Ceramics / Beluga Moulds

Now I've experimented with clay and felt as though I was developing the skill of creating the belugas by freehand moulding, I wanted to experiment with more materials the belugas can be made from. From previous experience I know that vinamold is a cheaper alternative to silicone but less materials can be poured into it. Silicone can host a variety of different materials, from resin to jesmonite. This seemed the most versatile component to make the mould from as then I could experiment with a wider amount of materials and not be limited.

The technique which was advised which was to make a silicone 'jacket' rather than a full mould, cutting the cost.

I created two more belugas, again which were an improvement on my last, and then poured silicone onto each whale, which created a thin layer. This dried overnight and then a 'thixotropic' was applied to a mix of silicone, and 'iced' over them again, to create a thicker surface mould. This again took hours to dry.

Then was the plaster. Creating two 'walls' of plaster forms a hard cover for the molds when materials are poured inside. The plaster is pulled apart when dry, and fastened back together with rubber bands with the silicone mold inside when in use.

This method has been quite long winded in comparison to hand making the belugas, however this would be more cost efficient in terms of distribution if this was to become a proper business as the molds can recreate the same shape multiple times with a large amount of materials.

I filled the finished mold with wax and Jesmonite but both of these ended up with the belugas having broken tails. My options are to try again and be extra careful when taking them out from their molds, or to just hand mold them again and glaze the final products.