Gelatin And Glycerin Molds

 I have been busy. I am going crazy making these.

Until last year I had never made molds, except for a plasticene one with melted plastic pour I made when I as a boy. My friend Pete, and I, made a copy of a Lone Star Afrika Corps figure but we did not know how to make a two-part mold and it was flat on one side. it had a nice two tone color. Of course, it was a stinky and toxic process to melt the plastic beads we had pilfered from a nearby factory. (We used to load up the beads in the back of our tricycles and ride for dear life as the factory workers yelled at us. I assumed the beads were rubbish but maybe they were still to be used but any way we had the need...)

  My old and deceased friend, Dave Bryant, (real name Anthony Servalis) did use to lend me his rubber molds. He made many from a 'secret formula'. I did get to keep a few of them and melted down many pewter cups to make toy soldiers. My original input was supplying plastic figures for Dave to make copies of. Once or twice, I made a conversion, such as one from a Blue Box cowboy with Henry rifle into a Turkish dismounted cavalryman. That last one was made into a mold and the results gave me much satisfaction as my creations. (I know how Doctor Frankenstein felt).

  In recent times I bought Silagum putty and also Blue Stuff and had varying degrees of success in making molds. Then I read about making molds from Gelatin and Glycerin. Amazingly, these have been my most successful mold making enterprises, although using resin instead of metal.

  I have already made a dozen or so figures and those ones in the picture are awaiting disclosure. I get so excited I want to open them prematurely and that is how I get distortions and missing limbs (on the figures). I already did this with one of these molds and put it back together in the hope it would heal! 

  Anyhow, the resin take at least 24 hours to set; it even pays to leave a little longer. With very simple castings I can take them out, carefully, without damage. The simple ones don't have flung out arms and weapons etc. The gelatin and glycerin molds, themselves, take only a couple of hours to set.

  The molds can be melted down and reused. So far, I have got three or four castings out of some of the molds when I thought the jelly would deteriorate after one casting.

  What I love about this is I can make copies of rare or hard to get figures. Then I can paint them as their original appearance or improve on them. The resin I am using is initially fairly flexible but becomes more rigid after a couple of days (provided the two part mis is equal).

  It also works without having to do a two part mold.