Architectural Restoration Candle Making Concrete Casting Prototyping Sculpture Taxidermy Special Effects  Life Casting Spraying Rubber And Plastic

FAQ   Video Library

Find Your Nearest Distributor

Order Online

 

Press Releases Seminars

How To.. Contents

This electronic version of the How To... brochure is also available in a fully illustrated print form for a low cost of $3.00. 

(And Live To Tell About It!)
Making a flexible mold of an original model will let you make one or many reproductions of that original in a very short time. However, some have described making flexible molds as a tedious and frustrating process that is better left to the pros.

Smooth-On is here to take the guesswork out of making flexible molds and reproductions (castings) by offering this informative overview that will introduce the reader to basic techniques as well as materials available to make flexible molds and rigid castings.

Questions about these materials, the mold making process or your specific project can be directed to a Smooth-On distributor or directly to Smooth-On.

What Is A Mold, Anyway?
Simply put, a mold is a negative impression taken from a positive model (similar to the negative of a photograph). Your objective in making a mold is to reproduce an original model as true to the original as possible. The mold rubber should capture every last bit of detail, texture, dimension, etc. of the original. And human nature being what it is, we’ll assume that your objective is also to make a mold (a) in the least amount of time possible, (b) with a minimum of difficulty and (c) with as little expense as possible.


What Are Molds Used For?
Whether or not you are aware of it, molds touch every facet of our daily life and are used for an endless variety of applications. Molds are used to create food / dessert designs (Jello mold), for reproducing original sculpture or ancient carvings. Fossil hunters and museums and taxidermists make molds of dinosaur fossils, alligators, fish, etc. to make their reproductions for display. Candle makers use molds to make an infinite variety of wax candles. Special effects creators use molds to make models and figures that make movies spectacular.

Industry uses molds to produce the shoes you wear, the dashboard in the car you drive, tires on your car, cups you drink from, your porcelain bathroom sink (sanitary ware), the telephone you use, decorative moldings that adorn homes, religious and office buildings, and concrete panels used to construct buildings, etc. Get the idea?


You Can Make A Mold Of Almost Anything - Really!
Whether you are interested in reproducing a sculpted 
figure, an antique picture frame, an industrial pattern, an architectural molding, a fossil, animal skin (taxidermy), the texture of a piece of fabric, or a toy, you start by making a rubber mold. 

Whether you want to make one or one thousand reproductions of an original, you can do it using a mold. Whether your original model is made from clay, wax, plaster, sand, concrete, stone, metal, bone or almost any material, making a rubber mold makes it possible to reproduce that model – exactly.