The 7 Key Steps to Molding Successful Plaster Castings in a ComposiMold mold.

The 7 Key Steps to Creating Successful Plaster Castings in a ComposiMold mold.

Making a Plaster of Paris Casting in ComposiMold: 

Follow the basic mold making instructions on our mold making instructions provided with every ComposiMold to make a mold with ComposiMold. The tips below will set you up for success when using plaster of paris, hydrocal, ultracal, dental plaster or other plasters as your casting material. 

Plaster of Paris Casting in ComposiMold

With ComposiMold, making molds and plaster castings is really easy. Here are seven tips of the trade:

1. Keep the plaster of paris casting material as thick as possible to ensure a strong casting. Start with a ratio of 2.5 parts plaster to 1 part water by volume and if possible reduce the amount of water. If you need more water to make it pourable, add very small amounts.

Mix ratio for Plaster of Paris 

2. Add a t-spoon of PVA glue such as Elmer's Glue for every cup of water to make the casting stronger. A bit of alum powder will also increase the strength of the plaster of paris.

3. Use talcum powder as a mold release. Sprinkle it into your mold shake it around, and then pour it out. This does two things: works as mold release and also creates a barrier so that the plaster of paris hardens in the ComposiMold. Even better, is a mixture of talcum powder (baby powder) and mineral spirits. 

Plaster of Paris Casting of Buddha

4. Pour the plaster into the lowest point of the mold and let it rise upward to help dislodge bubbles.

5. Large plaster of paris castings may need to be cooled. Large for plaster castings would be 500 cubic inches or so, so pretty large.Typically, plaster does not create a large exotherm, but for very large castings, this may occur. This is easy to work around by cooling the ComposiMold mold first in the freezer or refrigerator. 

6. Tap and bounce your mold when it is filled with the plaster to dislodge any bubbles to create bubble free castings.

7.  Pull the plaster of paris casting out of the mold as soon as possible and then let it cure for 24 to 48 hours before painting or sealing.

Plaster of Paris Casting of Wood Ornament

Experiment: With ComposiMold you can make lots of different molds with the same mold making material. Make a mold, cast your plaster of paris, and do it again. Simple, effective, and fun.

Plaster of Paris makes a nice casting material for teaching mold making because it is relatively inexpensive. It can also be painted, sanded, and fixed easily.

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ComposiMold-Firm, Perfect for Sculpey Push Molds

ComposiMold-Firm is a firm mold making material that is also a 100% reusable mold making material. It works by melting and pouring. ComposiMold-Firm is a flexible, rubbery, thermoplastic that is great for mold parts that require a stiffer mold making material. It is compatible with many different casting materials including clays, plaster, cement, epoxy, polyurethane, and many others. You can use ComposiMold-Firm for polymer clay push molds such as Sculpey molds or Fimo molds.

This is what we are demonstrating in today's video, Sculpey being pressed into the ComposiMold-Firm mold. Being stiff enough to handle the pressure of the push-mold technique is one of ComposiMold-Firm's best features. The delicate casting will not become warped by a too flimsy mold. See for yourself, how we make earrings and apply the same technique to many arts and craft projects!

https://youtu.be/qrkj0BV78x4

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What Did We Mold Today Video Series, Day 3

Hello ComposiMold Makers! Today's project was casted with two different casting materials: ComposiStone, our special cement formulation, and Soy Candle Wax. 

ComposiStone is our unique formulation that works great in a ComposiMold mold. Composi-Stone is harder than plaster castings yet still smoother than cement casts. The system uses a Dry mix and water at a ratio of 2.5 parts powder to 1 part water; and not less than 2 parts powder to 1 part water by weight or volume. It solidifies to a beautiful light Gray color. The texture is similar to a cement feel, but much smoother in appearance. Composi-Stone is ideal for shelf and lawn ornaments, sculptures, craft parts, and other general applications. You'll see a great close up shot in the video!

