Mold Making and Casting

Lightning Cosplay
MOLD MAKING AND CASTING

WORKING WITH SILICONE, CLAY AND CASTING RESIN
MOLD MAKING AND CASTING
WORKING WITH SILICONE, CLAY AND CASTING RESIN
Mold Making and Casting

©2015 Lightning Cosplay
Lochnerstraße 48
52064 Aachen
www.lightning-cosplay.com
Author: Laura Jansen

English Translation: Alexandra LaPlante
Photos
Laura Jansen
Ralf Zimmermann (p. 2, 104)
Torsten Dreizehnter (p. 3)
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PROLOGUE – SAFETY FIRST 6
BASIC PRINCIPLE 8
SILICONE 10
MODELING CLAY 12
CASTING RESIN 14
VACUUM CHAMBER 16
SILICONE MOLD - METHOD 1

SCULPTING: MALEFICENT HORNS 20
PREPARING THE SILICONE MOLD 31
LAYER BY LAYER 33
HOLLOW CASTING 37

PREPARATIONS WITH CLAY 46
THE BOX 48
CASTING AND CLEANING 50
BRUSH-ON MOLD
SCULPTING: DRAENEI HORNS 56
BRUSH-ON SILICONE 59
SUPPORT SHELL 62
MATRIX MOLD
PREPARATIONS 72
MOLD-JACKET 84
OPENING AND CLEANING 91
SILICONE MOLD METHOD 1 AND 2 96
DYING CASTING RESIN 101
TIPS AND TRICKS

SCULPTING 108
QUICK SILICONE MOLD 111
ATTACHMENT AND PAINT JOB 112
LIGHTNING COSPLAY
For the past several years I have been known Over the course of the past years I have
as Lighting Cosplay, which originated from the worked with many different materials and
name of the first character that I cosplayed. I methods of crafting. Anything from foam and
have been engaged with cosplay and costume thermoplastics to silicone and casting resin,
making in general since 2011. my list of materials is always growing.
Fauns and elves are two of my favorite types It does not matter whether I am creating an
of fantasy creatures, as their magical and my- original character costume, or if I have chosen
stical manner fascinate and inspire me. Since one of my favorite characters from a game.
the beginning of 2013 I have been dedicated Witnessing how it is brought to life, bit by bit,
to various techniques of creating lightweight is fantastic, and creating something with my
horns and antlers. I have constantly develo- own two hands never fails to make me incre-
ped further techniques and this is what I wish dibly proud. Through my books I hope to ins-
to share with all costume enthusiasts in the pire, to awaken creativity and help every fan-
world. tasy-fan implement their ideas.
2
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is aimed at costume enthusiasts, crafts-
men, hobby elves, Cosplayers and everyone who
wants to step into the world of molding and casting.
The different methods that areintroduced offer the
possibility of extremely detailed results when crea-
ting costume pieces, and the ability to reproduce
them infinite times.
The methods are explained step by step and are

complemented by helpful tips which are not just ap-
plicable for horns, but can be modified for any type
of project.
3
INTRODUCTION
Safety First | Basic Principle | Silicone | Modeling Clay | Casting Resin | Vacuum Chamber
6
INTRODUCTION › PROLOGUE – SAFETY FIRST
PROLOGUE
As the costume scene is growing worldwide, the The basics of working with sculpting clay and the
desire for inspiration, knowledge, new techniques creation of lightweight, hollow casts are explained
and materials rises. The internet is the best source of as well. The different techniques rely on each other,
inspiration for any costume enthusiast, but simulta- so make sure to read all the chapters of the book
neously it is so full of tutorials and information that it thoroughly.
is a challenge not to get lost.
The different methods are not just applicable to
In the area of molding and casting there is tons of in- horns but can be changed, adapted or even com-
formation that can be learned. Over the past years I bined to suit your project.
have acquired a lot of experience that I want to pass
on in this book. There is more than one way to crea-
te a silicone mold and there are just as many ways to
do it right. All methods introduced in this book are
based on my own experience and offer insight into
the world of creating silicone molds.
6 Introduction
SAFETY FIRST!
The most important rule is: Safety first! The materi- Although silicones are usually not a problem, some
als that are introduced in this book can be harmful people are allergic to some components of the in-
to your respiratory system and skin; this makes wea- gredients. This is why it is wise to protect the skin of
ring safety gear absolutely essential. your hands and forearms.
A breathing mask should be worn when working What is bad for your skin is even worse for your
with casting resin. Part A of all Polyurethane cas- eyes. To stay on the safe side, wear safety glasses
tings resins contains Isocyanate which attacks the while working with casting resin.
respiratory system. While sanding the finished cast
a breathing mask should be worn as well. Silicones Drops of resin have landed on my arms more than
generally consist of components that are not dange- once, therefore I cannot emphasize enough how
rous for the respiratory system. important it is to protect yourself – especially be-
cause it can trigger extreme allergic reactions for
Hands and forearms should be protected perma- some people.
nently as accidents can happen. Casting resin can
easily drop onto your skin and cause skin irritations.
All casting resins can cause skin irritations and some
are caustic. In case of contamination it is absolute-
ly essential that you keep the contaminated gloves
away from your face.
7
INTRODUCTION › BASIC PRINCIPLE
BASIC PRINCIPLE
The great thing about silicone molds is that you can The methods range from simple and cheap to com-
reproduce complex shapes as often as you want to. plex and expensive, and depending on the project
On top of that you have a wide selection of casting you are working on, it can be worth it to choose a
resins which you can use to change features like more complex method. In general it is important to
weight or stability of the finished product There are work exact and clean no matter which method you
a lot of different ways of how to make a silicone mold use. To ensure that nothing can go wrong in the fu-
and many things that you need to pay attention to ture, the different types of silicones, casting resins,
when making one. Yet there are quite a few ques- sculpting clay and everything else you need are in-
tions that need to be answered first: Which silicone troduced in the following chapters, using examples
is the best choice? How does the whole mold thing to guide you through.
work? In which case is a vacuum chamber needed?
Before we learn about the materials needed, there

are some basics that need to be covered, but be-
cause there are so many methods of making silicone
molds, it is a little hard to generalize. The following
basic principle can still be called a standard-method,
as it can be used for most ways of creating silicone
molds.
8 Introduction
You start with the shape that
you are planning to cast,
which is called the Master.
Generally silicone molds are
divided into two pieces. The
Master is encased about half-
way with a layer of clay. Then
a box is built around it. Ad-
ditionally so called keys are
pressed into the clay.
The box is then filled with si-

licone until the Master is co-
vered. Once the silicone has
hardened completely, both
box and clay are removed and
the silicone and master are
cleaned. The master stays in
the silicone throughout this
process. Now a new box is
built around the first half of
the silicone mold.
Then the box is filled with si-

licone again. As soon as this
half has also hardened, the
box can be removed. Now
you can open the silicone
mold and remove the master.
The silicone mold is finished
now and with its help you
can create duplicates of the
master.
9
INTRODUCTION › THE BEST SILICONE
WHAT IS THE BEST
SILICONE
It might be disappointing but there is no such thing Condensation and addition cure silicones
as “the best silicone”. Just like in many other areas
there are products that are rather good and others Depending on their polymerization, silicones are
that are not. Still, the right silicone for you depends grouped into two different types: condensation cure
entirely on your project and your own standards. and addition cure.
Silicone exists in all kinds of colors, degrees of hard- Condensation cure silicones start to react once a
ness and viscosity. There are brush-on silicones that hardener is added (max. 10%). During this process
can be applied directly to the master with a brush – chemical vapor is emitted which leads to a reduc-
even on vertical structures. There are also very liquid tion of mass. This causes the mold to shrink slightly.
silicones which are great for large molds, fine ridges The main advantage of these silicones is that they
and much more. There is the right silicone, for every are relatively cheap and they are usually sufficient
project. for most purposes.
There are lots of silicone providers and one of the Addition cure silicones are usually mixed in a 1:1 ra-
world’s biggest and most innovative is Smooth-On. tio (depending on the volume). No chemical by-
They pretty much have all the silicone, casting re- products are created during this addition process.
sin and epoxy resin that you need. Silicones used in Because the products are mixed immediately, they
dental areas are useful as well as they are usually a harden with practically no shrinkage.
little cheaper, but the molds do not last for long.
10 Introduction
DIFFICULTIES
DECIDING?
He who has the choice … has to make a
decision. To help you with that, you can
order samples from Smooth-On. You
can not buy just one sample though, you
have to buy the entire test-palette. Espe-
cially at the beginning this can be a great
asset, as it gives you the chance to get
a feel for different properties (hardness,
tear strength, elongation).
MOLD MAX® 30 REBOUND® 25 MOLD STAR® 16
Mix Ratio 100 A:10B (by weight) 1A:1B (by volume) 1A:1B (by volume)
Mixed Viscosity (mPas) 25000 spreadable 12500
Specific Gravity (g/cm³) 1,18 1,17 1,18
Pot Life (min) 45 20 6
Cure Time (h) 24 6 0,5
Color pink orange green-blue
Hardness (Shore A) 30 25 16
Tensile Strength (N/mm) 19,62 18,19 15,7
Elongation at Break (%) 300 690 440
Shrinkage (%) 0,2 <0,1 <0,1
KEEPING TRACK OF THE NUMBERS

