it here for free because of how much I wished someone would have done the same for me when I was learning to do it.

[Spartan117FS]

Thank you alot! =D

[jiidee]

I've loved this video series. I'm going to me making some silicone rubber molds and i'm thinking about using plaster and bandage material to form a master mold to give the rubber support. I've seen videos of people using a urethane thickened up with some..basically a sandy powder that they can trowel on to give it a solid base..but i don't see why this techique wouldn't work just as well.

[CloudyChan]

ooh so how do you actually pour the stuff into the mould? (sorry I dont know alot about moulding and casting)

[animatorIsomer]

That depends on what material your casting out of it. Foam latex needs to be painted into the mold while it's open- the armature placed in and then some more foam poured in before you slam it shut and clamp it closed. But something like urethane or silicone rubber can be poured in with the mold closed. That's a bit tricky because you need to create a pour hole on the top and a lot of tiny 'vents' for the air in the mold to escape through.

[monnie110]

This is really great. Last year when I was trying to learn this I was following printed out directions that didn't feature some tips you mentioned such as use of the the vasaline.

[skullnbonestony]

HAHA well done and I find it funny that I watched this video about 3 weeks ago and spoke to you on th stopmotionanimation site without ever realising that it was you that did this. I think this is a really amazing tutorial and you seem very content with what you're doing. Good luck

[CrittermationsPictrs]

perfect. is there a cast-making one?

[animatorIsomer]

I've been quite surprised by the amount of positive feedback I've gotten! It really has made me consider making a series of 'how-to' videos. I made this video because I get a lot of questions about this process from people I chat with and when I needed to make this mold, I just decided to shoot it. So no, there is no casting video but, perhaps when the opportunity presents itself, I may decide to do just that. Doing it right IS a lot of work so, I do understand why people charge money for them.

[Biatsku]

This tutorial is great! Very detailed, very clear and complete. And your model, mold (and your constant smiling) is very inspiring.

Thank you for posting!

[atinyspark]

your moulds are so neat, you must have the patience of a saint! haha

these tutorials are brilliant thanks!!

[Nofby]

Oh,my comments are no more! But you know that I know its FANTASTIC!!

[princessamy13]

sweet tuorial <3