You must have a rare personality type: creative, artistic, able to play and imagine; combined with orderly, industrious, technically minded, able to stick to repetitive and tedious tasks over long periods of time, business and efficiency minded. You really have many strings to your bow, hats off to you
Thank you! We do wrestle with a lot of the issues most artists face: insecurities, impostor syndrome, burnout, etc. I’m not terribly business/efficiently minded, but I have a great partner who is 😄
I'm so grateful for this video and for you who took all that time to make it. This is exactly what I needed. I could not get my head around making the silicone moulds. Your instructions are so easy to follow and I thank you so much for sharing so much knowledge. I'm sure this video will become my reference point. Thank you again for sharing.
@@vantikistudio Dear Henrik. I finally got to make the production mould with the silicone. I made a small 2 part silicone mould of a handle. My husband made the boxes out of MDF, and the MDF had a coloured paint on it to stop it from absorbing moisture. When I hot glued the plaster parts onto the MDF, I put a blob of the glue on the centre at the bottom of the plaster part. We marked the boxes orientation just as you said. When the silicone was set 24hrs later, I took the boxes apart and turned the silicone mould upside down and poured the plaster into it. When the plaster was set, I took it out and the two parts did not fit together. There seems to be some distortion. My question are: when you hot glued the plaster piece to the foam board, where did you put the hot glue? Doe the thickness of the bottom of the silicon moud make any difference to the plaster mould? Because I think my silicone mould's bottom is too thin, is only 1cm thick. Do you think the thin bottom has anything to do with the distortion? How thick is the bottom of your silicone moud? Thank you in advance. CC
Excellent video as always! You two are so creative and after watching I legitimately feel even more motivated while working on my own projects. Thanks for sharing your art with us.
This video is KISMET! I am at this EXACT point with my next Tiki mug! Mold-making and casting is my biggest trepidation. I am very used to silicone molds and resin casting, this whole ceramic thing is a new frontier to me. Let's not forget using this kiln I bought for the first time! Thanks, as always for these tutorials!!!
This was so great to watch. Firstly it really puts it into perspective how much effort it takes before casting a single mug. Secondly it shows how an organised process (and workshop) leads to great outcomes.
Sweet man, you get so anxious in the process i feel i wont need to be, cause you already stressed for both of us😂😂 thanks for the video, very helpful. The plyers tip is a life savior!!
Love the videos, love your success, and honestly- I'm exhausted after watching these! I couldn't do all the work you do, but I am so grateful that you not only do it all, but document your journey as you go, for the benefit of those who want to follow your path. Your sculptures are labors of love and it shows!* (*Translation: You really should be charging more for your work. They're amazing.)
This is awesome! Thank you for putting the time into gathering this and showing us an in-depth look at your process, Henrik. It's awesome to watch behind the scenes and in depth of what products you enjoy using. Appreciate you!
First time watching your stuff and I'm so impressed! You are the best combination of Adam Savage and Alton Brown in your style and communication. Looking forward to learning more from you!
The quality and information in these videos is amazing! Feels like something I would have watched on TV growing up. As someone new to casting, these have been so helpful. Thanks again! You deserve so many more subs!
Mr. VanTiki! Thank you for posting such an informative and well constructed video. I am a novice who is hungry and searching for information on these first baby steps that I am taking. When I found your channel, I just started pulling it all in. This will help out a lot!
"I wonder if there are people out there who don't get stressed making molds?" Robert Tolone, who has a nice mold making channel, is exTREMEly chill about making molds. Viewers send him objects to cast (mostly in resin), and he makes a demonstration of it, walking through the technical details and challenges. He is like everybody's cool uncle who just shows you stuff. And he's very articulate, like your own fine self.
What a journey! Thank you for all the hard work you put into making the video, to making the molds, and sharing your experience. I don’t think I could ever do something that complex, but it was great to see your process. I experience the same anxieties just doing simple molds.
That's an awesome process. A way to guarantee you have enough silicone is to measure the volume of your empty mold boxes and use that number so you will end up with and extra amount equal to what you are molding you could also measure the volume of what you are moulding via displacement to get a more accurate number by subtracting your two numbers
Yes! I sometimes use plastic bean bag pellets to fill the molds before the silicone to accurately give me volumes - but mostly I just eyeball it and live dangerously 😂
That silicone pouring table area with the hanging lights is fantastic! I need this! Great video - thanks for keeping it real bc it is nerve and body wracking making molds - so much can go wrong, it tests your resolve quickly!!!!
Thank you! Yep, nothing is quite like the stress of mold day! The table is one I made when we built the studio, and I added the lights as I didn’t realize how little sunlight the PNW gets for most of the year 😂
OH MY GOD YOU GET THE GOLD STAR! ⭐️ I can’t believe nobody else noticed! I’ll be pouring these like I did my prior Puka Pounder mugs - using a neat technique to hide a pour hole. I’ll explain it in a future episode 😀
Wow what a process! Thank you for explaining all the steps so well and sharing your thoughts in the process. It was really fun and informative to watch. I might try this one day!
Tip…..trace the bottom of your cast. Ice sections of wood to eliminate any of the empty spaces you may have. I wonder if you could coat closed cell styrofoam to use also
Thank you for these videos. It will be a long while before I can get back into ceramics (homeless). When I was really into it, I tried to find someone to make my molds for me. I never did find anyone, the ceramics supplier had a contact, but he wouldn't call me back. I tried making my own, but had no idea what I was doing. Nothing came out. I lost so many original sculpts that I finally gave up.
