punkorange said:
Title says it all, I'm ordering my first mold, and I am planning on getting flagstone floor #260. I've seen a few people on here who have excellent results from hirst arts molds, and was wondering if this was the best idea for a starter mold. I am going to be getting a second and probably third mold in the next couple of weeks.
What do you recommend to cast the molds with as well?
There are tons of suggestions on the Hirst Arts website if you haven't already combed through it. He also goes into the pros and cons of what material to use to cast with. With that said, here is what I found works for me. YMMV.
The only molds that might give you grief (at least, they gave me grief at first) are the ones with tiny pieces or detailed faces (most of the Gothic sets for example). For all of the molds, however, I found a shaking "table" invaluable. It's not necessary, but I got tired of seeing air bubbles in my finished blocks. I found that a large tile set on a couple of heavy-duty sponges serves just fine as a shaking table, although my knuckles might disagree on that point. Lay some paper towels down under the mold on the tile and you even have easy clean-up.
I also use dental plaster, specifically Excalibur dental plaster. I found that I tend to drop the pieces (curse my hands!) and that plaster of paris and the other casting materials just... well... shattered (I have concrete in the basement where I cast). The dental plaster holds up infinitely better. You can still break it, but it takes a bit of force to do so. The dental plaster also comes in colors, so you can choose a color that fits with your project, although I usually just buy the light grey as it takes almost any color paint/stain.
I buy it from
HERE. They are super nice and really, really quick about sending the stuff out. Be aware, however, that a 50lb box of dental plaster will run you in the neighborhood of an additional twenty dollars in shipping.
Post some pics and let us know how it works out.
Saba
