Why are moulds important?
Mould making is the process used to duplicate objects, there are many different ways of doing so and a lot of which are used in industrial manufacturing as well as arts production. Using the method of mould making we are able to preserve the history of an object, allow for more efficiency when mass producing and to replicate objects of one material into another. Mould making is a very important part of everything in this world, a lot of household objects like straws, bottles, and food are made using moulds, you think those pretty shaped chocolates that come in those fancy boxes have just appeared that way, no the have been produced through a series of mould making techniques. As my clients business is very hands on and busy, they need a high quality model that wont break and still look good after a long time of use; Making a mould is necessary to achieve the high quality and durable finish that the world wants.
Mould making and casting requires a lot of patience, planning, a methodical direct approach and a lot of before hand research. This is why you need to work out what mould will best fit your model, you need to ask yourself how complicated it needs to be, if it only needs to be an open back mould or it actually needs to be a full three part jacket mould. If you fancy yourself an avid fan of mould making and want to see how many other interesting moulds that there are then please follow this link, https://jasonwebb.io/2012/09/overview-of-mold-making-and-casting-techniques-and-materials/ .
Matrix Mould
So originally I planned on making a simple two part brush on mould with a plaster jacket however when it came to doing this a long talk with our workshop technician Ben made me realise that this isn't the best way to get the best results. Ben explained the ins and outs of the matrix mould technique, which involves working from the outside in by covering your sculpture in a layer of clay (the same thickness all around) and then creating a plaster jacket around the outside, when this is set it allows you to remove the clay and pour the silicone and just like that you have a perfect mould. It is not as simple as it sounds, you must take your time and not rush, I made certain that I had done a good amount of research before taking on this task.
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