Soy Candle Wax is perfect for candle making in a ComposiMold mold. It has a soft creamy texture and is an eco-friendly wax! It's made from pure 100% soybeans and botanical oils.The Soy Candle Wax has a melting Point of 122F. To use it in your ComposiMold mold, melt the candle making wax to 122-155 F. Be sure to let it cool until the wax is below 120F before pouring into your ComposiMold mold. We think it's pretty cool to be able to turn almost any object into a candle!

Note: Being able to use dozens of casting materials in your ComposiMold mold is one it's greatest features. Just be sure not to use your mold for food items after you've used it for cements and candles. That would not taste very good...and there's the safety issue.

Thanks for watching and please let us know what you think!

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What Did We Mold Today, Introduction to the ComposiMold Team

Hello Subscribers! Here is the second Introduction Video for our new series. We just wanted you all to have a face to put to the name. Mold Makers we are! Professional actors...not so much. 

Enjoy! Share! and Comment!

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What is Plaster

Plaster is dry powders that are mixed with water to form a soft but brittle solid.There are many different uses for plaster.

It is used to create art and for coating walls and ceilings.  Investigators use plaster to make duplicates of footprint impressions or tire marks, dentists use plaster to make castings for dental work, and doctors use plaster for putting a cast over a broken bone. The most common use of plaster is for general repair and maintenance around the home including repairing dents and holes in walls and filling in holes before painting.

Gypsum plaster, or plaster of Paris, is produced by heating gypsum to about 300 °F. Artist use gypsum to simulate the appearance of wood, stone and metal, on movie a sets. This is the typical material used for art sculpture and mold making.

Lime plaster is a mixture of calcium hydroxide and sand or other filers.  Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes lime plaster to set by transforming the calcium hydroxide into limestone AKA calcium carbonate. To make lime plaster, limestone is heated to produce quicklime, which is calcium oxide. Water is then added to produce slaked lime, or calcium hydroxide. This is sold as a wet putty or a white powder. When exposed to the atmosphere, the slaked lime very slowly turns back into limestone through reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide, causing the plaster to increase in strength.

Cement plaster is amixture of plaster, sand, cement, and water.  This is normally applied to masonry interiors and exteriors to achieve a smooth surface. Cement plaster was first introduced in America around 1909 and was often called by the generic name adamant plaster after a prominent manufacturer of the time. The advantages of cement plaster  are good strength, hardness, fast quick setting time, and durability (for outdoor use).

Plaster, plaster of Paris, or other versions such as hydrocal or ultracal, may be used as a casting material just like other materials such as soap, wax, concrete, or plastic resin. The benefits of using plaster is its relatively low cost, simple ingredients, and good castability. Depending of the version of plaster used, casting times range from 20 minutes to 24 hours. Like cement, the plaster castings become stronger over time and typically reach its strongest after about a month.

There are many types of mold making material that will work while using plaster as a casting material including latex, silicone, and ComposiMold. When casting with plaster, the finished product can be painted with most types of paint.

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Plaster in a ComposiMold

Thursday Quick Tip:

When using Plaster in a ComposiMold mold, be sure to mix the plaster and water at a 3 Part Plaster to 1 Part Water ratio. This may seem too thick to you but we assure you, it will yield successful, strong parts and it won't degrade your mold like an overly wet mixture would.

For this small mold, I used a stir stick to "smear" the plaster and water mixture into the most detailed areas of the mold first. Then I picked up and dropped the mold onto the table a few times to release any air bubbles that might have been trapped in the plaster. Then I "smeared" more plaster into the mold until it filled the rest of the cavity.

I then used the stir stick to gently scrape out any excess plaster while it was still soft. This will save you a lot of time and energy cleaning up edges once the pieces are cured and hardened.

Let the plaster cure in the mold for a few hours, for this sized mold. Don't rush things and pop them right out because that is how you break your castings...

The plaster I used in this project was ComposiMold's own ComposiStone. It is as smooth as plaster, but as strong as cement. Follow this link for ordering information! 

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