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MOLD MAKIN' YO WE'RE GONNA MAKE A MOLD TODAY BY THE RIVER COOL? YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT AT A RIVER BUT I DID AND YOU SHOULD TOO. POINT IS TO MAKE A MOLD OUTSIDE OF SOMETHING YOU FIND AND LOVE WITHOUT REMOVING IT FROM ITS ENVIRONMENT. DO YOUR BEST TO FIND AN OBJECT YOU CONNECT WITH. GATHER THESE CHEAP ITEMS AND GO ON A WALK. REQUIRED MATERIALS SILICONE CAULKING You seriously want 100% silicone caulking, no fast cure, no fancy bullsh**. I highly recommend the kind pictured below. BLUE DISH SOAP AND WATER MIXTURE 1:16 OR 4 OZ TO 64OZ The more dish soap you put into the solution the faster the silicone will cure within the mixture. VESSEL FOR DISH SOAP AND WATER. I used a water bottle, washes your bottle real nice and is easy to transport. DISH TO LAY MOLD UPON I used a glass tupperware container with a plastic lid, the lid can be used as a plate for your mold once your silicone is ready OPTIONAL MATERIALS SILICONE CAULKING GUN * you can cut your caulking gun open with a knife and scoop the insides out if you don't have a caulking gun or don't want to purchase one. just be careful. KNIFE or PIPE CUTTER * if you don't have a caulking gun and cannot use it to open your silicone / penetrate the seal within then use a knife to cut it open / cut the tip off. When i can, i use a pipe cutter to chop my silicone tube open, much safer for my fingers and yours too probably. VASELINE *Vaseline is a cheap and accessible mould release if you're working with a porous object or surface. I used it in this instance and usually recommend using it, makes your skin soft too.
Here is everything i brought, it all fits in a bag. Unpack your junk and start looking for an object to behold, Here is the stick and stone I chose.* keep in mind silicone sticks to silicone so if your surface is also silicone make sure you use a mold release (like vaseline) to stop it from joining to its surface or itself. 2.5 Choose how you would like your object to be cast, place it on your flat casting surface (lid of container) at this point you can apply Vaseline.
3. Dump your soap and water into your vessel. 3.5 Cut the tip of your silicone off then penetrate the seal within and squirt the contents into your soapy water * I used 2/3rds of a tube for my mold.
4. Knead silicone like dough within the soapy water until it is a sort of soft / hard putty depending on what you're most comfortable working with.
4.5 It will look something like this. After it's a nice consistency I flatten the silicone into a pancake to make it easier to fold over your positive 5. Place your positive within the kneaded silicone, wrap it and apply light pressure to ensure the silicone is pushed into all the surface details.
5.5 The silicone will take about an hour to fully cure. While you wait for your mold to fully cure you can listen to this playlist I made that should last through the entire cure time.
(QR CODE), When your mould is fully cured you can use a knife to carefully cut open your mould and retrieve the positive from within, i usually let my mould sit for another day or two before i use it. At this point you can return your positive to where you found it after you've cleaned the silicone and vaseline off of it. I usually use the soap and water solution for this part.
Silicone is excellent at capturing detail so I recommend a highly viscous material to be poured into your mold, I used a smooth cast 300 solution you can purchase from Smooth-On, if you are located in Mohkinstsis/Calgary you can purchase most of Smooth-Ons main line products from Industrial Paints and Plastics or directly from another distributor. You can also try a paraffin wax which is safe to use at home with the proper PPE (Heat Resistant gloves, ventilated area) and dedicated pots or pans.
If you have any questions or inquiries about this process or what kinds of materials you can use with your mold please email me @ LJBLACK@SHAW.CA Or DM me on insta @okiedokiehaha i'll do my best to respond in a timely manner. Liam J. Black (he/him) is a visual artist based in Treaty 7 Territory (Mohkinstis/Calgary, Alberta). He completed his BFA at Alberta University of the Arts (2021) with a major in Painting and a minor in Printmaking. His work explores slowness :)