Experimental Silicone Mold (part 2)

De-molding:

Drum roll please......

Turn the entire box over. And slowly worked the plasticine off of the bottom. And it worked! The vaseline did its job. And kept the silicone from sticking to the eye lens and the plasticine. AND the walls. So far so good.

Nice clean removal! The silicone is on the flimsy side though. It could've benefitted from a few more layers. Next time I try this method, I'll have to remember that.

With some plasticine, I filled in those pour channels again. Making sure there's enough room for the resin to pour though and run through the entire negative space.

Again, coating the entire surface with Vaseline again. With the trusty cotton swabs. Start to lay on the 2nd half of the mold with silicone again. And, again... a few more days of layering, drying, layering, drying, etc.

So, I'm STILL not going to jump for joy yet. This hasn't proved to me this was a complete success yet. I'll celebrate when the resin is poured, dried, and comes out perfect without any deformities. Because I'm suspecting the weak silicone mold won't hold its shape. Again... we'll see...

Experimental Mold Process

Silicon Caulk Mold:

So, my catalyst dried up on me. I can't make my mold for the eye lens the usual way. And I'm too impatient to wait again for another order through snail mail. I YouTube'd a new process. (at least to me). Where, instead of RTV rubber mold, you can simply go cheap and just use a tube of silicone. Right from the hardware store! Thought this might be fun to experiment with new techniques. It looks like its one of those 'it's crazy enough, it might just work'. Who knows, if this works out, I may use this method in the future.

The process calls for:

- Cup of soapy water

- releasing agent. (I use Vaseline) with cotton swabs.

- Silicone caulk

- Caulk gun

- Organic Respirator (with canisters) or well-vented area.

Because the silicone was made for bathtub/kitchen repairs, it has inherent adhesive properties. It makes a mess. But, once dried, it's no longer sticky.

I coated the entire area with Vaseline and cotton swab. Making sure every corner is coated with it evenly. No extra globs anywhere. The vaseline will  add a layer between the silicone and the mold, eye lens, and walls.. so, I can separate them apart later. (Hopefully!)

TIP: Use the organic respirator. The ones with 2 carbon filter canisters on the sides. Silicone is super smelly. Like strong vinegar. And it's super toxic. A simple face mask will not do.

To start, I laid down one line of silicone. Then dipped my finger into the cup of soapy water, and started to press down on the silicone. Flattening it all out across the surface. Slowly working it and pushing it into every area. Taking caution not to go too fast as to leave air bubbles anywhere. The layer at this point is pretty thin. About 1/8" all around. The soapy water will cause the silicone to just slip around your finger. It's a pretty cool trick. The water actually acts as an accelerator to the silicone. So, it's a plus plus.

I'll leave this to dry complete overnight. And repeat 2 more layers.

I don't have a whole lot of confidence in this method. I'm actually expecting this to fail. But, I still have to give it a try.

My prediction: The vaseline would fail. And the silicone would stick to everything. Causing me to lose my lens. I'll either have to start over or just suck it up and pick another alternative in making the eye lens. Any bets?

We'll find out in a few days...