[BillTheTailor]

I have a head sculpt made in Plastilina clay. I'm trying to make a mold of the head with moulage, but the moulage doesn't cling to the clay so I'm getting lots of air pockets where I try to push it into, say, the nasal folds, and it just comes away with my finger. Have i made a wrong choice of mold material, or is there a coating I can put on the clay that will help? Thanks!

 

[Engineerchic]

What is moulage? Google tells me it's a mix of corn syrup and food coloring, but that doesn't sound like what you're using. Are you using Silicone to make a mold?

 

[BillTheTailor]

What is moulage?

The word moulage has several uses - including describing a process of making wounds for medical simulations - so it's really hard to google for.

Moulage in this instance is a seaweed product that works just like alginate, with the added bonus that it's reusable. You use it by melting it, letting to cool to a comfortable temperature, then applying to the subject. It clings to skin very well and reproduces detail really well. It's not meant to be a permanent mold: you can only cast with it once because it shrinks as it dries, but then you just break it into chunks, melt it down, and use it again.

My first test cast was with "oogroo": 100% silicone caulk with cornstarch added as a catalyst. It worked great, though it had a similar problem in that it doesn't grip the clay. I was able to get a fairly decent cast with it though. I'm thinking a somewhat thicker mix might work better the second time around. Because this is purely a vanity project, I can't justify the cost of a commercial product like something from SmoothOn, so I'm trying to work with what I've got.

*edited for spelling

 

[Engineerchic]

That sound like a wonderful product, I like that you can reuse it for other molds.

Do you think the oil in the clay is causing the moulage to not adhere? I might be tempted to try spraying a test piece with something to seal it like clear Krylon or even a good coat of hairspray (the hardcore stuff, like aquanet in the can). I don't know what that does to the reuse of the clay, tho.

 

[BillTheTailor]

Do you think the oil in the clay is causing the moulage to not adhere? I might be tempted to try spraying a test piece with something to seal it like clear Krylon or even a good coat of hairspray (the hardcore stuff, like aquanet in the can). I don't know what that does to the reuse of the clay, tho.

I sculpted a nose and spray painted it with some brown I had on the shelf. It didn't help. I'm guessing maybe it's a texture thing. (And, yeah, pretty much ruins the clay.) I haven't considered Aquanet, though. I'll have to give that a try. Plastilina is cheap and the stuff I used I've had for thirty years so I'm thinking I got my money's worth out of it.