Fabulous instructional video! I couldn’t find any vids before making my first 3 part mould, it went ok but could have been better. This’ll definitely help in the future, thanks!
Thanks for sharing!! Great content! Just a tip that helps me remove hot glue, for some reason if you put rubbing alcohol onto it, it detaches (or becomes much less stiky) from the surfaces. I come from the electronics backround and we used to do this when fixing electronics that were hot glued. Hope it helps!
OK, I learned something here. You can reuse old silicone thats a reject, discard or no longer used, and ...well, I would get an old meat grinder to make the chunks smaller.
I’m glad even the master moldmaker himself gets nervous with the silicone. My first and only time using it I felt like a complete moron! Lol. Don’t think I will be using it again. Too stressful!
I destroy the silicon masters along with the production molds to maintain the integrity of the editions. It can be cathartic after casting so many pieces 😄
27:50 woodworkers who like having a full set of fingers typically use a push stick of some sort to push timber past a table saw. Please stay safe out there!
Great detail, delightfully delivered! Super suggestions for supplies and structures. Barmy Batman framing at angles, compassionate clear course of instruction. Revealing your concerns and considerations taking us along on your deliberations. Your precision and creativity for you tiki proclivity, Inspire and inform on creating those forms! I’m taking copious notes to prepare for casting boats. thanks for free classes, I feel more likely to survive the morasses of error and blunder that breaks casts asunder! Do you have a patreon? There are so many well thought out steps to make later steps work so well. The pry cavities for the expanding pliers is definitely something I’m going to include, and the slow router keys. Thanks for the recommend of the two books!
Thank you so much! I don’t have a Patreon - believe it or not I feel that having one would put more pressure on me to create stuff. I don’t want more pressure 😂
Hi I'm no expert but if you are making the boxes try not leaving so much areas free then when it comes to using silicone it won't be wasted. Ie try making the box really close to the main piece, try adding more bits of wood to bulk it out. Hope this make sense
Good point! I have to balance several factors when making the mold. I do find having at least a half inch between the wood and the model produces better castings than having extremely thin silicone bits. Also, my time is the most expensive part of the process, and that combined with using chopped up old molds to supplement/recycle the silicone used for the molds I don’t worry too much about larger sections of rubber in the molds.
Good question - like you see in the video, the mold chair helps me to keep the cottles perfectly square with my model. and perfectly spaced from the edges of my model. It also holds the model perfectly parallel when I tip the chair on its side. In my experience when I just press the model into clay- build up the walls, then wrap cottles around it I end up with uneven wall thicknesses and the model itself sometimes is at a weird off angle.
Oh i see what you talking about now. Nice! I'm sure this model was diferent to others you have made because it lays flat. Thanks for the reply! I'm loving your videos!
Hello Mr. VanTiki! Thank you so much for this fantastic video. This video series is a wealth of knowledge! I wanted to ask if it’s a bad idea to make thin jacket brush-on-style mother molds instead of thicker box molds like these? Most of the ceramics people I know make mother molds similar to the way you do in this video. Seeing as silicone is very expensive and I want to make quite a few silicone mother molds, would it be a smart idea to try the jacket mold method, or do you find this mold making method to be more convenient/reliable for reasons I don’t know? I’d really appreciate your thoughts/advice about this. Thank you so much!
You can definitely go the jacket route. I find in my practice that they may not use as much material, but they do take me more hours to make. Also, you need to make the jacket out of a rigid material (like plaster) and the molds can get heavy fast.
me agian, If the silicone level was a little too low, or to economize could you drop in some inert material(other than old silicone), say marbles, or cured silicone calk cut up, to bring the level up?
You definitely can - but keep in mind how that object will behave when the silicone is curing and when you’re casting with the mold. Marbles would most likely sink, and if they are near the casting surface they may cause issues with casting.
Question: in mold part 5 we can clearly see that there is a flat boden with no tekst. But in the silicone stage (at the end) there is the logo of vantiki and the words "dead basterd". How did you get that text in? Did I miss a step?
$500+ worth of silicone later... Woof. I do silicone mold making on a much smaller scale and end up using a gallon kit about every few months. Can't imagine the feeling of pouring 2 gallon kits in a day or two. I've seen a technique of brushing on a silicone mold until the piece has no undercuts, then using plaster to fill in the rest. That's probably the technique I'm going to try since it's cheaper and the plaster will act as a mother mold so no need to keep wooden mold boxes.
Yes - it can definitely be stressful to use such expensive materials! The silicone I use is actually designed for brush up molds. I weigh the cost of the time I'd spend in making the plaster jackets and doing the brush up. In the end, I like the form factory of the wood jacket box molds, and they are easy to store.
@@vantikistudio a very good point, and you are obviously creating enough castings of each mold to justify the high upfront cost. Excellent work, I just discovered your channel today and I'm already in love
I’ve done everything you’ve said and made my first plaster mold, with the intention of making a silicone master and then plaster production molds! Is there any reason I should not test my new original plaster mold the slip once just to make sure there’s no undercuts? Taking it to the silicone phase is a BIG investment! I’m very excited and can’t thank you enough!
