Today I began the molding process for the Weston Brewery "Royal Lager" tap head. I thought I'd show the process I'm using to make multiple copies of the piece. Now that I have the master made (a final version of the tapper head). I can mount it to a base and begin to cover it in silicone rubber. This rubber will ultimately be used to make castings. I drilled a hole through some leftover PVC and drilled a hole into the bottom of the tapper head. I mounted the tapper onto the pvc.
First, a thin coat of rubber is brushed onto the piece and onto the base. This will be sure that I capture all the details and don't leave holes. Too thick of a coat at first might accidentally leave bubbles and miss details. A couple thin coats to start is the way to go! Here is the first coat.
Once that dried for about an hour, I put on another thin coat. I let that dry for about 45 minutes. Next I mixed a batch with a liquid that makes the rubber thicker...and it can be brushed on more thickly without running. I want to build up a nice thick coat on the piece.
I will give this another thick coat in the morning....my goal is to create a rubber mold that should be about 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Right now it's roughly 1/4". Tomorrow I'll do one or two more coats, and then prepare something called a "mother-mold". The mother mold provides strength to the rubber and ensures that the rubber will hold it's shape when I'm casting.
The mother mold will be made of a plastic material and will be in two parts...split down the middle. It may sound confusing, but it will be much more clear as I post pictures....we'll soon be making multiples! Stay tuned.
No comments:
Post a Comment