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Another Little Trick for Some Molds

By David E. Parvin, A.L.I.

Photograph 1

Rule #11 on my studio wall made in sections. But with such a keys. These are especially effective if
under “Dave’s Laws” is, “There is large mold, the rubber might not the keys are attached by their
almost always a better way.” While remain securely in place against the smallest side causing them to lock
“better” might be an equally effective mother mold especially if the mold into the mother mold. (See
method or process but faster and/or were tipped and rotated when the photographs #2 and #3.) These keys
cheaper, what is much more wax was painted in unless the rubber can be used anywhere such as on the
important to me is a method or were attached to the mother mold. sides or around the opening of the
process with more perfect results or There are any number of ways to mold. However, they can be difficult
allows me to do something that had lock the rubber to the mother mold. to lock into place.
been beyond my capabilities. The most common is to use pill trays As I considered the problem and it’s
Something that I had not been as molds for neat and uniform rubber solution, a number of things occurred
satisfied with was a way of securing to me. First, the device would have to
the rubber inner layer of a mold to be made of rubber with good
the supporting or “mother” mold. elongation. Also, its base would have
In photograph #1, one of my to be wide enough to allow for a firm
assistants, Kelsey, is finishing the bonding to the rubber mold. And
texture on two sandbags, which we coming out from the base, it would
had sculpted one and a half times life need to start out narrow and widen so
size, as part of a veterans’ tribute that it would lock into the mother
garden for the City of Westminster, mold. Since it is easier to pull
Colorado. The next step would be to something into place than push it, a
make a one piece rubber mold of the narrow part would have to extend
two sandbags. Being one piece would trough a hole in the mother mold far
allow the foundry to produce a single enough to be grabbed onto and
wax of both sand bags. Even if the pulled. So I got a piece of clay and
foundry decided to cut the wax into shaped something that seemed to fit
smaller pieces for casting, I was the bill. What I came up with is in
hoping that the bronze pieces would photograph #4. It was only then that I
likely fit back together more realized that I had reinvented the
precisely than if the mold had been Photograph 2 baby bottle nipple