Marianne Lombardo on sat 1 jun 02
I am forwarding this information with Nan's permission, because I think it
may be useful to others.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nan Thurn Kitchens"
To:
Sent: Saturday, June 01, 2002 8:56 AM
Dear Marianne,
When I want to mold a small item like this I coat it first with several
layers of liquid latex on a surface that is hard so the latex runs off the
piece slightly and on the surface it is on as well. (Use an old brush, coat
the brush with liquid soap and wring out before you dip into the latex, wash
brush out well as soon as you are finished when the latex is still wet. It
should wash right out of the brush.)
When that is dry I make a small plaster mold around it to support the latex
liner.
After the plaster cures for two weeks you can use the mold with the latex
liner for wet clay or slip. The plaster acts as a support for the details in
the latex.
This system will insure the original when unmolding and guarantee the copies
will be accurate and exact. The only problem with this is that your copies
will not be the same size as the original taking into consideration whatever
clay you fill the latex mold with will shrink as it dries.
When an architectural piece is broken and needs replacement a mold maker
will sculpt a copy for the mother mold that is ten to fifteen percent bigger
(to match the shrinkage of the clay they use). This assures the piece will
fit when replaced on the building.
Liquid latex can be purchased from most clay suppliers, or theater
suppliers. It is not cheap but a little goes a long way and lasts a long
time. I've had a jar for several years.
Good luck.
Nan Kitchens
Nanci Bishof on sun 2 jun 02
Polytek, a moldmaking & casting materials manufacturer, will sell direct to
artists. They are also very helpful in problem solving to meet specific
needs.
Their contact info is:
Polytek Development Corp.
55 Hilton St
Easton PA 18042
800 868 5990
FAX: 610 559 8626
Web: www.polytek.com
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