The numbers might look a bit much at first glance, time for a project, it is a good idea to choose a sili-
but are not as bad as they look if you give them a cone that hardens quickly. If the pot life is not long
chance and are mostly self-explanatory. The listed enough, you can not air out the silicone. The degree
silicones are three of my favorites and are introdu- of hardness is the relevant factor for how hard your
ced and used over the course of the book. silicone will be, once it has set. You can read how
hard a silicone becomes from its name: MOLD MAX®
In order to determine the best silicone for your plan- 30 for example, has a hardness of 30. Tear strength
ned project, it is important to take a look at the silico- and elongation are important when making a silico-
ne properties before purchasing - the mixture plays ne mold that will be cut into. REBOUND 25 is ideal
a lesser role. Important is, that silicones are made of for that due to its high elongation at break.
a Part A and a Part B. More interesting is the result:
the viscosity of the mixture. This is what tells you
how thick or runny the mixed silicone is. The lower
the number, the the silicone. The drop and demold
times are important as well. If you do not have much
11
INTRODUCTION › MODELING CLAY
MODELING CLAY
There are lots of good modeling clays out there and If you are trying to make something with large flat
each and every one of them has its own advanta- surfaces and sharp edges, a design clay is recom-
ges and disadvantages. Most of you have probably mended. This clay is usually used in the automobile
already worked with air drying clay from craft stores. industry to makemodels. No matter which clay and
This material is of a limited suitability for making a brand you decide to use, you should make sure that
master. the clay is sulfur-free. If it is not, it can cause prob-
lems during the curing of the silicone mold.
There are some great professional modeling clays,
like the NSP Clay from Chavant. It is a wax based There are other kinds of clay as well, like those that
clay that softens when heated up. The high percen- airdry. Sometimes it is a good idea to have a ro-
tage of wax makes the clay rather flexible and indi- bust master – especially if you plan on sanding your
vidual pieces can be stuck together easily. Probably master after sculpting it. Super Sculpey® or Apoxie
the most convenient thing about it is that it never Sculpt® are good choices for that kind of work.
hardens completely which means you can reuse it
over and over again. Clay exists in various degrees
of hardness. I prefer working with the medium hard
clay. When making a silicone mold it is ideal to choo-
se a hard clay, so the master will not easily be dama-
ged. NSP Clay Medium is a great all-rounder and is
the perfect modeling clay for organic shapes.
12 Introduction
CLAY MEDIUM DESIGN CLAY
This Clay from the company Chavant is Design Clay is used when you plan on
a professional, sulfur-free modeling clay creating pieces with sharp edges (techni-
with medium hardness. It is especially cal things). Unlike normal clay, chips that
good tor create organic shapes and is a fall while sculpting do not stick to the tab-
great all-rounder. le and can simply be brushed away.
Hardness Grade (Scale 1-10) : 7 Hardness Grade (Scale 1-10) : 7

Operating Temperature: 20-42°C Operating Temperature: 52-50°C
Softening Temperature: 40°C
Liquid at: 80-90°C
SUPER SCULPEY® APOXIE SCULPT®

Super Sculpey® is an oven drying clay Apoxie Sculpt® is a self-hardening two
with an incredible detail depth. You can component clay. It is great for very fine
let your finished piece dry at home in the and detailed ornaments and sculptures.
oven. Similar to ceramic in texture, the You have approx. 2-3 hours to handle the
material can easily be sanded once hard. clay and after 24 hours of drying the mass
is rock-hard.
Super Sculpey® is best used when you re-
quire a robust Master that can be worked Apoxie Sculpt® can be sanded, drilled,
on after the sculpting is finished. cut and more without a problem.
13
INTRODUCTION › CASTING RESIN
WHAT IS THE IDEAL

CASTING RESIN
Just like with the silicones, there is an ideal casting Smooth-On has a broad selection of polyurethane
resin for every project. The different types of resin and epoxy resins. There is a suitable resin for almost
are polyurethane casting resin, polyester casting re- every occasion. Hollow casts, extremely light casts,
sin and epoxy resin. casts with high pressure and bending resistance,
crystal clear resins, durable resins and so forth.
When making casts you mainly work with polyure-
thane casting resin, because they are easy to mix Do not forget: Safety first! When working with cas-
(usually 1:1 according to volume) and unlike polyes- ting resins, make sure to protect yourself. Most pro-
ter casting resins, they are odorless. Especially if you ducts are absolutely odorless, but are not good for
work at home, you do not want your place smell of your health when inhaled. So make sure you wear
chemicals for days. Epoxy resins are extremely dura- the recommended safety gear (see p. 7).
ble and are usually used when surfaces are lamina-
ted or if you only plan on using a thin layer of resin.
There are pourable epoxy resins as well, which are
frequently used for industrial components that have
to withstand high demands, like high pressure or ex-
treme heat. The horns made in this book need not
stand such extreme conditions.
14 Introduction
SMOOTH CAST® 65D ONYX® FAST SMOOTH CAST® 326
Mix Ratio 1A:1B (by volume) 1A:1B (by volume) 1A:1B (by volume)
Mixed Viscosity (mPas) 120 100 100
Specific Gravity (g/cm³) 1,05 1,09 1,07
Pot Life (Min.) 2,5 2,5 7-9
Cure Time 10-15 min 10-15 min 1h
Color white black clear-yellowish
Hardness (Shore D) 66 80 72
Tensile Strength (N/mm) 16,5 40,2 21,8
Elongation at Break (%) 20 4 10
Shrinkage (%) 1,0 1,0 1
THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA

To find out which casting resin is your best option, a distinct disadvantage: you cannot remove the air
a look at the properties can help a lot. The mix is from them, which leads to increased bubble forma-
usually 1A : 1B by volume. I prefer to mix by weight, tion. There are grave differences when it comes to
because you can receive very precise results with a break and bending points in the products that have
good scales. The proportions change depending on been introduced above. Casts made of ONYX FAST
the casting resin (common is 100A : 90B). The vis- are very solid and break-proof on the one hand, but
cosity shows how runny the casting resin is after mi- on the other hand, small, flexible parts are prone to
xing. It is advisable to choose a runnier casting resin, breaking off.
because they tend to have less air bubbles. The cas-
ting resins from Smooth-On all tend to have a similar So, when choosing which casting resin to use, you
weight. Important are the pot and demold time. For should always take a look at all the properties of the
example, if you are making hollow cast, you should materials. The entirety of the material has to be the
choose a resin with a pot life of about 2 - 4 minu- right one for your project.
tes. The reason behind this is that you have to conti-
nuously pan the object until the resin is dry. Everyo-
ne likes fast hardening resins even though they have
15
INTRODUCTION › VACUUM CHAMBER
WHEN DO I NEED A
VACUUM CHAMBER
When you mix silicone or casting resin a lot of air can
get into the mixture. Sadly, this is unavoidable, no mat-
ter how carefully you stir. On top of that, air can get in
during the pouring process as well. In combination, these
factors lead to an unsatisfactory result: there are bubbles
in the silicone mold and in the finished cast. A vacuum
chamber gives you the option to remove the trapped air.
Sadly, these systems are fairly expensive, as you do not
just need the chamber, but a suitable pump as well. If you
are striving for perfect results to remove the air it is a ne-
cessity. When it comes to air bubbles, resins are not as
big a problem as silicone. The selection of resins includes
some that are especially made to give almost bubble free
results, even without de-airing.
The picture above shows a direct comparison: on the

right, de-aired; on the left, untreated. The resin used only
created bubbles inside the cast. As long as you are not
planning on making transparent horns, that is not a pro-
blem.
There are resins that have problems with bubbles on the
surface as well.
16 Introduction
1 SILICONE AT FIRST 2 IT STARTS TO RISE SLOWLY...
3 ... AND INFLATES 4 IT IMPLODES
5 THEN ANOTHER 90 SEC. MAX 6 DONE!
BUBBLES AND HOLES

It is incredibly frustrating if you have
spent days working on a mold and after
opening it you discover THIS: bubbles
and holes. It is not just your time that
is been wasted, but expensive material
as well. If you decide to use the silicone
mold anyway a lot of work will follow
after the cast is done in order to clean
up the flaws. That is not too bad if it is
a piece you only plan on using once but
mass production can end up being very
time-consuming, which is one of the
things you are trying to avoid by ma-
king a mold.
17
SILICONE MOLD - MEHTOD 1
Sculpting | Silicone Mold | Hollow Casting
SILICONE MOLD M1 › SCULPTING
MATERIAL
Dental Silicone
A dental silicone was used for the
first method. It is really easy to use,
Material: due to the short pot life and it is fair-
Airdrying potting clay ly cheap. It is an ideal choice when
Turpentine substitute (white spirit) you are making a silicone mold for
FOAM-IT!® 3 the first time.
FOAM-IT!® 65D
Clay Medium Sadly, molds made from this silico-
Silicone (Purux Pricosil green, Shore 31) ne are not exactly long-lived. They
are a good method if you want
Optional: Worblas Finest Art to reproduce a form a few times,
which is more than enough in this
case. Later chapters will introduce
methods for more durable and ela-
borate molds.
20 Silicone Mold - Method 1

TOOLS
A lot of tools and materials are needed to create
a master and a silicone mold. Hobby crafters will
probably already have some of them at home.
Tools:
You can get everything for a reasonable pri- Scale
ce online and once you have collected them, Rubber gloves
you will be able to use them for a while. Things Various sculpting tools
like mixing bowls and rubber gloves can be Paintbrushes
purchased in every drug store – which is great Wood sticks
because you constantly need new ones. Box cutter
Dremel
As soon as you have everything, you can get Mixing bowl
started right away. You will want to consider Duct tape
setting up a permanent working space that can
be used over long periods. The following project Optional: hot air gun
will not be finished in one day.
21
3 4
WORBLA-CORE Tip:
The thermoplastic material used here is
Making a Worbla-Core is an optional step, but one that I introduced thoroughly in my first
can be of big help at the beginning to get the book: Worblas Finest Art.
right shape and to able to make the horns sym-
metrical.
1) If you have Worblas Finest Art leftovers at 4) Once the Worbla roll is fairly even, you can start
home, this is a way to put them to use. If you do to gradually shape your piece until you find the right
not, a new piece will need to be started. Heat the form for your horns. You can reheat the material over
WFA with the hot air gun until it is soft enough and over again and reshape until you are satisfied
to knead the pieces together. with the shape. Try to hold the horns on your head in
front of a mirror to test for size and shape. It is best to
2/3) The material is worked into a roll and pulled make the second horn right away.
to the final length that is needed. Take care that
you do not want to make the core too thick. You
want to have the freedom to sculpt later on and
do not want to hit Worbla instead.