You totally can test your original plaster if you want to make extra sure. I usually don’t as I have to wait an extra week or so for the plaster to completely dry so it can properly slipcast and I’m usually in a hurry 😂
Maybe? It sets so quickly I wouldn’t want to risk it. The viscosity isn’t really an issue for me - as long as I have a beefy stir stick! They have other less viscous silicones - but they are not as firm.
This was a really fascinating process to watch, although slightly confusing since I'm not native English speaker and in my language, there's more (or different) names for clays. Like at first, I thought you were using something like pottery clay to make a "master" mug and clay walls, and was confused on how it didn't just dry, but then realised you're perhaps using something more like a modeling clay? Something that in Finnish is NOT called a clay, but a "modeling wax"
You are correct! I am indeed using a modeling wax to sculpt the original master mug. I use it because it does not dry out, and it holds fine detail very well.
I may have missed it. What kind of plaster do you use for the master mold, same as production? Do you use that mold to slip cast after making the silicone mold?
I use the same plaster throughout the process, USG #1 pottery plaster. I destroy my plaster master mold after making the silicone master, as it is so coated with release it would take forever to clean it well enough for it to properly slipcast.
Aloha Vantiki! Have you ever tried to make a 3-piece mold into a 4-piece mold by cutting a section with a thin saw after the mold is dried? I noticed a 45 degree angle after the mold was made and have been considering cutting it in half to start using it. Mahalo and I hope you have a lovely week!
You can totally do that! Anything is game if it makes a mold work 😄 Just be sure that the mold can still fit together tightly after the cut. If the keys on the intact part of the mold don’t let you squeeze together the two parts you cut, slip will flow out of the space left by the kerf of your saw. Good luck!
Mr. VanTiki, I like information in details Thanks for all the hard work invested! Nicely kept clean studio also and video work. I'm looking VanTiki at your cabinet hinges mounted up in your high book safe. Could you post a link for those if you remember from where they came? Thanks
Looking at all the bits you're trimming off once the silicone is set, do you put those scraps aside as filler for the next casting, the same as you added chopped up pieces of old set silicone to some of these? It's funny, I'm watching this three years after it was posted, but I'm feeling second-hand anxiety over the pour. You're a very good communicator! How many plaster moulds can you make from a silicone mould before it starts to wear out?
Great questions! Good gravy I can’t believe this was 3 years ago! I dont usually keep the little trimmed pieces from the silicone - but you totally could. I have a HUGE bucket of reclaimed silicone from old molds so I’m not that diligent about capturing every little trimmed bit. You can get a lot of casts out of a mold - how many? I really don’t know 😄. If you’re looking to cast hundreds of parts, I’d talk to smooth on about silicones specifically made for casting cement. They are made to handle the heat and abrasion, and should last longer than the rubber I use.
What kind of clay do use to make the parting lines? Is it ceramic clay.? I used clean clay for the first mold 1/3 that I believe is wax base and on my second half to create blocking/ more parting lines and pour more plaster on it . the clean/modeling clay ( plasticine? ) resists and won’t stick to the plaster so I can’t make parting lines for my 2nd / third half. I’m sure it’s water based but ??? And have access to ceramic clay.. so in short 🙄what clay will stick to the plaster to create my paring lines and still resist the poured plaster so I can make 2-3-4 part plaster molds Thank you.
Aloha! I just use an inexpensive white ceramic clay. This is Wonder White from Georgies. In the FX industry we used a white clay body from Laguna, and my friends also often use clean clay as well (but they are not making plaster molds with it - mostly silicone and epoxy)
Question. can you use the pledge on any object that you are casting? will it clog the pores of the plaster mold for slip casting? I find that murphys oil soap clogs the pores when making slip castings. so i was thinking of using pledge. thank you
Well, I don't use my master plaster molds to cast with - so I don't have to worry so much about contaminating the plaster (my productions molds are all cast from the silicone master). When casting from the master mold, I often had issues with the plaster being contaminated - carefully cleaning the molds with vinegar or acetone would help.
@@coolride1401 that is totally your call - I suggest getting a cured sample of the various silicones and feeling them to get a better idea of what will work best for you.
@vantikistudio, i love the way you deliver and explain the content. Do you know of cheaper alternatives to silicone rubber? I need the flexibility of a silicone mold, but don't have the budget.
You can use urethane for molds. It is less expensive, but it behaves very differently than silicone. You need to be extremely careful about proper release, moisture contamination, and proper mixing
Great installment, and longer too! Love it! Lots of great tech tips and tricks, I do the silicone chunks as well. Gotta recycle that dough! 👍🏻👍🏻 How's the shopping on the critter cam going? 😁
I've wanted to use this stuff before, but I don't have room for a degasser. But it looks like you pour from high above in a thin stream you get decent results, with no bubbles. Do you ever get bubbles, or this process achieves the same goal as the degasser?
The tried and true thin stream technique works great. The only time I’ve trapped a bubble is on the small raised letters in the bases of the mug models (like the hole in the “A” character - I now brush in a quick layer into the text portion of my mugs before pouring the rest of the mold.
@@vantikistudio Very good to know, I have a couple of characters on the bottom of my mugs. I'll make sure to brush on some before pouring the rest. Additional follow up question, You had what I'm calling "collars" on all of your silicone pieces once you started pouring the plaster. Is that necessary because the silicone is still somewhat flexible, or can you pour the plaster without the collars.
