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What Mould materials to use

M

martin.pearson

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Thought I might have a go at making some of these blanks so looking in to what is required from an equipment point of view as well as casting materials. The moulds are obviously something I don't currently have so was wondering what peoples experiences & preferences are with different types of mould, have seen both solid & flexible moulds mentioned. Both will have their pro's & cons. This isn't something I am planning on doing a lot of, it's more a case of always wanting to try new things lol
 
Sawes

Sawes

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Hi Martin

You can use both silicone and HDPE solid moulds.
Personally I have move my own casting across to the SoliMould now away from silicone and found a much greater lifespan. Also with the SoliMould being made from one solid block there are no joints to leak or potentially leak over time.
I also did a test and used less resin compared to other moulds when doing tube in casting.


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Bucks

Bucks

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Hi Martin
I make & sell a range of quality Silicone & HDPE moulds and sell them on my website. www.penblanksandmoulds.co.uk If you want any further information please feel free to message me or I can give you my phone number if you want a chat about equipment & moulds.

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Harry

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Hi Martin,
I make mine from silicone sealant, using the soapy water method that I found on the interweb. Cheap as chips and fine for occasion use.
 
Sawes

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Well for some reason my post didn't go through right it seems.

Our range of moulds are available on web site www.mrresin.com

We also can tailor starter packs for people and have done quite a few in the past using our range of casting products including mica powders and such. The only thing left would be the resin which we could put you in touch with some great companies with quality resin depending on how you going to cast.

Scott (Mr Resin Ltd)

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MrResin
Mr Resin Blanks - Epworth, North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom | Facebook
 
Gadget-UK

Gadget-UK

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Martin...

My Advice... DO NOT START :thinks:
You wont stop, its addictive and at the moment there are no “Withdrawl Support Groups” :funny::funny::funny:

Best of luck and as for Paul & Scott above, I use both there moulds and various resins all good IMHO :thumbs::thumbs:
 
Penpal

Penpal

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Martin suggestions will vary greatly, to me the field is wide open from Paul m,s simple constructions to the totally professional one you can see on this post. Have fun mate.

Peter.
 
M

martin.pearson

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Thanks for the replies people, really just wanted peoples preferences & reasons why, I don't intend doing a lot of this, yes I know it can be adictive but i have plenty of wood to turn pens & lots of other projects to be getting on with lol
I am not looking to buy moulds from anyone, I can make my own which is what I will do at some stage but would prefer to make them from what ever material people who actually make them would recommend.
 
Sawes

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In that case I would recommend HDPE.
We have used them for quite some time now and others seem to now be following suit.
Lifespan will far out last silicone and as long as you use a suitable release agent shouldn't have an issue.

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Gadget-UK

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Sawes said:
In that case I would recommend HDPE.
We have used them for quite some time now and others seem to now be following suit.
Lifespan will far out last silicone and as long as you use a suitable release agent shouldn't have an issue.

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MrResin
Mr Resin Blanks - Epworth, North Lincolnshire, United Kingdom | Facebook
Click to expand...

As Scott said, HDPE is probably the best stuff to use for casting and last a lot longer than the Soft Moulds. I use both and the HDPE are lasting / better results BUT (again as per Scotts very good advice) use a release agent :thumbs:
 
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Paul hd

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martin.pearson said:
Thanks for the replies people, really just wanted peoples preferences & reasons why, I don't intend doing a lot of this, yes I know it can be adictive but i have plenty of wood to turn pens & lots of other projects to be getting on with lol
I am not looking to buy moulds from anyone, I can make my own which is what I will do at some stage but would prefer to make them from what ever material people who actually make them would recommend.
Click to expand...

Hi Martin,

I use foam board which I think is about 4mm. You do need a hot glue gun.
 
M

martin.pearson

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Hi Martin,

I use foam board which I think is about 4mm. You do need a hot glue gun.

More likely to be either 3 or 5mm which are common sizes for foamex, its nominal thickness & can vary a lot from brand to brand lol, 4mm is a possibility but it's more expensive as not a common size & a lot of suppliers don't stock it. Thats my experiences from almost 20 years as a signmaker lol

I have both HDPE & silicone but didn't want to go to the trouble of testing myself since I can't see me doing a lot of it. As a signmaker I have the printing of labels under control as well, I work with resins on other projects/interests I have. It's only because I already have pretty much everything I need already that I thought I would give it a go.

Thanks for all the replies.
 
Bucks

Bucks

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Sounds like you’ve got everything pretty much sussed. Silicone moulds are a lot easier to demould than hdpe, but If you’ve all ready got the offcuts of hdpe or foamboard, it’ll be much easier and quicker for you to make a mould with that, as with making a silicone mould there would be a lot more work involved as you would have to make a master mould out of something suitable like HDPE to be able to cast the silicone mould.
 
P

Paul hd

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The stuff estate agent use for sale boards works too. Ive used Cordex sheet as well. That was given to me, I wouldn't buy it.

4mm was a guess, it is probably the 5mm.
 
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