Getting to know the properties and benefits of silicone rubber will help artists understand why this high-quality material is the preferred choice for making different types of molds and casts.
RTV silicone rubber is a popular and versatile material in the world of mold making and casting. The best part of this material is that it lends itself well for making both molds and casts. It is easy to use and delivers excellent results for all kinds of applications.
While there are different families of silicone rubbers - like addition cure and condensation cure – they are all basically two part formulae. The base compound has to be mixed with the catalyst and the material will be ready to use.
Following is a look at some of the beneficial properties of silicone rubber:
- Silicone rubber captures details well, right down to reproducing the finest of elements like small indentations, fingerprints or grains in the wood.
- There is sufficient work time and cure time; these can also be manipulated and adjusted as necessary.
- The best part about working with silicone rubber is that it does not stick to anything. Therefore, there is no need of using an additional release agent. Nor is there the fear of the mold release damaging the model in any manner. However, since silicone does stick to itself, artists avoid casting silicone rubber in silicone molds.
- The rubber mix is viscous and has good flowability. This makes it easy to make the mold by simply pouring the rubber over the model and into the mold box.
- Yet, the rubber will still stay put on the surface where it is applied without running off unnecessarily. This makes it suitable for making a laminated coat on a model before reinforcing it with a shell mold. The artist gets the benefits of silicone rubber without having to use too much of the expensive material either.
- Another benefit is that the rubber will cure uniformly throughout the mold or cast. The deep section curability continues irrespective of the thickness of the mold/cast.
- It also cures at room temperature itself without generating any heat during the curing process. Therefore, the rubber will not affect the model or mold in any manner.
- The mold/cast will display superior dimensional stability without shrinking or warping in any manner. In fact, silicone molds can be used again and again for years.
- Silicone displays excellent resistance to heat and chemicals as well.
Silicone rubber comes in varied formulations to suit diverse applications. EnvironMolds offers a wide selection of silicone mold making and casting rubber options on its website, https://www.artmolds.com SkinRite 10 stands out for its translucent quality which can be tinted and used for special effects and applications to duplicate skin surfaces. This soft translucent rubber is especially suitable for realistic mask making as well as for doll reborning (rebirthing). Then there is LifeRite Skin Safe Silicone rubber – this can actually be applied directly on the skin for making body molds for life casting.