Hi, great video! Very informative and detailed! I was wondering whether the original model you sculpted was just dried clay or some other material? I have a sculpture that I have been making out of clay originally intended as a one off piece but I have since thought I'd like to make a slip cast mould of it so I can make more. But I am wondering if building a wet clay wall onto a dry clay sculpture for the 2 part mould would even work. Thank you if you are able to help.
Thank you for watching! My master model is sculpted out of a wax based modeling clay called Monster Clay. Since your model is a dry water based clay, you can seal it with a clear acrylic spray, and build up the mold walls with a soft modeling clay (like clean clay) - this way you won’t get too much moisture re-introduced into your master model.
Hi Vantiki. Could you tell us what clay you are using to build up your walls for the mold? Is it the same monster clay that you used for the sculpture?
I'm using a silicone from Smooth-On - but as I say in the video, you should reach out to smooth on and request samples to find a material that best fits your project and budget. The plaster used in this video is USG Number one Pottery Plaster. Silicone I get from our nearest distributor: www.reynoldsam.com Plaster I get from my local Ceramics Shop: www.georgies.com
You must have a rare personality type: creative, artistic, able to play and imagine; combined with orderly, industrious, technically minded, able to stick to repetitive and tedious tasks over long periods of time, business and efficiency minded. You really have many strings to your bow, hats off to you
Thank you! We do wrestle with a lot of the issues most artists face: insecurities, impostor syndrome, burnout, etc. I’m not terribly business/efficiently minded, but I have a great partner who is 😄
The snow in the driveway is melting, I'm drinking a nice cup of coffee, and watching a Tiki Technical Tuesday video about moldmaking. Life is good.
😄 thanks for watching!
Always fun to watch, the only chanel where I immediately watch every video once I see the notification
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
I hit the thumbs up THEN I watch... It’s just the right way to do it.
Thanks man! 🤙
Man, soooo much work! This is such an interesting process to watch and those final silicone molds are super satisfying. Great stuff!
Thank you so much 😀 - means a lot coming from you!
I'm so grateful for this video and for you who took all that time to make it. This is exactly what I needed. I could not get my head around making the silicone moulds. Your instructions are so easy to follow and I thank you so much for sharing so much knowledge. I'm sure this video will become my reference point. Thank you again for sharing.
Thank you so much!
@@vantikistudio Dear Henrik. I finally got to make the production mould with the silicone. I made a small 2 part silicone mould of a handle. My husband made the boxes out of MDF, and the MDF had a coloured paint on it to stop it from absorbing moisture. When I hot glued the plaster parts onto the MDF, I put a blob of the glue on the centre at the bottom of the plaster part. We marked the boxes orientation just as you said. When the silicone was set 24hrs later, I took the boxes apart and turned the silicone mould upside down and poured the plaster into it. When the plaster was set, I took it out and the two parts did not fit together. There seems to be some distortion. My question are: when you hot glued the plaster piece to the foam board, where did you put the hot glue? Doe the thickness of the bottom of the silicon moud make any difference to the plaster mould? Because I think my silicone mould's bottom is too thin, is only 1cm thick. Do you think the thin bottom has anything to do with the distortion? How thick is the bottom of your silicone moud? Thank you in advance. CC
Excellent video as always! You two are so creative and after watching I legitimately feel even more motivated while working on my own projects. Thanks for sharing your art with us.
Thank YOU for watching!
This video is KISMET! I am at this EXACT point with my next Tiki mug! Mold-making and casting is my biggest trepidation. I am very used to silicone molds and resin casting, this whole ceramic thing is a new frontier to me. Let's not forget using this kiln I bought for the first time! Thanks, as always for these tutorials!!!
Thank you for watching, and good luck with your mug molds!
This was so great to watch. Firstly it really puts it into perspective how much effort it takes before casting a single mug. Secondly it shows how an organised process (and workshop) leads to great outcomes.
Thank you! I do think a clean studio leads to successful making, but... my studio can get a bit crazy messy on occasion 😂
Your fun attitude is catchy! Thankx! We need more people like you in this world!
Thank you! 😄
Sweet man, you get so anxious in the process i feel i wont need to be, cause you already stressed for both of us😂😂 thanks for the video, very helpful. The plyers tip is a life savior!!
Happy to be anxious for the both of us 😄 - thanks for watching!
I have great respect for generously sharing the good skills and know-how you have learned throughout your life. Thank you very much.!!~~~~~~~~
Thank YOU so much for watching!
Love the videos, love your success, and honestly- I'm exhausted after watching these! I couldn't do all the work you do, but I am so grateful that you not only do it all, but document your journey as you go, for the benefit of those who want to follow your path. Your sculptures are labors of love and it shows!*
(*Translation: You really should be charging more for your work. They're amazing.)
Thank you so much!
This is awesome! Thank you for putting the time into gathering this and showing us an in-depth look at your process, Henrik. It's awesome to watch behind the scenes and in depth of what products you enjoy using. Appreciate you!
Thank you so much - and thank you for watching!
First time watching your stuff and I'm so impressed! You are the best combination of Adam Savage and Alton Brown in your style and communication. Looking forward to learning more from you!
Thank you so much! I’m working on a new video now, and in the mean time please check out my other episodes (and share them with friends!)