SCULPTING
5) NSP Clay Medium is a good
choice for sculpting. It is well sui-
ted for making organic shapes
and structures. Before you get
started the clay has to be brought
to an enjoyable working tempe-
rature, which is approx. 40°C.
So into the oven with it. Bake it
at 50°C for around 30 minutes.
Small pieces are easier to heat
than giant chunks.
5 6
6/7) Cover the Worbla bit by bit
with the clay.
8) As long as the material is still

warm you can spread the clay
with your fingers without prob-
lem.
Tip:
Cut the Clay into smaller pieces
before heating it in the oven. you
can e.g. use a large, durable kit-
chen knife to cut off thin strips.
Tip:
If the Clay gets too hard to hand-
le easily, you can reheat it in the
oven.
7 8
23
9/10) your structure will not look

particularly great at the begin-
ning, but do not worry, it will in
the end. The form does not need
to be perfect. It is safer to have
too much clay on it rather than
not having enough. Do not for-
get that a considerable amount
will be scraped off during the fol-
lowing steps.
11) Once you are content with the

shape you can use your fingers
to smooth out the surface a bit.
With a little experience this will
not take long.
12) Add a brim to the foot of your 9 10

horns. This will ensure that your
horns will have a nice finish and it
will make it easier to handle the
sculpture in the following steps.
Now the horns will be able to
stand on the table.
11 12

13 14
13) Next up are our sculpting tools. The one shown Tip:
here is great for clay. The properties of clay make it The Clay scraps can be kneaded together to a new
possible to scrape away extremely thin layers of the chunk and then be reused. Try to make sure the
material. This does not work with other modeling scraps do not fall on the floor. Hair and dust will
clays like Apoxie Sculpt. As mentioned before, make add impurities to the material and impure clay
sure the horn is slightly bigger than it needs to be in is not good for sculpting any more. If you place a
the end. This leaves you with the freedom to sculpt plastic canvas on the floor of your working space
the final form like you want to. before you get started, you can easily save pieces
that fall to the floor and use them again later.
14) As you can see there was scraped a lot of clay
from the horn. If you are satisfied with the result you
can go on with the details.
25
15 16
NOW REPEAT THE PROCESS AND MAKE SURE IT IS SYMMETRICAL!

WHEN MAKING HORNS IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE THAT YOU
HAVE TO DO EACH STEP TWICE.

DETAILS SCULPTING
17
18
Tip: 17) The grooves are best started from the base
There are so many kinds of sculpt- of the horns upwards. Start by etching the li-
ing tools that I am still unable to deci- nes in lightly first. Work your way upwards,
de which ones are my favorite ones to groove by groove.
work with. I think everyone has to find
out for themselves which tools are the 18) In the pictures above you can see that in
best for them. While working on textu- the first step the grooves are just hinted at and
res, I change the tool as soon as I notice then in the second step they are deepened.
that something is not working the way I This way it is easier to plan the layout of the
want it to. Sometimes I have to change grooves.
multiple times before I am content with
the results. You will have to remove the horn from the tab-
le for this kind of detailed work, or you will not
be able to reach every inch of the piece equally
well. As an alternative you can purchase a ro-
tary disk.
27
20
19 21
19) As mentioned before, you need to change the tools

Tip:
to check and see how you get the best results. To re-
Do not get too stuck on using sculpting
move larger stripes you can even go back to using the
tools. Feel free to use your fingers as
sculpting loop.
well.
20) Fingers are still the best tool to smooth Clay. To
I do approx. 70% of the sculpting with
blend in sharp edges, carefully run over them with your
my hands. The sculpting tools come
thumb.
in handy for specific steps. Due to my
experience, most of the time I am ac-
21) The horn is taking shape now. The grooves can be a
tually quicker with my hands than with
little uneven to make them appear more natural.
tools.

22) Now you can dedicate your-
self to the tip. Start with sculpt-
ing the rough shape with your
fingers.
23) You can blend the transition

area with your sculpting tools
and refine the points and shape.
It does not need to be perfectly
smooth yet. We will smooth it la-
ter.
22 23
24) If you are not satisfied with
the shape here and there you can
simply add Clay to the areas that
you want to change them. In the
case displayed here, the middle
edge was not distinct enough.
25) After blending the added

Clay with your fingers, retrace the
grooves in those areas.
24 25
29
26
27 28
26) There are two good methods to smooth the Tip:

surface of Clay. The first one is by using your hot At this point it is enough to add
air gun. The surface will melt, but you run the risk details to only one side of the horn
that too much will melt and the sculpted details as it will lie on one side while you
will be messed up again. are making the silicone form and
thus the details will most likely be
That is why the second method is a lot better: tur- damaged anyway.
pentine substitute (white spirit). You can buy it at
any DIY market. Do not go to crazy over this me-
thod either, because you can easily use too much
of the substance and ruin your texture that way.
It is best to use a soft paint brush when applying
27) The more details you add to a horn, the more
your turpentine substitute. If you only dip the tip
realistic it will look when it is done. Take a sharp
of the brush into the solution and dab your brush
sculpting tool and scratch a finely structured tex-
on a paper towel to remove excess liquid before
ture. This will take a lot of patience. You do not
applying to the Clay, you should be on the safe
want the edges to be too distinct, so go over them
side. The Clay’s surface gets softer and can then
with your fingers to smooth them. This will make
be smoothed more easily with your fingers than
them look more natural.
before. You repeat this process until you are satis-
fied with the surface.

Tip:
What most people use as mode-
ling clay is more of a waste product
when making a silicone mold. Air-
drying potting clay is cheap and
suitable to separate your form sta-
ble clay master into two halves.
SILICONE MOLD
PREPARATIONS
1) Before getting started, you need to de-
cide where you want to separate your si-
licone mold as there will be a visible seam
there later. Because of this you want to
select a spot that will be easy to clean. In
this case, the elevated middle seems like
a good place for it. The layer of clay does 2
not need to be thicker than approx. 1 cm.
2/3) Once the horn has been completely

separated, it is time for the most impor-
tant part. This step is the decisive one for
how neat the finished cast will be. You
need to be extremely precise. Take a firm
paint brush and some water and neaten
the transition area between the two clays.
Of course you can alternatively use sculp-

ting tools for this step.
31
SILICONE MOLD M1 › PREPARING THE SILICONE MOLD

The greatest advantage of this kind of
silicone mold is that it is very cheap to
produce because you need very little si-
licone to make a mold, making it possible
to make casts even if you are on a tight
budget.
The disadvantage is that this type of mold

will not be very durable and casts made in
it will soon turn messy. The mold simply
wears out quickly, turns porous and the
seam (called Flash) gets wider and wider.
Still, as long as you are not planning on
mass production, this kind of mold is usu-
ally more than enough.
If you have a very large Master, stability

might turn out to be a problem. In this
case it is better to choose a different me-
thod.
4) The holes are called Keys. They ensure

that the silicone halves will fit perfectly la-
ter. To make keys, just take a damp, back
end of a brush or any sculpting tool and
press it into the clay.
4 5) Now you are ready to mix the silicone.
Material:
Silicone Part A+B
Tools:
Mixing bowl
Wood sticks (for mixing)
Rubber gloves
Scale

LAYER BY LAYER
6) The first step is the most important. Cover the 7/8/9) Now stay patient and build it up - layer by
entire Master with all its details and texture with a layer. In this case, doing thin layers saves you from
neat layer of silicone. Silicone hardens in a few minu- needing a vacuum chamber. If you notice bubbles
tes, but will also drip down the sides. You can either in your silicone, simply take a sharp object and poke
prevent it from dripping down the sides by using a them away.
stick to stop it - which can get very tedious – or you
pick the whole thing up carefully and slowly swivel it 10) Do not remove the silicone that is stuck to your
from side to side. You should wait around 15 minutes stick. It helps adding the following silicone layers ea-
between every layer. sier.
6 FIRST LAYER 7 ...SECOND
8 ...THIRD 9 ...FIFTH
10 11 ...EIGHTH
33
SILICONE MOLD M1 › LAYER BY LAYER
12
13 14
MENDING THE DETAILS

12) The silicone dries quickly, so you could start with 13/14) Now you can see first hand why it is useful to
the second side right away – but I recommend to only detail one side first. Because the horn was ly-
wait a few hours for the air drying clay to dry com- ing on one side, the details on that side may easily
pletely before removing it. The air-drying clay is ea- be damaged. Take your time to mend it and add the
sier to remove when completely dry. When the clay fine structure. If the brim was damaged, as you can
is still moist during removal, it tends to stick to the see here, repair it in this step.
Master and will cause you a lot of work to get it off.
Tip:
There are multiple ways to prevent the Master from
Important: being damaged on the side that is lying down. They
The Master has to stay in the silicone - otherwise will be explained later in the book. The safest me-
you run the risk of silicone needed for the second thod is to make the Master from hard-drying mode-
half to run under the first half’s silicone, which ling clay.
would ruin your mold, or create a lot of extra work
when cleaning your finished cast.

