Envelop Molding Tutorial

 

         This tutorial will walk you through the steps needed to create an Envelop Mold.  It is called an Envelop mold because the pieces are completely suspended in the molding medium, as if enclosed in an Envelop.  It is used in place of an open backed molded when a piece must be reproduced on all sides.

 

Part 1.  Making the Mold.

 

1.   Begin by gathering up the supplies you will need for the project.

 a.    The pieces to be molded

b.   Strips of Foam Core.  I cut mine ahead of time and then trim it to fit, in order to save time.

c.    Super Glue

d.   Toothpicks

e.    Hot Glue and Gun

f.     Modeling Clay

g.   An Exacto Knife and a NEW BLADE

h.   A ruler

i.     A Pen

j.     A Cutting Board

k.   Wire Cutters

  

2.   Lay the pieces you want to mold along your ruler to know what length of pieces you will need.  I usually add about ½ an inch on either end of the pieces.

3.  Cut out all of the sides of your box using the ruler, Exacto and Foam Core.  Molders differ on whther a box should be thick or thin and how much extra to leave on either end.  This will take experimentation on your part to find a happy medium that works for you.  You will need a bottom, two ends, and two walls.

4.   Roll a piece of modeling clay into a thin coil.  Then cut it so that it is about an inch shorter than the bottom of your box.  Place it in the center of the bottom piece and push it into an elongate pyramid.

  

5.  Use the wire cutters to cut the tips off of your toothpicks.  Small items will need one, larger items will need two.  I usually make mine about an inch long.

6.  Use the tip of your exacto blade to bore a very small hole in the piece to be molded.  This is a bit that took me a while to figure out.  The hole makes things much easier.

7.  Squeeze out a small amount of super glue onto a piece of scrap paper.  Dip the tips of your Toothpicks into the super glue.

8.  Insert your glued toothpicks into the holes you drilled into your pieces.

9.  Once you have all of your pieces picked insert the toothpicks into the peaked clay.  They will now be upside down in the mold.

10.                Use your ballpoint pen to write a label for your mold.  Remember to write it upside-down and backwards like a stamp.  Otherwise it will be upside-down and backwards on your finished mold.

11.                Use your Hot Glue Gun to glue the walls of your mold box together.  The written label should be at the bottom of the box.

You should have open space all around your pieces.

12.                Mix your molding compound as directed by the product.  Place your molds in your pressure pot and slowly pour the silicone over your pieces.  You will want to cover the pieces by a minimum of 3/8 of an inch.

13.                Pressurize your pot, and wait the amount of time directed by the product.

 

Part 2: Demolding.

Coming soon. 

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