Hi, all. I read a while ago about people asking whether or not it would be possible to make molded armor with the 100% silicon bathroom sealant stuff so I figured I'd test it out... Here are the results, personally, I was impressed with the quality of the mold, although it's probably nowhere near professional quality. Sorry beforehand for crappy pictures, all I had was a cellphone at the time.
The test subject. An old laser tag pistol. I did a quick, thin coat with cooking spray. You could also use petroleum jelly but I found on another test mold that it filled itself into cracks and crevices and significantly lowered the quality of the mold. I'm sure a fancy releasing agent would be the best, but this is ghetto.
Here's the mix. A good portion of a tube of silicon, a few drops of blue acrylic paint, and glycerin. I used popsicle sticks to mix and spread it over the pistol and then ice to press it in and even it out over it. I didn't get it very think, about 1/8 of an inch. If you were making a real mold you could do multiple layers and I'm *pretty* sure they'd stick together, because you dont't want to make it too thick in one layer or it will never dry.
And finally, the product mold. It seemed very sturdy for it's thickness but I'm not sure how long with casting and everything. I might do another test with something but I plan on trying this method on my finished helmet (right now I'm at the fiber glassing stage). Hopefully this can be a cheaper alternative in the future for those with tighter budgets.
The test subject. An old laser tag pistol. I did a quick, thin coat with cooking spray. You could also use petroleum jelly but I found on another test mold that it filled itself into cracks and crevices and significantly lowered the quality of the mold. I'm sure a fancy releasing agent would be the best, but this is ghetto.
Here's the mix. A good portion of a tube of silicon, a few drops of blue acrylic paint, and glycerin. I used popsicle sticks to mix and spread it over the pistol and then ice to press it in and even it out over it. I didn't get it very think, about 1/8 of an inch. If you were making a real mold you could do multiple layers and I'm *pretty* sure they'd stick together, because you dont't want to make it too thick in one layer or it will never dry.
And finally, the product mold. It seemed very sturdy for it's thickness but I'm not sure how long with casting and everything. I might do another test with something but I plan on trying this method on my finished helmet (right now I'm at the fiber glassing stage). Hopefully this can be a cheaper alternative in the future for those with tighter budgets.