THE SECOND HALF
15) Mimicking what you did on the first
side, you start to build your second half
of silicone layer by layer.
16) Once the second half is covered

with enough silicone, you remove the
clay brim.
17) Wet silicone from the second half

will most likely drip over your first half,
making it hard to find a spot where
you can separate the two halves. Most
dental silicones will not have tear-stop
characteristics like the high quality ones
from Smooth-On do.
15 16
Be careful when opening your mold - to prevent the sili-

cone from tearing consider using a scalpel.
17
35
SILICONE MOLD M1 › LAYER BY LAYER
18
TONS OF CLIPS
Once the silicone mold has been successfully ope-
ned and the Master has been removed, it is time to
check and see if it was worth the effort.
18) The best method to hold the silicone halves to-

gether is to use a lot of clips. You do not want to use
clips that are too strong because they can dent the
silicone too much which can lead to misalignment
on the inside. Instead, use plenty of weaker clips,
while paying attention to the mold not denting any-
where.

MIXING PART A + B
These horns are meant to be
lightweight, so they are cast
with a resin for hollow casting:
SMOOTH CAST® 65D.
19/20) Casting resins always con-

sist of two components (A and
B). The canisters from Smooth-
On are always yellow (A) and
blue (B). When mixing by weight
– which is the easiest method –
you should mark your cups be-
fore getting started. Especially
if you have large canisters it is
very likely that you will pour too
much, but it is okay to pour some
back. Just make sure that you are
pouring back into the right canis-
ter. If some of component A gets
into the component B canister it
will start the hardening process
and make the resin useless. How
19 20
you mark your cups is up to you.
I recommend either A and B or Y
(for yellow*) and B (blue).
*The cup in the picture shows G

and B – the G stands for “gelb”
which means yellow in German.
21/22)The plus-cup (+) will be

used to mix the two components.
If you only have a small amount
of resin it is enough to swivel
the cup to mix the resin. Larger
amounts should be stirred with a
wooden stick.
Tip:
SMOOTH CAST® 65D has a very
short pot life. So do not waste
too much time with mixing and
get it into your silicone mold
quickly.
Tip:
For horns this size 25g Part A
21 22 and 22g Part B are enough per
layer. These horns require two
layers.
37
SILICONE MOLD M1 › HOLLOW CASTING
THE ART OF HOLLOW CASTING

Getting a hollow cast even is not exactly easy and
requires some experience. On the plus side, hollow
casting requires very little material, so it is not a di-
saster if it takes a few attempts to come out right.
When hollow casting, work in layers because the
resin dries very fast. If you were to try it in one go,
you would not get the chance to get a satisfying
and even result before the resin has dried.
23/24) Slowly pour the casting resin into your

mold and carefully tilt the form forward. At first the
resin is pretty runny, so be careful that it does not
run out.
25) While the resin is drying you rotate the mold

until the inside is completely covered in resin.
26/27) In these pictures you can see the resin

spreading slowly. Once dried, the resin turns white.
This way you can see where the layer of resin is still
too thin.
23
24 25
26 27

29
28 30
Tip:
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
When working on your second layer, 28) Proceed with the second layer, fol-
pay special attention to the upper edge. lowing the same steps as for the first layer.
The base of your horns needs to be fat Then wait around 20 minutes until the resin
and stable so you can drill holes into is completely dry.
them for attachment. If the base is too
thin, it may break when it is drilled. It 29/30) The big moment has come. When
is helpful to let a little bit of resin flow opening, it is best to start at the top and
over the edge. work your way down to the base of the
cast. Take a close look at the horn. The first
Tip: few times it is possible that the resin layers
It looks like a good idea to swap the are too thin. It is in the grooves, where the
horns after each layer. Usually the ti- resin tends not to be thick enough.
ming between layers is relatively good
then.
39
31
32 33
31) If everything is looking good: congratulations! 33) Fixate the horn to the table with the opening fa-
You are almost done. If not: do not feel discoura- cing up. An easy way to do this is with masking tape.
ged. It is completely normal that at the beginning
you need to develop a feeling for how to swivel the To give the horns some extra stability while keeping
silicone mold. The complexity and the shape of the them light, they are filled with expanding foam.
horns play a major role in this as well.
32) Once you have repeated the entire process for

the second horn it is time to fill the horns. The seam
that looks frayed right now in cast-making is called
Flash or Flashing. The amount of Flashing indicates
how well the silicone halves fit each other. Sadly, in
this method the clips do not hold the silicone to-
gether completely which leads to resin flowing into
the gap. It is pretty easy to clean though.

FUN WITH FOAM
34) Foam-iT!® are two-compo-
nent foams that can be poured or
brushed on. There is a selection
of foams that expand in various
amounts. Unlike the expanding
foam that most of us know from
the DIY market, these foams have
a very dense structure. To get the
maximum foam for your money,
choose Foam-iT!® 3. It expands
18-fold.
35) You only need Foam-iT!® 3

Part A 20g + Part B 18g for horns
this size.
36/37) It only takes seconds for

the foam to start expanding. If
you have prepared too much,
the excess foam will spill over the
brim, creating extra cleanup work
34 35 for later. If you are unsure about
how much foam to prepare for
your horns, consider starting with
a small amount and then adding
more layer by layer until you have
your horns filled.
Tip:
I usually pour the foam before
removing the horns from the sili-
cone mold. Doing it this way pre-
vents any excess foam from spil-
ling over the brim and getting to
the outside of the horn. If you
are new to hollow casting, you
should remove the cast first to
check the casting results. Other-
wise you might waste foam on
an unsatisfactory cast.
36 37
41
38 39
40 41
42 43
NEATENING
38/39) The foam hardens pretty fast. After approx. Important:
10 – 15 minutes you can cut it. Remember to wear you breathing mask when san-
ding casting resin. The fine dust that is created is
40/41) The Flash can be removed with a carpet kni- bad for your health!
fe. Small bits can then be sanded away with the Dre-
mel. Be careful not to damage the cast when doing
this.
42/43) Then use the Dremel to clean up the base of

the horns. You can sand a slight concave curve into
the foam if you want to. This will make the horns sit
on your head nicer later.

HOORAY! THEY ARE DONE! THE ONLY
THING STILL MISSING IS THE PAINT -
ONCE THAT IS DONE YOU CAN PROUDLY
SHOW OFF YOUR HORNS AT THE NEXT
CONVENTION.
On page 114 there is a small painting tutorial. You can find
a more detailed tutorial on painting in the book “Horns
and Headdresses – Thermoplastics”.
You can either attach the horns directly to a wig or use

an elastic cord to keep them on your head. You need to
drill two small holes into the base of the horns to pull the
elastic cord through (more on p. 113).
43
Preparations | The Box | Casting and Cleaning
SILICONE MOLD M2 › PREPARATIONS
SILICONE MOLD M2
ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES
Material: This method is the one that is most commonly used to
Air-drying potting clay make silicone molds. Method two has some advantages
Silicone: MOLD STAR® 16 over method one, but it has its disadvantages as well.
Cardboard / foam (for dividers) The first one is that, it is a lot faster than method one,
because you do not spend hours adding on layers of
Tools: silicone one after the other. Secondly, the molds are a
Scale lot more durable and have a longer life expectancy. The
Rubber gloves third advantage, which is the most relevant, is that the
Wood sticks (for mixing) casts turn out a lot cleaner, because it is easier to close
Mixing bowl the mold properly. If you work accurately, it is possible
Sponge / Paint brush to make casts that are almost seamless.
Various sculpting tools
Hot glue gun The big disadvantage is the amount of silicone needed.
When making a small mold, that may not play a big role,
Optional: Airbrush gun but if you are making something bigger, like a weapon,
you can easily arrive at amounts of about 7 kilograms
(approx. 15 pounds). So the amount of silicone and as
a result, money, you save by using method one is enor-
mous, with a higher expenditure of time. Yet it is your
decision whether you want to save time or material.

PREPARATIONS
1) The Master displayed here is made of Super Scul- 3/4) Clean the area where clay and Master meet
pey®. The horns were sculpted, dried in the oven with a damp paint brush. This horn has a lot of deep
and sanded. On top of that the surface was covered grooves, that you have to work on very exactly.
with a spray on varnish, creating a sturdy and non- Sponges are ideal for cleaning the Master as well.
sensitive Master.
5/6) Press the dampened end of a paint brush or
2) The Master is completely encased in clay, to about sculpting tool into the clay to create the Keys. You
half of its depth (same as method 1). When doing can use an air brush gun to remove excess water.
this you have to keep in mind that this step decides
where the seam will be. This method requires you to
leave a sprue (channel) in the clay which makes the
casting easier and gives you more freedom when
swirling.
1 2
3 4
5 6
47
31
29
3
SILICONE MOLD M2 › THE BOX
8 9
LIVING IN A BOX
7) To prevent the silicone from running in all direc- 9) When glueing the pieces together, make sure the
tions a box is created around the whole thing. It is seams are completely closed as the runny silicone
not really important which material you decide to will find even the tiniest of holes. Upon completion
use for your box walls: wood, metal, foam, card- it is therefore recommended to seal your seams with
board or plastic – anything goes. The only thing you hot glue once again.
need to watch out for is that the „pores“ of the ma-
terial are not too big; otherwise it will be too porous Tip:
and the silicone will stick to it too much. Do not panic if silicone does start leaking from so-
mewhere later. Just in case, keep the glue gun rea-
In this case I have used pieces of leftover foam. The dy, so that you can close holes immediately.
foam is glued to the workplace, so you should use an
old wooden board, cardboard or something similar Tip:
to protect your workplace countertop. If you get hot glue on your fingers IMMEDIATELY
rub your fingers together with a fast, sharp move-
8) Piece by piece you build a fitting box, and be ge- ment. This way the glue can harden directly and do
nerous with the hot glue that holds the individual pi- no damage to the skin.
eces together.

