Make an easy mould to cast anything!
You only need two ingredients to make a mould to cast anything with concrete or plaster of Paris.
08/06/2018
Today I'm featuring a guest post from Michele at a crafty mix. She shows how you can make moulds to cast almost any shape using only two ingredients - and you might already have these ingredients in your home!
YOU WILL NEED:
Maizena (also known as cornstarch)
Silicone sealer, clear
Sculptcrete, cement and sand, or plaster of Paris*
Caulking gun
Item to mould
Container for mixing
Plastic knife for mixing
Craft knife
Superglue
Rubber gloves
*Another alternative is to use Polycell Rockset.
HERE'S HOW:
1. For this project Michelle cast a mould for a pear. Wash and dry the pear before you use. You will also need something to hold the pear steady, and for this a pen top was stuck in the base of the pear. This was then pushed into a piece of polystyrene (below).
2. Pop on your gloves to start mixing. Combine Maizena and silicone sealer in a container.
3. The caulking gun makes it easy to squeeze the silicone on top of the Maizena. The quantities are approximately 50:50.
4. Use a plastic knife to combine the two ingredients and then get your hands in there to mix to the consistency of bread dough.
GOOD TO KNOW: Add more Maizena if the mixture is too sticky, or add more sealer if the mixture is too dry - see below.
5. When your mix is perfect you can use your hands to flatten it out and then wrap around the item you want to cast. Below the mixture is wrapped around the pear. Make sure that mixture fills all the crevices and cracks.
6. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes for the mixture to harden up and then use a sharp knife to carefully cut the mould in half to remove the form. You should be able to peel it off as the mould is fairly pliable.
GOOD TO KNOW: Don't eat the pear - rather toss onto the compost heap.
7. Join the two halves together with superglue and now you have a mould for casting the pear shape. The hole in the base is perfect for pouring concrete mix or plaster of Paris into the mould.
GOOD TO KNOW: After pouring concrete or plaster of Paris into the mould, gently tap a few times to release any air bubbles.
8. Leave in a warm, dry space for about 5 to 6 days and cut along the seams to remove the mould.
To finish off the concrete pear Michelle used Rust-Oleum metallic copper. At the top of the pear is a rusty nail and piece of scrap sheet metal cut to the shape of a leaf - perfect!
Michelle also used the above method to cast a concrete garden nymph garden ornament using an old, plastic fairy doll she had stored away.