Really appreciate how detailed you are with these. its fun to watch and helpful!
Thank you for watching!
The quality and information in these videos is amazing! Feels like something I would have watched on TV growing up. As someone new to casting, these have been so helpful. Thanks again! You deserve so many more subs!
Thank you so much! Please tell your friends! 😄
Mr. VanTiki! Thank you for posting such an informative and well constructed video. I am a novice who is hungry and searching for information on these first baby steps that I am taking. When I found your channel, I just started pulling it all in. This will help out a lot!
Thank you so much! So happy you found me!
"I wonder if there are people out there who don't get stressed making molds?"
Robert Tolone, who has a nice mold making channel, is exTREMEly chill about making molds. Viewers send him objects to cast (mostly in resin), and he makes a demonstration of it, walking through the technical details and challenges. He is like everybody's cool uncle who just shows you stuff. And he's very articulate, like your own fine self.
I’ll check out his channel! Thanks!
It's so satisfying to watch you clean the edges of the silicone molds
Trimming the silicone is the reward for working through all the stress of moldmaking 😄
What a journey! Thank you for all the hard work you put into making the video, to making the molds, and sharing your experience. I don’t think I could ever do something that complex, but it was great to see your process. I experience the same anxieties just doing simple molds.
Thank you for watching and sharing in my mold stress 😄
That's an awesome process. A way to guarantee you have enough silicone is to measure the volume of your empty mold boxes and use that number so you will end up with and extra amount equal to what you are molding you could also measure the volume of what you are moulding via displacement to get a more accurate number by subtracting your two numbers
Yes! I sometimes use plastic bean bag pellets to fill the molds before the silicone to accurately give me volumes - but mostly I just eyeball it and live dangerously 😂
Thia was fascinating! Well done and awesome communication skills.
Thank you so much!
That silicone pouring table area with the hanging lights is fantastic! I need this! Great video - thanks for keeping it real bc it is nerve and body wracking making molds - so much can go wrong, it tests your resolve quickly!!!!
Thank you! Yep, nothing is quite like the stress of mold day!
The table is one I made when we built the studio, and I added the lights as I didn’t realize how little sunlight the PNW gets for most of the year 😂
I noticed that you didn't put in a pouring gate in your mold?
OH MY GOD YOU GET THE GOLD STAR! ⭐️
I can’t believe nobody else noticed! I’ll be pouring these like I did my prior Puka Pounder mugs - using a neat technique to hide a pour hole. I’ll explain it in a future episode 😀
Thank you so much for sharing your passion, knowledge and process. You've got a new fan in Taiwan!
Wow! Taiwan? That’s super cool. So glad you found the channel!
Good quality content, thankyou for taking the time and effort to share!
My pleasure! thank you for watching!
I 100% agree, mold making is so stressful. Love the videos.
I know professional mold makers, and I don’t know how they can do it every day! 😂
Wow what a process! Thank you for explaining all the steps so well and sharing your thoughts in the process. It was really fun and informative to watch. I might try this one day!
You are so welcome! thank you for watching!
Oh boy, I've been waiting for this video forever! I love it, thank you so much! Also, my favorite part is the cut at @33:15
Is that the moment when I struggle to remember how many mold pieces I had poured? 😂
Tip…..trace the bottom of your
cast. Ice sections of wood to eliminate any of the empty spaces you may have. I wonder if you could coat closed cell styrofoam to use also
Amazing process, thanks for sharing
Thank YOU for watching!
I love trimming silicone too! Love the channel so far, really glad I found it!
Thank you! Trimming molds is the mold maker’s dessert!
Wow thanks for all the hard work...I learnt a tonne!
Glad to hear it! thanks for watching!
Great process and work. The sped up parts are fun. Thank you for sharing your skills.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for these videos. It will be a long while before I can get back into ceramics (homeless). When I was really into it, I tried to find someone to make my molds for me. I never did find anyone, the ceramics supplier had a contact, but he wouldn't call me back. I tried making my own, but had no idea what I was doing. Nothing came out. I lost so many original sculpts that I finally gave up.
I hope you can find a home and have some time to start sculpting (and molding) again
Great tip withbusing off cuts if silicone.
lol - "watching it like a hawk for leaks" Don't we know that feeling all to well! excellent vid thanks so much!
Thank you! Hunting for the leak is always an adventure 😂
Fabulous instructional video! I couldn’t find any vids before making my first 3 part mould, it went ok but could have been better. This’ll definitely help in the future, thanks!
My morning viewing! I love when these pop up!
Thank you! I captured myself at Maximum Stress in this episode 😅
Ok one more question.. Do you have a bunch of left over plaster when you are done?
@@vantikistudio No kidding! I am not sure I would have kept filming...:)
I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets stressed when pouring moulds 😀 another awesome video!
Im suspicious of anyone who doesn’t get stressed doing it! 😂
Thanks for sharing!! Great content! Just a tip that helps me remove hot glue, for some reason if you put rubbing alcohol onto it, it detaches (or becomes much less stiky) from the surfaces. I come from the electronics backround and we used to do this when fixing electronics that were hot glued. Hope it helps!
Great tip! Thanks!
Nice guy, great sense of humour, good tools and clean at workshop! Thumb up!
😄 thank you!
I love your videos. And yes I think I stopped breathing when you where popping the mold open...