10) Beautiful! Once the box is
constructed and the hot glue has
cooled off, you can use the brush
to smear clay on the walls you
have justset upt to minimize the
number of places where the silico-
ne can seep into.
Tip:
At this point you should continue
without any delay. Do not wait
for the next day. The clay will dry,
crack and shrink a little. This can
create a gap between clay and
Master which the silicone will flow
into. You need to avoid that at all
cost.
10
49
SILICONE MOLD M2 › CASTING AND CLEANING
11 12
13 14
11) Because in this method you do not pour the Tip:

silicone in thin layers method, you have no con- Here it is again recommended to
trol over how much air gets into the mixture. This wait until the clay is completely dry
is why you want to de-air your silicone in a vacu- because then you can remove it in
um chamber as soon as you have mixed Part A one go, for the most part without
and Part B together. MOLD STAR® 16 has a short residue. You can see what happens
pot life, so you should only make small amounts if you DO NOT follow this tip in the
each time, otherwise you will not have enough following pictures.
time to de-air in the short period available.
12) Slowly pour the silicone into the box that you
have prepared. Refrain from moving it back and
forth too much as too much movement will add
air again and you are trying to avoid that.
13/14) MOLD STAR® 16 is completely hardened in

half an hour. You can remove the box sides and
reuse them for the second side later.

REMOVING THE CLAY 15
15) Ideally the clay should harden over-

night. This way you can remove it with al-
most no residue. (see p. 34)
16) In this example, due to time restric-

tions, the clay was removed before it was
completely dry. As you can see, there is
still clay stuck in the Master‘s grooves and
on the silicone.
17) You should still try to get as much clay

off in one go as possible. If it is still moist
enough you can wrap it in foil and reuse it.
16
Do not remove your sprue (channel) yet,
you still need it for the second half of
your silicone.
17
51
SILICONE MOLD M2 › CASTING AND CLEANING
18
19 20
CLEANING THE FIRST HALF

18) Take a moist sponge and give everything a
rough clean. Make sure to clean the sponge regu-
larly to avoid just smearing the clay around. Swit-
ching between a sponge and a paint brush will give
you the best results when cleaning your Master and
silicone mold.
Important: 21
The Master needs to stay fixed in the silicone
mold; otherwise the silicone for the second half
will flow into the gap.
19/20) A thin sculpting tool is the best way to free

the fine grooves from the clay. You need to be very
patient and precise as it can take a while to free the
Master from the entire clay residue.

22 23
24
21) As soon as both Master and silicone are free

from clay you just need to wait until everything
is completely dry.
22) You can reuse the box pieces that you used
for the walls for the first half.
23) Now repeat the same process. Prepare the

silicone, de-air it in the vacuum chamber and
pour it into the box. Remove the walls after the
drying is complete.
25
24) The mold can be opened now. Where you
separate the pieces from each other is not parti-
cularly critical.
25) And now you are already done. It has not

taken you long to make a clean and durable sili-
cone mold. The hollow casting process is explai-
ned from page 38 on.
The method 2 silicone molds can be held to-

gether simply with some strong rubber bands.
53
BRUSH-ON MOLD
Sculpting | Silicone Mold | Casting and Cleaning
BRUSH-ON MOLD › SCULPTING
MATERIAL The Brush-On Silicone Mold
This method is completely different

from the methods that have been in-
Material (for Silicone Mold):
troduced so far. The main difference
Air-drying potting clay
is that this mold does not consist of
Plasti-Paste® II
two halves, but that it is prepared in
Rebound® 25
one piece. To accomplish this, the
Aluminum foil
Master is completely covered in sili-
Bottle cap (or similar)
cone and cut open at the end.
Tools:
The advantage is that you do not
Paint brush
need a lot of silicone or a vacuum
Rubber gloves
chamber for this method. On the
Mixing bowl
other side, the mold is not very sta-
Wood sticks
ble on its own, so it has to be en-
Scalpel
cased in a Support-Shell.
56 Brush-On Mold
SCULPTING THE HORNS
Horn sculpting is an optional step and therefore is Material (for Horns):
only explained briefly. You can find more tips on the Styrodur (rigid foam)
sculpting process in the first method on page 23. A Worblas Finest Art
Styrodur-Core is a good alternative to the Worbla Clay Medium
-Core that has been introduced on page 22. Turpentine substitute (white spirit)
Wood stick + mount
1/2/3) The horn shape is drawn onto the Styrodur and
then cut out with a utility knife. Then reuse the utility Tools:
knife to carve the rough shape. Hot air gun, utility / carpet knife
Sanding paper / sponge
Sculpting tools
1 2
3 4
4) After carving use sanding paper to smooth out

the shape. The base of each horn should be shaped
to fit the head so that you can wear them later.
5) When making a brush-on silicone mold, it is ea-

sier to add the silicone with a paint brush when
the clay master floats freely and is not lying on its
side. This is why the horns are transferred onto a
stick with Worblas Finest Art, with the stick at the
base of the horns. Where the stick is mounted will
automatically become the place where the sprue 5
(channel) will be.
57
BRUSH-ON MOLD › SCULPTING
6 7
8 9
6/7) Now encase the Styrodur horn with NSP

Clay Medium.
8/9) The surface can easily be smoothed with

your fingers (thumb). You can also work with
a turpentine substitute (white spirit) again
(see p. 30). To make the horns’ details (texture,
grooves) use a thin sculpting tool.
10) A simple wooden rack as displayed here, is a

perfect mount for sculpting and making brush-
on molds.
Tip:
The rack is homemade from a few leftover pie-
ces of wood that were in my workshop. Simple
but effective!
10
58 Brush-On Mold
11 12 FIRST LAYER...
BRUSH-IT-ON BABY
Rebound® 25 is a brush-on silicone that can also
be used on vertical surfaces without problems.
You can apply it with a paint brush or a spatula.
Due to its tear strength and extreme elasticity
you can use it to create flexible and sturdy sili-
cone molds. Before you get started, check the
tip on page 61.
13
11) The layers of silicone should be applied thinly.
Mix only small amounts of silicone at a time be-
cause excess silicone will just drip off the Master.
As the bristles of the paint brush will stick to- Tip:
gether, you should use a new one for every layer According to the product description
of silicone that you apply. the silicone does not drop – I cannot
attest to that. It takes about 10 minu-
tes until it starts to harden. To waste
12/13) Cover the horn completely in a thin layer as little silicone as possible, you can
of silicone. Let the silicone harden before adding use the paint brush to stop/catch the
the second layer so as not to damage the struc- drops, until the consistency thickens.
ture of the first layer with the paint brush. After
about 60 minutes you can carefully check the Tip:
silicone with your finger - if no silicone sticks to The cheapest DIY market paint bru-
your finger you can start with the next layer. shes are good enough for this purpo-
se. Very often you can find sets with
more than one brush at a good price.
59
BRUSH-ON MOLD › BRUSH ON SILICONE
14 SECOND LAYER...
15 SIXTH LAYER...
14) You now add silicone to the Master layer by

layer. As mentioned above, it is best to take a
new paint brush for every layer.
15) After the sixth layer the horn should look so-
mething like this.
Tip:
Dripping can be avoided by picking up the
stick with the horn and rotating it repeatedly as
FOURTH LAYER... shown in picture 15.
60 Brush-On Mold
SILICONE KEYS
The Keys are there to ensure that the
Support-Shell and the silicone mold will
be a perfect match later on - the Shell
will ‘lock’ in there.
16) Depending on how thick your layers

are, you will need 6 – 8 layers of silicone.
You will develop a feeling for when a lay-
er is thick enough to continue. As soon as
you have finished your last layer, wait for
the point in time when the silicone turns
gluey. That is the perfect time to add the
Keys which you can even paint over with
some silicone. Before starting to build
the Support-Shell, you should wait for 1
- 2 hours until the silicone is completely
hard.
Some of the Keys in the displayed pic-

ture are made of MOLD STAR® 16 so they
are of a different color from the others.
16
Tip:
Old bottle caps are great to form the
silicone Keys. You should consider
preparing them before adding your
first layer of silicone to the Master,
as they take approx. 4-6 hours to
harden.
61
BRUSH-ON MOLD › SUPPORT SHELL
THE SUPPORT-SHELL
As soon as the Master is removed the si-
licone mold is not inherently stable any
more. The Support-Shell will solve that
problem.
17) First you need to decide how many

pieces your Shell will consist of to be able
to open and close it easily. Because it is
not flexible, you need to pay attention
to distinct curves and undercuts. In this
17 case the Shell is divided into three pie-
ces. The top with the keys will become
one large piece and the back will consist
of two pieces. Now, similar to the other
methods, the pieces are separated by
using air drying clay.
18) The clay is additionally wrapped in

aluminum foil. The foil sticks to the Sup-
port-Shell and prevents the individual pi-
eces from sticking together later.
Tip:
The clay does not stick to the silicone
particularly well, so be careful when
wrapping the clay with aluminum foil
not toseparate from it fromthe Master.
Tip:
In case you have problems with the
edge of the clay you can remove the
wooden stick at this point, or shorten
the stick with a saw. The advantage of
this is that you can then lay the silico-
ne mold on the table which makes ad-
ding the clay a lot easier. This way you
can easily sculpt the area between your
counter up to where the Support-Shell
will be separated.
18
62 Brush-On Mold
19
MIX IT 20
Tip: PLASTI PASTE® II is a product that is specially

