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The seminar was mostly about making backgrounds from Styrofoam, but for
me the most important and interesting part was the briefly mentioned
moulding/casting technique.
Making the Mould
Sune Holm uses latex milk to make the mould, but as this is seldom
available in Finland I decided to try Maitoliima (“Milky glue”) produced by
Kiilto Oy. This glue is based on latex and is meant for gluing textiles and
leather.
Drip the first layer of glue on the
I started by taking a stone about the size of a stone that you wish to duplicate.
man?s head from my backyard. I washed it clean
with water and while the surface was still wet I
added the first layer of glue, dripping it on
straight from the bottle.
(The reason I dripped it on was to avoid the air
bubbles that can occur if you use a brush. These
would be replicated in the final object. I also tried
using a bottle for spraying flowers but the nozzle blocked up at the first try.
Dripping is good!)
After a couple of layers, gauze
After a couple of hours, once the layer was skin
dry, I added a new layer with a brush. Then I
added a third layer, coating with gauze first to
make it stronger and then glue so that the gauze
was wet. Then I added a few more layers of glue
until there were six layers in total and let them
dry overnight.
was added to provide strength.
Next, I constructed a supporting device I called a “cradle,” to keep the otherwise uncontrollably soft and limp mould the right shape and form. The cradle
is easily made of polyurethane spray foam sold in any hardware store.
As the mould?s surface is still quite sticky due to
the glue, it is easier to handle if you use a layer
of talcum powder.
The stone is sprinkled with talcum
powder for easier handling.