💚💚💚
I always hold my breath when it’s time to open a mold!
One of the Best videos, on this subject. Amazing! Thank you.
Thank you so much! Please share with any artists you think may enjoy it!
I love your videos! They are so informative and entertaining to watch, I'm glad I found you 😁
I’m glad you found me too! Thank you so much for watching!
OK, I learned something here. You can reuse old silicone thats a reject, discard or no longer used, and ...well, I would get an old meat grinder to make the chunks smaller.
I wonder how the meat grinder would do? Silicone is tough stuff!
I’m glad even the master moldmaker himself gets nervous with the silicone. My first and only time using it I felt like a complete moron! Lol. Don’t think I will be using it again. Too stressful!
I destroy the silicon masters along with the production molds to maintain the integrity of the editions. It can be cathartic after casting so many pieces 😄
Love the show and the energy .. thank u 🙏
Thank you for watching!
You are amazing - I’m terrified pouring - you’ve just normalized it 😂😂😂🏆
Thank you 😊
Please keep up the great work
Will do! Please keep watching, and tell your friends!
Thank you for your video. I'm want to make my own molds and this video is loaded with needed information.
Happy to help! Thanks for watching! Please tell any folks think may enjoy them about the videos 😄
Oh man. That was a cliffhanger. I need to go make a drink.
ha! It was THE LONGEST DAY EVER
27:50 woodworkers who like having a full set of fingers typically use a push stick of some sort to push timber past a table saw. Please stay safe out there!
I do my best to stay away from the blade 😅
@@vantikistudio I'm glad. I've only just found your content and I'd hate to see it cut short.
Great work
We use simple raber for making remold
Not sure what that is?
This is exactly what I needed. Very helpful 👍
Glad you found it ! Thanks for watching!
"Oh have you met Vantiki? Yeah he SEAMS nice." hhahahaha
😂
Fantastic video! Thank you for sharing these. You're so knowledgeable and cute!
Thank you! Thanks for watching, be sure to tell other clay folks about the channel 😄
No way!! I literally just bought that book yesterday!!!!
😂
Such a fabulous video! Thank you for sharing your process. 😊
Thank YOU for watching!
Great detail, delightfully delivered! Super suggestions for supplies and structures. Barmy Batman framing at angles, compassionate clear course of instruction. Revealing your concerns and considerations taking us along on your deliberations. Your precision and creativity for you tiki proclivity, Inspire and inform on creating those forms! I’m taking copious notes to prepare for casting boats. thanks for free classes, I feel more likely to survive the morasses of error and blunder that breaks casts asunder! Do you have a patreon?
There are so many well thought out steps to make later steps work so well. The pry cavities for the expanding pliers is definitely something I’m going to include, and the slow router keys. Thanks for the recommend of the two books!
Thank you so much! I don’t have a Patreon - believe it or not I feel that having one would put more pressure on me to create stuff. I don’t want more pressure 😂
You are Awesome! Thank U sooo much for your wonderful videos!!
Thank YOU so much for watching!
Thanks a lot, much useful information, i have been looking for such a tutorial for long
You are very welcome, thank you for watching!
Hi I'm no expert but if you are making the boxes try not leaving so much areas free then when it comes to using silicone it won't be wasted. Ie try making the box really close to the main piece, try adding more bits of wood to bulk it out. Hope this make sense
Good point! I have to balance several factors when making the mold. I do find having at least a half inch between the wood and the model produces better castings than having extremely thin silicone bits. Also, my time is the most expensive part of the process, and that combined with using chopped up old molds to supplement/recycle the silicone used for the molds I don’t worry too much about larger sections of rubber in the molds.
@vantiki why did you build the chair for the model? I have always just used 4 cottles. I'm curious to other advantages.
Good question - like you see in the video, the mold chair helps me to keep the cottles perfectly square with my model. and perfectly spaced from the edges of my model. It also holds the model perfectly parallel when I tip the chair on its side. In my experience when I just press the model into clay- build up the walls, then wrap cottles around it I end up with uneven wall thicknesses and the model itself sometimes is at a weird off angle.
Oh i see what you talking about now. Nice! I'm sure this model was diferent to others you have made because it lays flat. Thanks for the reply! I'm loving your videos!
Thanks again Van Tiki for another great video. 👍🍹🤓
Thank you too!
Hello Mr. VanTiki! Thank you so much for this fantastic video. This video series is a wealth of knowledge!
I wanted to ask if it’s a bad idea to make thin jacket brush-on-style mother molds instead of thicker box molds like these? Most of the ceramics people I know make mother molds similar to the way you do in this video. Seeing as silicone is very expensive and I want to make quite a few silicone mother molds, would it be a smart idea to try the jacket mold method, or do you find this mold making method to be more convenient/reliable for reasons I don’t know? I’d really appreciate your thoughts/advice about this. Thank you so much!
You can definitely go the jacket route. I find in my practice that they may not use as much material, but they do take me more hours to make. Also, you need to make the jacket out of a rigid material (like plaster) and the molds can get heavy fast.
@@vantikistudio good to know. Thank you so much for your reply!
Thank you for this informative video it’s been awhile since I have made a mold
Thank you for watching!
me agian,
If the silicone level was a little too low, or to economize could you drop in some inert material(other than old silicone), say marbles, or cured silicone calk cut up, to bring the level up?
