Silicone mould

[jasminelaw]

Hello people,

Happy new year!
I am new to jewellery making.
I am wondering ColorFabb BronzeFill/ or a formlab resin 3d print is good for making a vulcanised/ silicone mould?

Thank you

Jas

[ps_bond]

I don't know ColorFabb's filaments at all, but I do know that Formlabs' standard resins work well with both RTV silicone and LTV (vulcanising temp ~ 72C); you have to be careful not to put too much pressure on the print if using the LTV, however.

Or print it in castable, get it cast in metal, clean up the casting, rhodium plate it then have a conventional vulcanised mould made. Of course you need to factor in the shrinkage from each stage if going that route.

[jasminelaw]

Thank you Peter,

That's very helpful. The formlab's standard resin you mentioned is the clear uncastable resin right?

Have you used formlab castable resin before? I have tried have it casted with a normal investment procedure, it didn't come out well. The investment procedure specially designed for formlab castable resin proivded by formlab is quite expensive apparently, and the resin tend to be deformed easily when cuting the stru off after printing.

I would really appreciate it if you can let me know if you know any place that do either of the methods I have mentioned above.

Thank you

Jas

[ps_bond]

Clear, black, grey, white - just pigment levels in the standard resin mix. The tough should do it too, but I haven't tried it.

Yes, I've used both v1 & v2 castable; they're usable - the specific investment recommended by FL isn't generally available in the UK, but I've seen it used with standard investment although the surface finish suffers. Burnout schedule is vital to the process. I've not had any real issues cutting away sprues, but I tend not to do that until after I've post-cured the resin (and usually for much longer than the suggested 2 hours).

Most casters will do RTV moulds - I usually use Jewellery Casting Scotland, who seem quite happy with castable resin.

[jasminelaw]

Thanks! I'll give it a try and let you know the result!

Jasmine