Stir until the components are completely made for supporting structures. It is a poly-
mixed and form a homogeneous mass. At urethane resin that reinforced by fiber glass.
the same time, do not forget that you only It is fixable, lightweight, sturdy and sticks to
have a pot life of about 10 minutes. vertical surfaces.
19/20) The best mixture for PLASTI PASTE® II

is by volume (1A:2B). The easiest way to do
this is to take three same sized containers and
one larger one to mix them in.
21
63
21
22 23 24
21) The mixture is added on with a wooden stick. The 23) The round shape of the horns prevents the Sup-
Support-Shell should be about 1 cm thick; otherwise port-Shell from being removed later on, so the back
it is possible for it to break – especially around the needs to be separated down the middle into two pi-
edges. PLASTI PASTE® II should be left to dry for at eces.
least 90 minutes before you continue to work.
24) Add your PLASTI PASTE® II to the first half. Af-
22) You can remove the clay from the back side now. ter 90 minutes drying, you can remove the clay from
The aluminum foil will stay fixed to the PLASTI PAS- the middle. Repeat the process on your second half.
TE® II which is exactly what you want.
64 Brush-On Mold
OPEN THE SHELL
Wait until all pieces are hard before try-
ing to open the Shell. PLASTI PASTE® II
has a demold time of 90 minutes, but
stays slightly flexible after that.
25/26) All you need to open the Shell is

a simple flathead screwdriver. Pay atten-
tion to your intuition / feeling. If you noti-
ce that you need an excessive amount
of force in one spot, just turn to another
spot instead. To keep the areas open
that you have already opened with the
screwdriver it is helpful to place wooden
sticks in the spaces. More on that in me-
thod 4 (see p. 91).
The most important thing to remember

is to stay patient. Opening the Shell takes
time and strength.
25
Tip:
Not a beauty, but will do its duty. As an
alternative you can make the Support-
Shell from epoxy resin as per the fol-
26 lowing method. You can even combine
the methods.
65
28
27 29
Tip: CUTTING THE MOLD OPEN

Silicone is always cut in a zig-zag
way. It is very necessary with thick 27/28) To open the form the best tool is a scalpel.
layers of silicone (method 2). The zig- Use it to cut a slight zig-zag down the middle of the
zag cut makes the silicone pieces grip silicone mold. This horn barely has any structure in
each other better. the middle, making it an ideal spot for a seam, as
it will be easy to remove any excess to clean it. On
top of that, the side with the Keys is cut open in a
manner that will allow the Keys to “click”. This way
the middle of the mold fits perfectly when the Sup-
port-Shell is completely shut.
29) The Clay-Master can now besafely removed.

The silicone is extremely flexible, so you can even
turn it completely inside out.
Unlike the other silicone mold methods, you will

have a visible seam on the finished cast when
using this one.
66 Brush-On Mold
HOLLOW CASTING
Now you have your own extra special 3D
puzzle and are almost ready to cast. But
before you do that, you have to piece
the puzzle together. Use rubber bands or
clips to hold it together.
Making the cast is a bit harder than using

the other methods because you can not
see what goes on inside, as the mold is
not open at the base. This makes it dif-
ficult to estimate if the casting resin has
spread evenly.
30
30) Casting and swirling are similar to
method 1 (see p. 38). You cast in two lay-
ers. For this size horn 25g Part A + 22g
Part B is good per layer.
31) After the cast has hardened, the Sup-

port-Shell is removed and the silicone
mold opened.
2 31
67
32/33) When removing the Master,

you will probably notice how flexible
the silicone is. The easiest way to re-
move the horn is by turning the silico-
ne mold inside out.
34) This kind of silicone mold usu-

ally has more Flashing then others
because the silicone halves are not
pressed together as strongly here as
when using one of the other methods.
Just like in method 2, you can remo-
ve the Flash with a carpet knife and
sandpaper
35) You can now start a mass produc-

tion. Have fun!
There are lots of tips on painting

and attaching horns in my first book
“Horns and Headdresses – Thermo-
plastics”.
32 33
34
35
35
68 Brush-On Mold
21
69
MATRIX MOLD
Preparations | Silicone Mold | Casting and Cleaning
MATRIX MOLD › PREPARATIONS
MATERIAL Matrix Mold
Matrix-Mold is the most complica-

ted and time consuming method in-
Material:
troduced in this book. It is a method
Air-drying potting clay
used in professional areas because
EPOXACOAT® RED
the result is an extremely durable,
MOLD STAR® 30
long living and clean silicone mold.
Ease Release® 200
The special thing about this tech-
Ease Release® 2125
nique is that you are working the
EPOXAMITE® 101 Fast
other way around – you start with
Plastic wrap
the Support-Shell (called Mold-Ja-
Aluminium Tape
cket) and then you fill it with silico-
Fiber Glass Matting - Fine
ne.
Aluminum or steel sheets
An advantage is that you have a
Tools:
perfect fitting mold, like in method
Mixing bowl
2, but without using as much silico-
Wood sticks
ne. As this method is quite complex
Paint brushes (quite a few)
it is not worth the effort for small
Tinsnips
pieces, or things that you only need
Sculpting tools
once.
72 Matrix Mold
CUTTING CLAY 1
For a Matrix-Mold the entire Master is en-

cased in air-drying potting clay. To make
sure your clay layer is equally thick there
is a simple trick.
1) The thickness of your clay determines

the thickness of your silicone mold. The
slices should be about 1 cm thick. A board
with two wooden slats of the right size at-
tached to it, makes a great cutting board
and is easy to build by yourself. Here I
used wood that was 1,2 cm thick.
2) Everyday wire is more than enough for 2

cutting. It just should not be too thick.
3) The horns that are demonstrated in

this tutorial need 4 or 5 slices of clay per
horn, depending on the size of your clay
block. Because the clay dries fairly quickly
and you will need a few days to make
the Mold-Jacket and silicone mold, you
should dedicate yourself to one horn at a
time.
73
74
4
5 6
PLEASE WRAP IT UP!

The horns are sculpted in a similar way to those in 5/6) Use a sculpting tool (here: spatula) to cut your
method 1. The difference is, that these are sculpted clay pieces to the required sizes for your project. It is
directly on a foam head. We like doing it this way for recommended to start covering your Clay-Master at
two reasons: first, we can fit the horns better to the the front of the head.
shape of a head and second, it will play a role when
we get to the silicone later on. Tip: The Worbla-Core inside the horns is directly
attached to the Worbla headpiece on the Styro-
4) To prevent the carefully sculpted Clay-Master foam head, therefore even the heaviest Clay horns
from getting clay stuck to it, we wrap it in plastic are completely secure and you can work on them in
wrap. It is best to wrap both horns right away in peace.
order to ensure that the second horn is protected
while you are working on the first.
75
7 8 9
10 11 12
76 Matrix Mold
7) To make the pieces of clay fit to-
gether well, they are trimmed to fit.
8/9) Piece by piece you puzzle the

sheets of clay together and then clean
the seams with your fingers. It is helpful
and makes this process a lot easier if
your fingers are moist
10) To fill small gaps, just cut out and

add a fitting piece
11/12) Following these steps, you encase

the entire horn, repeatedly smoothing
the surface with your hands. As an al-
ternative you can use a damp paint
brush to smooth the surface.
Tip:
You should use a very soft bristled
paint brush for smoothing. Hard brist-
les tend to leave streaks in the clay.
77
13
The horn is now completely encased. This

weighs a lot, so make sure the head is safely
secured. 14
THE OTHER KIND OF KEY

13) Next up are the Keys. These are slightly
different compared to the other ones we have
made so far. To make these Keys we prepare
circa 1 cm wide clay-strips.
14/15) The strips are pressed onto the horns

and the seam is worked in with a sculpting
tool. A standard edition sculpting stick will do
the trick here..
15
78 Matrix Mold
16
17 18
16/17) The clay can be shaped and smoothed with

your fingers and a paint brush.
The clay strips should have an angle of 90°or more

to the main horn; otherwise you will have problems
when it later comes to removing the Mold-Jacket
from the silicone mold.
18) In theory it is not very important how you place

the strips; however what is shown here is the com-
mon placement. The entire work process can take
several hours - therefore due to the amount of time
needed, this method is only really worth being used
for projects that exceed a specific size, shape or
complexity.
79
19 20
19/20) The simple shape of these horns me- Tip:

ans it is enough to separate the Mold-Jacket in As the backside of the horns in this
only two halves. Other shapes, like those that example is fairly small, it is enough to
have extreme curves (e.g. helmets), need to place a strip in the middle and then to ar-
be divided into three or more parts. range another strip across it.
The piece of clay that runs all the way from

the base to the tip of the horns, divides the
front- and the backside.
80 Matrix Mold
21
22 23
THE SPRUE
In this case the sprue is optional. But because it is 21/22) Cardboard tubes like this are great for making
needed for most Matrix-Molds, it is briefly explained sprues. The easiest way to cut them is with a saw.
here.
23) The sprue is placed at the highest part of your
In the Matrix-Mold process the silicone is poured into Master. Depending on the shape the ideal position
the Mold-Jacket via the sprue. You need to decide if for the sprue can be very different though. For flat
you are making a one or two piece mold. A one pie- shapes, e.g. firearms you usually have two sprues
ce silicone mold only needs one sprue. A two piece that are both placed around the middle. You need to
mold needs a sprue on each half of the Mold-Jacket. think about how the silicone will have the best possi-
In the following steps, the differences between one ble way to spread inside the Mold-Jacket.
and two pieced silicone molds are explained further.
81
24
25 26
SEPARATING
24) For the separation of the Mold-Jacket from the Tip:
Matrix Mold we use aluminum or steel sheets like When cutting the sheets with tinsnips the edges
those displayed here. You can buy sheets of different bend a bit. You can smooth them down with a ham-
thicknesses and sizes at DIY markets which you can mer.
then cut into the size you require. You should make
sure that the sheets are not thicker than 0,5 mm, as 25/26) The small sheets are stuck into the clay strip,
they need to be bent in some places and cutting thi- dividing the halves that you made earlier. When
cker sheets is hard, even with tinsnips. The size that making an organic shape, they should overlap a bit.
you need to cut your sheet into, varies depending on Some tricky places may require you to bend the
the size of your form. sheets.
82 Matrix Mold
27
28 29
27) In curved areas the sheets can overlap more wit-

hout causing any problems.
28/29) As well, the sheets will be joined together

with Aluminium Tape. This makes the structure noti-
ceably sturdier and the epoxy resin for the Mold-Ja-
cket can not run into any gaps between the sheets.
Epoxy resin sticks to almost every surface. Although
it can be removed from aluminum and steel fairly
well, it is still a good idea to spray the whole thing
with Ease Release® 200 to be on the safe side.
83
MATRIX MOLD › MOLD JACKET
30
31 32
MOLD-JACKET 1ST HALF