You definitely can - but keep in mind how that object will behave when the silicone is curing and when you’re casting with the mold. Marbles would most likely sink, and if they are near the casting surface they may cause issues with casting.
Question: in mold part 5 we can clearly see that there is a flat boden with no tekst. But in the silicone stage (at the end) there is the logo of vantiki and the words "dead basterd". How did you get that text in? Did I miss a step?
Good observation! I did indeed add the text between paint the plaster and silicone molds. It’s a bit of ✨tiki magic™️✨
$500+ worth of silicone later... Woof. I do silicone mold making on a much smaller scale and end up using a gallon kit about every few months. Can't imagine the feeling of pouring 2 gallon kits in a day or two. I've seen a technique of brushing on a silicone mold until the piece has no undercuts, then using plaster to fill in the rest. That's probably the technique I'm going to try since it's cheaper and the plaster will act as a mother mold so no need to keep wooden mold boxes.
Yes - it can definitely be stressful to use such expensive materials! The silicone I use is actually designed for brush up molds. I weigh the cost of the time I'd spend in making the plaster jackets and doing the brush up. In the end, I like the form factory of the wood jacket box molds, and they are easy to store.
@@vantikistudio a very good point, and you are obviously creating enough castings of each mold to justify the high upfront cost. Excellent work, I just discovered your channel today and I'm already in love
I’ve done everything you’ve said and made my first plaster mold, with the intention of making a silicone master and then plaster production molds! Is there any reason I should not test my new original plaster mold the slip once just to make sure there’s no undercuts? Taking it to the silicone phase is a BIG investment! I’m very excited and can’t thank you enough!
You totally can test your original plaster if you want to make extra sure. I usually don’t as I have to wait an extra week or so for the plaster to completely dry so it can properly slipcast and I’m usually in a hurry 😂
Could you warm up the silicone to decrease the viscosity?
Maybe? It sets so quickly I wouldn’t want to risk it. The viscosity isn’t really an issue for me - as long as I have a beefy stir stick! They have other less viscous silicones - but they are not as firm.
This was a really fascinating process to watch, although slightly confusing since I'm not native English speaker and in my language, there's more (or different) names for clays. Like at first, I thought you were using something like pottery clay to make a "master" mug and clay walls, and was confused on how it didn't just dry, but then realised you're perhaps using something more like a modeling clay? Something that in Finnish is NOT called a clay, but a "modeling wax"
You are correct! I am indeed using a modeling wax to sculpt the original master mug. I use it because it does not dry out, and it holds fine detail very well.
I may have missed it. What kind of plaster do you use for the master mold, same as production? Do you use that mold to slip cast after making the silicone mold?
I use the same plaster throughout the process, USG #1 pottery plaster. I destroy my plaster master mold after making the silicone master, as it is so coated with release it would take forever to clean it well enough for it to properly slipcast.
Aloha Vantiki! Have you ever tried to make a 3-piece mold into a 4-piece mold by cutting a section with a thin saw after the mold is dried? I noticed a 45 degree angle after the mold was made and have been considering cutting it in half to start using it. Mahalo and I hope you have a lovely week!
You can totally do that! Anything is game if it makes a mold work 😄
Just be sure that the mold can still fit together tightly after the cut. If the keys on the intact part of the mold don’t let you squeeze together the two parts you cut, slip will flow out of the space left by the kerf of your saw. Good luck!
@@vantikistudio Thank you so much for your kindness and wisdom!! Aloha!!
I get so stressed about molds that I watch this entire video from start to finish every single time I'm getting ready to make one.
This made my day!! Molds = stress!
This was a clifhanger. Thanks alot
Thank you for watching!
Amazing
the alton brown mold maker vibes
Ha! I get that a lot :)
Mr. VanTiki, I like information in details Thanks for all the hard work invested! Nicely kept clean studio also and video work.
I'm looking VanTiki at your cabinet hinges mounted up in your high book safe. Could you post a link for those if you remember from where they came? Thanks
Thank you for watching! The cabinets above the slip table are from IKEA
Wow very impressive!!! Love it!!
Thank you so much!
Fantastic video, as always. I find myself wondering how you have time to edit such a long one on top of everything else!
Thank you! It was indeed a long editing day 😅
@@vantikistudio Could you have saved silicon by minimizing the thickness of the silicone walls, or is this the "bare minimum"?
Looking at all the bits you're trimming off once the silicone is set, do you put those scraps aside as filler for the next casting, the same as you added chopped up pieces of old set silicone to some of these?
It's funny, I'm watching this three years after it was posted, but I'm feeling second-hand anxiety over the pour. You're a very good communicator!
How many plaster moulds can you make from a silicone mould before it starts to wear out?
Great questions!
Good gravy I can’t believe this was 3 years ago! I dont usually keep the little trimmed pieces from the silicone - but you totally could. I have a HUGE bucket of reclaimed silicone from old molds so I’m not that diligent about capturing every little trimmed bit.
You can get a lot of casts out of a mold - how many? I really don’t know 😄. If you’re looking to cast hundreds of parts, I’d talk to smooth on about silicones specifically made for casting cement. They are made to handle the heat and abrasion, and should last longer than the rubber I use.
I have definitely posted a #plasterdisaster glad I'm not the only one! Great content.
