Has anyone used this stuff before?(Mold Builder by Env Tech)

[CB2001]

While I was at Michaels, I came across this stuff in the plaster/molds isle. It's called "Mold Builder" by Environmental Technology, Inc. Click Here to view information on the product.

My question is has anyone used this stuff before? Is it good for applying to plastic pieces to make duplicate parts? Does the molds made from it come out well?

[Scott Hasty]

Yup, it's liquid latex, packaged differently from the stuff I use. Good for certain applications. What do you need it for?

Scottie

[macfrank]

My question is has anyone used this stuff before? Is it good for applying to plastic pieces to make duplicate parts? Does the molds made from it come out well?

I haven't used this particular stuff before, but it is just liquid latex. Liquid latex does a pretty good job of duplicating surface details, but you can't make a very thick mold because it'll take forever to dry. 1-4 layers of latex will form a very flexible mold. Typically you would back the mold up with plaster or something rigid.

[CB2001]

Thanks for the info guys.

Scott Hasty, about your question- I was wondering about it in general. I have considered a while ago about duplicating some model parts from various kits, include the old '83 MPC "Knight Rider" KITT kit (especially the front bumper), but I've got about three models projects I'm working on right now and zero skills on mold making. I figured I'd ask about Mold Builder to see if it is any good for possible use should I ever need to create duplicate parts.

[Shinnentai]

It is good, I use it a lot, both for moldmaking and detail masking. Upside is it's cheap, reproduces detail nicely, and is easy to work with. Downside is (as McFrank noted) you can't pour solid molds (although it makes very nice shell molds, even for HUGE items)*, and there can be some shrinkage involved since it's an absorbtion material.

If you're interested in learning how to make molds, I heartaly reccomend this book. Gives good starter directions on a wide variety of methods and materials.

*I actually preffer to do this with silicone too anyway, rather than the poured "brick" molds that seem to be popular with others on the boards, so I actually don't consider this a disadvantage at all.