The Mold-Jacket usually consists of epoxy resin. The amounts at a time, as you can not cover the whole
resin is usually applied in layers and gets strengthe- form in that short amount of time.
ned with fiber glass. This way you have an extremely
stable and lightweight form. Tip:
The Smooth-On buckets have their pitfalls. Opening
30) To ensure that all of the clay casings details are them can sometimes be especially hard. On the lid
copied, you start with a layer of EPOXACOAT® RED. you can find indentations with the information “cut
This epoxy resin is very thick and can even be ap- slots” which you cut into with a carpet knife. You
plied to vertical surfaces without running down. have to be sure not to cut too far otherwise the lid
will not seal properly when you try to put it back
31/32) Epoxy resin consists of a red jelly-like compo- on. Now the lid should be easily removable.
nent and a runny hardener (100A:15B by weight) The
pot life is around 20 minutes, but it is only spreadab-
le for about 5-8- minutes. You should only mix small
84 Matrix Mold
33) EPOXACOAT® RED can be
spread with a paint brush wit-
hout any problems. You need to
be aware that when the resin har-
dens you will need a new brush.
34) The layer needs to be thick,

so be generous while applying.
35/36) The entire horn, including

sprue and the surrounding divi-
ders are covered in resin.
Tip: Before continuing with the

next step, you should let the re-
sin dry for about an hour.
33 34
35 36
85
37
38 39
37) Use EPOXAMITE® 101 for the next layers of the 38) EPOXAMITE® 101 hardens very quickly as well. It
Mold-Jacket. It is a runny, yellow-transparent ep- has a pot life of 11 minutes (usually shorter). Avoid
oxy resin that is ideal for laminating with fiberglass. mixing large amounts at once; otherwise it will har-
Alternatively you can use epoxy resin from the DIY den faster than you can apply it.
market.
39) When applying the first layer, you need to be ex-
Tip: There are fiberglass fabric and fiberglass mats. tra careful when covering the strips of clay. You must
You can normally find thin fiberglass in DIY mar- be sure there are not any hollow spaces left under
kets, usually in the boating section. the fiberglass.
The fabric needs to be cut into small pieces. Before

starting the laminating, you should prepare a decent
sized stockpile.
86 Matrix Mold
40
40/41) Wait approximately one hour

between every layer. All together you
need to apply 3 to 4 layers of epoxy re-
sin + fiberglass.
Every layer of the fiberglass should ex-

tend about 1cm longer than the divider.
As the entire edge will be sanded later
it needs to be extra sturdy.
Tip:
To finish, I always add a final layer of
epoxy resin without the fiberglass be-
cause it creates a sealed and smooth
surface.
41
87
43
42 44
MOLD-JACKET 2ND HALF

EPOXACOAT® RED has a demold time
of 16 hours. You should always wait until
that time has passed before starting with
the other half, otherwise the two pieces
might stick to each other.
42) Because the process for the first half

takes so long the clay on the back will dry
out causing cracks, therefore you should
keep the surface moist.
45
88 Matrix Mold
43) Now it is time to remove the metal
sheets. If the clay is dry and brittle, you
need to be especially careful when do-
ing this.
44) Cracks and places where clay has

crumbled off are repaired with new clay.
45) The frayed fiberglass edge will

be removed with a Dremel. Attention:
Wear protective eye gear and a respi-
ratory protection! The fiber glass pieces
are unpredictable.
46) The release agent Ease Release®

2125 is made for separating resins.
47) Use a paint brush to apply a thin

layer and let it dry for a short period.
Tip:
You can clean the metal sheets and
store them for next time. This saves
you from the work of cutting out tons
of new ones and having to use the
hammer to smooth them.
46
47
89
AND BECAUSE IT WAS SO GREAT, LET’S DO THE WHOLE THING

AGAIN! REPEAT THE ENTIRE MOLD-JACKET PROCESS ON THE
BACK, INCLUDING SANDING THE EDGES WITH THE DREMEL!
90 Matrix Mold
1 3
OPENING AND CLEANING

After the second half is completely dry the Mold-
Jacket can be opened.
1/2) Cracking the Mold-Jacket to open it, works

best with a small flathead screwdriver (or so-
mething similar) that you have to wedge bet-
2 ween the layers. Start by hammering the
screwdriver until there is a small gap. There will
be a clicking noise when the halves are separate
from each other. Work your way around the en-
tire form centimeter by centimeter.
3) It will not work without wooden sticks! Gently

Tools: hammer them into the gaps, you have created,
Hammer until the halves are completely separated.
small flathead screwdriver
large flathead screwdriver
Wood sticks (Popsicle sticks)
Dremel
Portable drill
Sponge + paint brush
91
MATRIX MOLD › OPENING AND CLEANING
4) When the sticks start to fall out in some

places the Mold-Jacket is ready to be opened.
5) Pry the halves open – it might take a lot of

strength – but do not worry, the mold is very
stable.
6) The Mold-Jacket will take the dried clay with

it when it comes off. Also the clay needs to be
removed from the mold before you can conti-
nue.
Tip:
Be cautious not to push the wood sticks
in too far, or you might damage the Clay-
Master.
6
92 Matrix Mold
CLEANING THE SHELL
In the following steps the Mold-Jacket is
removed and finally filled with silicone –
but first it needs to be cleaned. The dry
clay can be removed pretty easily.
7) A few hits with the hammer on the

outside of the Mold-Jacket will make
most of the clay crumbles and fall off.
8) Any clay that is still in the Keyli-

nes can be removed with a flathead
screwdriver.
Before rinsing the mold with water, it

should be as free from clay as possible.
93
MATRIX MOLD › OPENING AND CLEANING
9 10
11
9/10) A moist sponge will remove any stubborn

clay. The sponge needs to be cleaned frequently.
Alternatively you can rinse the entire mold un-
der running water.
11/12) Even when the mold appears to be clean,

after it is dry you can see that it may not be one
hundred percent clean. You should repeat the
cleaning process until the mold has a light red
color after the water dried.
12
Tip:
I am introducing two methods for this kind of
silicone mold. For method 1 both halves of the
Mold-Jacket need to be perfectly clean. For
method 2, only one half needs to be cleaned at
first.
94 Matrix Mold
13
14
DRILLING HOLES
Tip:
It is recommend to sand the Mold-Jackets This step can be done before or after cleaning
outside surface with a Dremel, as there the Mold-Jacket. The most convenient way, is to
might be areas where the fibres are sti- do this before you open the Jacket.
cking out and you could accidentally hurt
yourself on them. 13/14) If you are drilling after the opening and
cleaning you can now place the Mold-Jacket
back on the Styrofoam head. Due to the excess
that we added at the base before, the Mold-Ja-
cket will still sit perfectly when you put it back
on. Use your drill to create holes in consistent
intervals. Make sure your drill bit fits the screws
that you are going to use later. My screws have a
4mm diameter, so I used a 4 mm metal drill bit.
95
MATRIX MOLD › SILICONE MOLD - METHOD 1
16
15 17
SILICONE MOLD: METHOD 1

You can either fill the complete Mold-Jacket with si- 16) Now it is attached to the head with a few screws.
licone, creating a one-pieced silicone mold that will You should make sure to place the screws in the part
be cut open on one side or you can choose to make that you reinforced with Worbla. The Styrofoam alo-
a two piece mold. ne is not enough for the screws to grip.
The main advantage to a one-pieced mold is the 17) To make sure the screwing is a quick process; you
time you are saving. Plus you only have one seam should use fairly short screws and wing nuts. You
at the back. On the downside, there can be a lot of can screw them in and out without any tools.
Flashing like with the brush-on silicone mold.
15) First off the Mold-Jacket is placed on the horn. It

should be arranged to ensure there is enough space
between the horn and the Mold-Jacket. Ideally the
same amount to all sides, so the finished silicone
mold will be evenly thick.
96 Matrix Mold
18
18) Now we attach the front half of the Mold-

Jacket, mounting it to the base as well. Use the
screws and the wing nuts to join the halves firmly
to each other.
The silicone can now be poured in through the

sprue. (More on mixing on page 98.) Wait un-
til the silicone is completely hard, then remove
the Mold-Jacket and open the silicone with a cut
along the back half Keyline.
More about casting and how to color casting re-

sin on page 101.
97
19
20 21
SILICONE MOLD: METHOD 2

The better and more precise method is the
two pieced silicone mold. This method lets
you create your product with barely any Flas-
hing. On top of that it is a lot easier to assem-
ble than a one piece silicon mold. As both me-
thods require the same amount of silicone, it
is wise to choose this method. The only disad-
vantage is the higher time expenditure.
19/20) In this method the Clay-Master is re-

moved from the Styrofoam head and as like
22
previous methods (see pages 31 & 49), gets
embedded into clay. It is now clear why you
only had to diligently clean one half of the
Mold-Jacket. Both halves of the Mold-Jacket
are now tightly screwed together with screws
and wing nuts. The sprue is unnecessary for
this method and should be blocked with some
clay.
98 Matrix Mold
23 24
21) The best kind of silicones for Matrix-Molds are Tip:

those with a low viscosity. For this example MOLD For a bigger form it is recommend to drill small
STAR® 30 was used. holes into the Mold-Jacket. The silicone will run out
of the holes, showing you the fill level. Immediately
22) Due to its low viscosity de-airing in a vacuum seal the holes with some clay.
chamber is not always necessary. However, if you
want to be extra safe you can de-air it anyway.
23/24) This time the form is filled from the bottom.