Thank you! Anyone who mixes plaster will one day experience a #plasterdisaster
39:35 Creepy Tiki curse background noise 👻
What kind of clay do use to make the parting lines? Is it ceramic clay.? I used clean clay for the first mold 1/3 that I believe is wax base and on my second half to create blocking/ more parting lines and pour more plaster on it . the clean/modeling clay ( plasticine? ) resists and won’t stick to the plaster so I can’t make parting lines for my 2nd / third half. I’m sure it’s water based but ??? And have access to ceramic clay.. so in short 🙄what clay will stick to the plaster to create my paring lines and still resist the poured plaster so I can make 2-3-4 part plaster molds Thank you.
Aloha! I just use an inexpensive white ceramic clay. This is Wonder White from Georgies. In the FX industry we used a white clay body from Laguna, and my friends also often use clean clay as well (but they are not making plaster molds with it - mostly silicone and epoxy)
Question. can you use the pledge on any object that you are casting? will it clog the pores of the plaster mold for slip casting? I find that murphys oil soap clogs the pores when making slip castings. so i was thinking of using pledge. thank you
Well, I don't use my master plaster molds to cast with - so I don't have to worry so much about contaminating the plaster (my productions molds are all cast from the silicone master). When casting from the master mold, I often had issues with the plaster being contaminated - carefully cleaning the molds with vinegar or acetone would help.
@@vantikistudio
Thank you so much for your reply. One more question. what kind of silicone do you use to reproduce the plaster molds?
@@vantikistudio I'm asking because the silcone supplier recommended using ReoFlex 40 or 50. and you use rebound 40.
not to mention that the reoflex is cheaper then the rebound
@@coolride1401 that is totally your call - I suggest getting a cured sample of the various silicones and feeling them to get a better idea of what will work best for you.
Ah, @RobertTovolone also uses chunks of cured silicone to lessen the quantity of freshly mixed silicone when creating a mold. :-D
it is a win win - you get to recycle old molds and keep them out of the landfill, and you get to save $$ on new molds!
This was awesome, nice work man!
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
@vantikistudio, i love the way you deliver and explain the content. Do you know of cheaper alternatives to silicone rubber? I need the flexibility of a silicone mold, but don't have the budget.
You can use urethane for molds. It is less expensive, but it behaves very differently than silicone. You need to be extremely careful about proper release, moisture contamination, and proper mixing
I've learned so much but I also stressed out a lot. Relax, buddy!
I try! Always hard to stay calm when moldmaking 😂
That sweet release 25:16
😄
Great installment, and longer too! Love it! Lots of great tech tips and tricks, I do the silicone chunks as well. Gotta recycle that dough! 👍🏻👍🏻
How's the shopping on the critter cam going? 😁
I actually got a critter cam - but have been too busy to set it up! It’s on the To Do list 😅
I've wanted to use this stuff before, but I don't have room for a degasser. But it looks like you pour from high above in a thin stream you get decent results, with no bubbles. Do you ever get bubbles, or this process achieves the same goal as the degasser?
The tried and true thin stream technique works great. The only time I’ve trapped a bubble is on the small raised letters in the bases of the mug models (like the hole in the “A” character - I now brush in a quick layer into the text portion of my mugs before pouring the rest of the mold.
@@vantikistudio Very good to know, I have a couple of characters on the bottom of my mugs. I'll make sure to brush on some before pouring the rest. Additional follow up question, You had what I'm calling "collars" on all of your silicone pieces once you started pouring the plaster. Is that necessary because the silicone is still somewhat flexible, or can you pour the plaster without the collars.
@@foxandbearceramics1039 The plaster is far too heavy for the silicone to maintain its shape without the frames around the silicone.
Wonderfull ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you!
Hi, great video! Very informative and detailed! I was wondering whether the original model you sculpted was just dried clay or some other material?
I have a sculpture that I have been making out of clay originally intended as a one off piece but I have since thought I'd like to make a slip cast mould of it so I can make more. But I am wondering if building a wet clay wall onto a dry clay sculpture for the 2 part mould would even work. Thank you if you are able to help.
Thank you for watching! My master model is sculpted out of a wax based modeling clay called Monster Clay. Since your model is a dry water based clay, you can seal it with a clear acrylic spray, and build up the mold walls with a soft modeling clay (like clean clay) - this way you won’t get too much moisture re-introduced into your master model.
@@vantikistudio Thank you for taking the time to reply. That's really helpful advice.
can I use Murphy soap for mold release, which I already have? where does one buy this Georgies soap you speak of?
You can totally use Murphy soap - it’s basically the same. Georgies is a ceramic supplier-
www.georgies.com
@@vantikistudio thanks so much for your help
Hi Vantiki. Could you tell us what clay you are using to build up your walls for the mold? Is it the same monster clay that you used for the sculpture?
Hey! For mold walls I use the cheapest ceramic water based clay I can get - in this case it’s wonder white from Georgie’s Ceramics
@@vantikistudio You are such a sweetheart! Aloha!!
Where did you get the silicone for making molds? What type/brand of silicone did you use? What brand of plaster did you use?
I'm using a silicone from Smooth-On - but as I say in the video, you should reach out to smooth on and request samples to find a material that best fits your project and budget. The plaster used in this video is USG Number one Pottery Plaster.
Silicone I get from our nearest distributor:
www.reynoldsam.com
Plaster I get from my local Ceramics Shop:
www.georgies.com