Demo 1 of 3
Primary materials needed. Firm silicone, recycled silicone, silicone thinner, two 7" half domes, three 8" x 3" cake rings, acetate, oil-based clay, painter's masking tape, thirteen 1/4" acorn nuts, eight 8" x 1/4" dowel rods. Trace the inside of the cake ring. Using an unwarped, 8" x 3" cake ring, trace the interior onto a sheet of paper. Center and trace the dome. Remove the cake ring and position the dome in the center of first circle. Make sure the space between the dome and the ring is equal on all sides. Tape acetate on top of the paper. Use removable masking tape to secure the acetate sheet on top of the paper. (The acetate will prevent the silicone from sticking to the sheet pan.) Glue the registration keys in place. Put a drop of Elmer's craft glue on the bottom (clay filled) side of the acorn nut. Dab the glue-drop with your fingertip (to remove excess) and place next to the dome. Put keys at the North, South, East and West positions. Prepare the registration keys. Fill the centers of thirteen ¼" acorn nuts (from hardware store) with the oil clay. Not shown: Use a small knife to scrape the clay flush with the bottom edge of the acorn nut. Center the dome on acetate. Reposition the dome onto its outline. Make sure the dome is sitting flat on the acetate. If there are gaps, it's likely the sheet pan is warped and should not be used for this project. Add weight to the dome. One pound of oil-based clay (Klean Klay) is pressed inside the dome. The weight of clay will help anchor the dome onto the acetate. Afterward, clean any oily fingerprints off the dome surface. Glue remaining keys in place. Visualize the dome perimeter as a clock face and put keys at each hour point. Put the thirteenth key right next to another key. Prepare the acetate liner. Tape four acetate sheets together along the vertical (long) edge of the acetate. Using any less than four sheets will not provide enough 'slip' to release the ring in step 25. Tape the liner in the cake ring. Tape two cakes rings together and unroll the acetate liner flat inside of the ring. While expanding acetate tight against the ring, tape where acetate overlaps. DO NOT tape it to the metal ring at any place. Position the ring over the dome. First, verify the acetate is held tight (by friction) against the inside walls of the ring. Next, place the ring over the dome and be careful not to bump the registration keys. Apply a glaze coat of silicone. 200 grams of GeoPressT base and 20 grams of catalyst are mixed together until a uniform blue color is achieved. Pour in a thin stream to force air bubbles to stretch and burst before entering the mold box. Pour in a circular motion to cover the dome. Overview. The dome is centered in the cake ring. The acorn keys are glued in place. The dowel rods are taped to the inside walls. Not shown: Before the dowels were inserted in step 14, a coil of (blue) clay was sealed around the base of the cake ring. Position the dowel braces. This step is tricky. Put short strips of tape near the top of the dowel rods and carefully tape them inside the cake ring in between the acorn keys at the bottom. Press the dowels flush against the inside wall of the ring. Prepare the dowel braces. Cut eight 8-inch sections of ¼" dowel rod. A sharp pair of wire cutters will work if you do not have a saw. The dowels will provide exterior support for the finished mold (step 43). Allow the glaze coat to cure. Allow the silicone to cure for 24 hours before proceeding. When cured, the glaze layer will secure the dome onto the acetate, preventing it from moving or floating when additional silicone is poured over it in step 24.


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