The silicone should be poured slowly. After pouring,
you should shake and tap the form in order to pre-
vent bubbles and trapped air.
99
25) After 6 hours you can open the Mold-

Jacket. Then everything needs to get rid
from the clay. The best method to pro-
ceed is explained on page 54.
26) As soon as the Master and the Mold-

Jacket are well cleaned, spray Ease Re-
lease® 200 on everything. This will make it
easier to open the silicone mold later.
25
THE SECOND HALF

When making the second half of the sili-
cone mold, we follow the same procedure
as we did for the other methods. The dif-
ferent methods of making silicone molds
are related to each other and usually vary
only slightly. The basics stay the same in
this example as well.
27) The Mold-Jacket it screwed together

again and the second half is filled with si-
licone. After hardening it is time to open
it. MOLD STAR® 30 may be hard to get
2 26 apart, even with a separating agent.
You open the silicon halves bit by bit,

using the hammer, a screwdriver and
wooden sticks.
28/29) The Master is removed, the silico-

ne mold cleaned from any remaining clay
and both halves are tightly screwed to-
gether again.
27
100 Matrix Mold

28 30
31
29 32
DYING CASTING RESIN

It is possible for you to color casting resin with spe- In case you are trying to create a very specific color,
cific pigments. Smooth-On has broad selection of you might want to make a few test pieces first. The-
colors that can be mixed with each other. As these re is pre-colored casting resin as well. For example
horns will have a dark base color, it is recommended SMOOTH CAST ONYX® is a dark black polyurethane
to color the resin at this point. This way you can save resin which is suitable for hollow casts.
time because of not having to apply a base coat.
31/32) For this example SMOOTH CAST® 65D was
30) The So-Strong® color pigments are added to mixed with black pigments. More about hollow cas-
Part B before mixing the two polyurethane compo- ting on page 38/39.
nents together. You should use a maximum of 3% of
So-Strong® in total compared to combined materi-
al (A+B), otherwise there could be hardening pro-
blems. When you buy the products you receive an
information sheet that contains all important infor-
mation needed for coloring.
101
33
34 35
FILLING AND CLEANING

33) For extra stabilization these horns are filled with It was a long, hard road till here but it was worth
Foam-iT!® 3 (see page 41 for more details). it. The Matrix-Mold has become my preferred cas-
ting technique. The time required is quite a lot, but
34) With diligent work, this is ideally what it should you do not need excessive amounts of material and
look like. There is almost no Flash, which makes you receive a very clean and durable mold. Still, it
cleaning the horns almost unnecessary. Cut off the is only worth the effort, if you use this method for
excess foam at the base and sand it until it is even objects above a certain size.
with your Dremel (see page 42).
35) Now repeat the entire process for the second

horn. The finished molds are very durable and will
have a long life, so you can start your very own serial
production.
102 Matrix Mold

THE GRAND FINALE
The final touch to your horns is the paint job. A little
bit of brown and ocher is enough to emphasize the
details in the structure.
The horns are incredibly light, so you can wear them

for hours without any negative effects; which makes
them ideal for long convention days.
Inside the wig there is a base construction to which

the horns are mounted.
103
TIPS AND TRICKS
Sculpting | Attachment | Paint Job
TIPS AND TRICKS › SCULPTING
1 2
3 4
INSPIRATION: CROWN
Horns are wonderful when combined with ela-
borate headdresses, helmets or crowns. There
are no limits to your creativity. This tutorial is
meant to be an inspiration on how you can crea-
te a headpiece out of sculpting clay.
For this purpose, Apoxie Sculpt is the best

5
choice. The main features of this two component
sculpting clay are its smooth surface and that it
air dries. Color Shaper (silicone brushes) are ide-
al sculpting tools.
This crown was made on a whim. After making

an armor piece with Apoxie Sculpt, I still had a
lot of clay left over. I do not like wasting materi-
al, so I started shaping leaves with the idea that
I could use them later as decoration.
108 Tips and Tricks

7 8
Tip:
The base of the crown is made of Worblas
Finest Art. This thermoplastic material is
perfect for constructing headpiece bases.
You can find more tutorials on the subject
in “Horns and Headdresses – Thermo-
plastics”.
Pieces like this one are quite often made

spontaneously and are created as you go
along.
Acrylic paints were used in the painting.

The combination of green and gold makes
the leaves appear to be glowing. Decora-
tive stones made of casting resin can be
colored with glass colors without any pro-
blems.
109
TIPS AND TRICKS › SCULPTING
1 2
3 4
TIPS FOR SCULPTING

This is a small trick that will prevent you from
constantly having to pick up the Clay piece that
you are working on. Touching it can unnecessa-
rily destroy your detailing and leave fingerprints.
1) The Worbla-Core is stuck through a piece of

cardboard.
2) Simple trick to ensure that your horns have

the exact same sized base: prepare a template
and copy it onto both cardboard pieces.
Tip:
3) It is often easier to finish sculpting one side I have accumulated a large collection of
and then using it as a guide for the second one. sculpting tools. The ones shown here are
some of my favorites.
4) Easy sculpting with no loss of details!
110 Tips and Tricks

QUICK AND EASY
SILICONE MOLD
As well as all the complex methods, there
are also easier ways to make silicone mol-
ds. They are only a good choice for fairly
simple shapes though. The biggest advan-
tage is that you have a finished mold rela-
tively quickly. You would use too much si-
licone for large projects, so I do not advise
to use it for anything big.
The method is very simple. The Master is

glued to the table, in the area where the
resin will be poured into later. Just like me-
thod 2, building a box is the next step. The
silicone is poured into the box and left to
dry (see page 50-52). Once the silicone is
hard the mold is cut open part way and the
Master is removed. All done!
111
TIPS AND TRICKS › ATTACHMENT AND PAINT JOB
1 2
3 4
ATTACHMENT: ELASTIC CORD

An easy and practical method of attaching
horns is to use an elastic cord to keep them on
your head. This cord can simply be hidden un-
der hair. Before starting with step 1 make sure
to place the horns on your head and decide on
their placement, so you can determine where
the holes need to be.
5
1) Mark the spots for the holes on both sides
with a pen.
2) Use a 4mm drill to make the holes, being ca-

reful that you do not drill too close to the edge.
3) Hold the horns against each other to copy the

horn placement over to the second horn.
4/5) Now pull through your elastic cord – done!
112 Tips and Tricks

1 2
3 4
MINI TUTORIAL: PAINTING

The paint job brings a costume to life.
1/2) There are two reasons why the base coat

is dark. First off, you save yourself from a lot
of shading work and secondly, most colors just
look better on a dark base. Depending on your
color scheme you can choose your base coat ac-
cordingly (dark red, dark green, dark blue etc.) 5
3/4) In order for the red to really show, it will

take a few coats.
5) A bit of gold is added to the tips as an extra

highlight.
6) To seal the color, spray on a layer of clear or

matt lack finish.
113
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MOLD MAKING AND CASTING

Mold Making and Casting

Author: Laura Jansen

SILICONE MOLD - METHOD 1

SILICONE MOLD - METHOD 2

TIPS AND TRICKS

The methods are explained step by step and are

Before we learn about the materials needed, there

The box is then filled with si-

Then the box is filled with si-

WHAT IS THE BEST

MOLD MAX® 30 REBOUND® 25 MOLD STAR® 16

KEEPING TRACK OF THE NUMBERS

Hardness Grade (Scale 1-10) : 7 Hardness Grade (Scale 1-10) : 7

SUPER SCULPEY® APOXIE SCULPT®

WHAT IS THE IDEAL

THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA

The picture above shows a direct comparison: on the

3 ... AND INFLATES 4 IT IMPLODES

5 THEN ANOTHER 90 SEC. MAX 6 DONE!

BUBBLES AND HOLES

20 Silicone Mold - Method 1

22 Silicone Mold - Method 1

8) As long as the material is still

9/10) your structure will not look

11) Once you are content with the

12) Add a brim to the foot of your 9 10

24 Silicone Mold - Method 1

NOW REPEAT THE PROCESS AND MAKE SURE IT IS SYMMETRICAL!

26 Silicone Mold - Method 1

19) As mentioned before, you need to change the tools

28 Silicone Mold - Method 1

23) You can blend the transition

25) After blending the added

26) There are two good methods to smooth the Tip:

30 Silicone Mold - Method 1

2/3) Once the horn has been completely

Of course you can alternatively use sculp-

SILICONE MOLD - METHOD 1

The disadvantage is that this type of mold

If you have a very large Master, stability

4) The holes are called Keys. They ensure

4 5) Now you are ready to mix the silicone.

32 Silicone Mold - Method 1

6 FIRST LAYER 7 ...SECOND

MENDING THE DETAILS

34 Silicone Mold - Method 1

16) Once the second half is covered

17) Wet silicone from the second half

Be careful when opening your mold - to prevent the sili-

18) The best method to hold the silicone halves to-

36 Silicone Mold - Method 1

19/20) Casting resins always con-

*The cup in the picture shows G

21/22)The plus-cup (+) will be

THE ART OF HOLLOW CASTING

23/24) Slowly pour the casting resin into your

25) While the resin is drying you rotate the mold

26/27) In these pictures you can see the resin

38 Silicone Mold - Method 1

32) Once you have repeated the entire process for

40 Silicone Mold - Method 1

35) You only need Foam-iT!® 3