A variety of modeling compounds can be molded. Most casting materials listed cannot be cured in clay molds. There are some exceptions to this rule. This chart is to used as a guideline only. No warranty is offered for results as this information has been compiled by our visitors and have not been tested by us. We do not make any promises or take responsibility for the use of this information. Please use your judgment when experimenting with these castings. Because of this, we request you to email us if you see any inaccurate information. We value your expertise and appreciate any insight you might be able to send us. It is up to you to determine suitability for any specific application. A small scale test is suggested before trying on a larger scale for any application. In general our molds will not hold up to the heat of a kiln, but you can form Art Clay or PMC in our molds, and then remove the casting and cure it in a kiln. Be sure to read the manufactures instructions for your casting product before using a kiln. We are always happy to accept information from our customers, so if you have anything to share with others, please let us know so we can include it here. Thank You! ======================================================== CASTING: UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) DESCRIPTION: Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel is a large particle embossing powder that adds dimension to paper, fiber and decorative arts. When heated, it creates a nice resin finish. While warm, you can imbed charms or beads and sprinkle some glitter or mica powder on it. UTEE is found in jars in the scrapbook section of craft stores. DIRECTIONS: Method #1 Spray the mold with PAM cooking spray. Melt the UTEE and pour a tiny amount into the mold. Lift it out with a needle. If making a pendant, where the mold has a raised spot for the hole, you'll need to hold the tip of a pen on the raised spot while you pour the UTEE. You could also break a toothpick and hold it on the spot. Unlike clay, the UTEE becomes too hard to poke a hole when you take it out. If you have a small drill you could probably drill a hole later. Method #2 I found it works best to allow to set for up to an hour as it may break getting out of mold, I smeared Vaseline in the molds first then poured in utee moving the mold from side to side to make sure it's covered the whole mold then I used a match stick to create a hole for use as a pendant. Method #3 After several trials I found a way although not 100% successful. The most successful way I found to remove the Utee out of your mold without breaking was to Vaseline the whole mold inside and the face of mold. Once the Utee is set, wait 12 hours. Use Double tape which has the strongest adhesion. Peel off only one side and stick to Utee and it should pop out. Double tape is used for sticking down carpets. If some adhesive is left on your mold clean off with turpentine. ======================================================== CASTING: Precious Metal Clay or PMC & Art Clay DESCRIPTION: Soft and supple-feeling clay with fine silver powder suspended within. Enjoy the fun and versatility of playing with clay with a twist...firing the finished piece transforms it into a valuable, pure silver treasure. Looks and feels like ordinary clay. Water and a non-toxic organic binder are mixed with extremely fine particles of silver. DIRECTIONS: You can 'fire' it with a hand-held torch; the water and binder disappear - give it a brush and you're left with a unique piece of silver. See our “Art Clay” page for more information. You can use our molds with PMC just as you would use them with clay. Just be sure to remove the PMC from the mold before curing it. Molds are not to be used in a kiln, but can be removed from the mold prior to curing in the kiln. ======================================================== CASTING: Liquid Polymer Clay & Liquid Sculpey DESCRIPTION: A pourable form of polymer clay that was developed for commercial use about twenty years ago. In it's raw state, it looks like white glue and has the consistency of honey. When it is baked, it is opaque, flexible and strong. DIRECTIONS: Was made to cure at 300 degrees but will be fine at normal PC temperatures of 265-275 degrees. Remove the liquid clay while still warm can sometimes be done. Release agent - Armorall. ======================================================== CASTING: Plaster of Paris, Hydrostone, Hydrocal & Ceramic DESCRIPTION: Calcined gypsum, composed of calcium sulfate. DIRECTIONS: Plaster is mixed by sifting the powder into water. Sometimes salt, potassium sulfate, or potassium alum is added to speed setting. ======================================================== CASTING: Polymer Clay, Sculpey Clay, Super Sculpey, Sculpey lll, Premo & Fimo DESCRIPTION: Polymer clay is a synthetic, pliable colored plastic modeling 'clay' compound that hardens or 'cures' at relatively low temperatures in an oven, without the need for a kiln. It comes in a large variety of colors and you can also mix the colors to create new ones with endless design possibilities. It takes on texture very well. In addition, it is relatively light weight, which makes it an ideal medium for jewelry. The choices of colors and finishes (such as stone, glitter, fluorescent and even glow in the dark) are wonderful. The three main advantages of polymer modeling clays are: quick home curing, the consistency and range of color and texture, and the less than 2% shrinkage when cured. DIRECTIONS: Cornstarch, water, embossing powders, baby powder. See our mold instruction pages to learn more about using clay with our molds. We carry sample packs of Sculpey for sale for you to try. You can purchase them from our tools page here. ======================================================== CASTING: Resin & Plastics DESCRIPTION: Compound for creating or copying, and for business, hobby or craft use. DIRECTIONS: Armorall ======================================================== CASTING: Wax & Candles DESCRIPTION: Beeswax, ceresin, carnauba, tallow, paraffin, and micro-crystalline wax. DIRECTIONS: Wax can be melted for casting in a double boiler. Additives used with waxes include rosin, dyes, petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and many solvents. ======================================================== CASTING: Air-Dry Clay DESCRIPTION: Dries to a hard solid. No kiln or oven necessary. Easy to use with traditional modeling techniques, and is easy to clean up. DIRECTIONS: Press, remove and dry. ======================================================== CASTING: Bread Base Clays such as Bread Dough DESCRIPTION: Do not require cooking - they air dry, and they will keep up to three weeks in the refrigerator. Shrinkage can be up to 50%. You can sometimes compensate shrinkage by making your project larger than you want the finished product. DIRECTIONS: Press, remove and dry. ======================================================== CASTING: Paper Casting or Paper Pulp DESCRIPTION: Paper Casting is a way to make beautiful products from recycled paper. Great for sculpted ornaments, cards, gift tags and framed art. DIRECTIONS: Get some soft toilet tissue. Place it in a bowl. Pour water over it, wait a half an hour or so, then stir it up a bit with a fork. It doesn't matter how much water; however the more the water the easier it is to work with. That's it. The castings made with this will fall out when dry. 1) Nothing special has to be done to the mold. Just heap a little pulp in to the mold. Gently squeeze the water out with your finger tips or a flat surface. Then place the mold and pulp upside down on a paper towel and gently push the excess out. You don't have to be especially neat with the pulp, as it is very easy to trim off with scissors, if you'd like. Or leave the little bits on. 2) Leave the pulp to dry. Your casting will fall out as soon as it is dry. If it's later in the evening, just leave them on a heat vent overnight. Allow to dry completely (I wait 24 hours just to be sure) and remove. 3) That's it! These can be painted, glued to special greeting cards, packages... on and on... They are as inexpensive as tissue paper and your time, so you can make a bunch up at a time and have so much fun! You can use colored tissue or white tissue (maybe put in just a drop of food coloring for a marble look!). You can seal and paint these pieces for added durability as well. ======================================================== CASTING: Pewter DESCRIPTION: Pewter is an attractive metal which has been used for the production of household and other items in Britain since Roman times. It is an alloy consisting mostly of tin which has been mixed with small amounts of other metals such as copper, lead or antimony to harden it and make it more durable. Pewter is not a spectacular or rare metal, but no other material compares to the simple, soft, subdued texture and color of pewter. DIRECTIONS: After several trials I found a way although not 100% successful. The most successful way I found to remove the pewter out of your mold without breaking was to Vaseline the whole mold inside and the face of mold. Once the pewter is set, wait 12 hours. Use Double tape which has the strongest adhesion. Peel off only one side and stick to pewter and it should pop out. Double tape is used for sticking down carpets. If some adhesive is left on your mold clean off with turpentine. ======================================================== CASTING: Friendly Plastic DESCRIPTION: Friendly Plastic Compound is a rugged, impact resistant plastic.Many designs can be made with Friendly Plastic sticks by softening them in warm water then shaping with your hands, molds, craft tools or any household object. Key Benefits: Easily molded by anyone, Extensive range of colors, Non toxic, Unique, Strong and Flexible. A product that can be used by almost anyone to make almost anything! DIRECTIONS: There are two popular methods for warming Friendly Plastic prior to making jewelry - the hot water method and the oven method. Just pour the rice sized pellets or sticks into boiling water. In 30 seconds, it melts and sticks together. When you pour off the water, it is cool enough to be handled comfortably. Shape it with your fingers like clay, or use it in mold. In a few minutes it cools to a tough plastic. Once hard, carve it, drill it, machine it, paint it, or dye it with clothing dye. When reheated,it can be reformed, additional pieces added, or completely recycled. ======================================================== CASTING: Cake Decorating Fondant, Gumpaste & Candy DESCRIPTION: You can cast in our molds, however it is not recommended to use edibles with clay molds. Many people are still using molds for candy, frosting and lip balms and are aware of the warning. Many of our customers uses are molds for decorating cakes. Our molds are made with a non-toxic clay and approved to use the AP non-toxic seal by The Arts Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). However never bake our molds in a microwave or under a broiler and they should only be baked at the manufacturer's recommended temperature of 275 degrees. So, I guess this is a personal choice. I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to email us anytime. DIRECTIONS: Use cornstarch to dust the mold or luster dust if you want some iridescence. ================================================== ============================== CASTING: Cornstarch Base Clays such as Cold Porcelain, Victorian salt clay, and pasta francesa. DESCRIPTION: Actually resemble fine porcelain. See recipes for cornstarch clays on the next casting page. DIRECTIONS: If it feels a bit firm, it should be warmed up by kneading a small amount between the fingers. If it feels too soft, it can be left unwrapped and exposed to the air for a few minutes. It will then firm as the moisture evaporates. They require cooking to prepare. Cornstarch clays air dry, but drying can be accelerated in a warm oven. The shelf life varies from one week to one month depending on the ingredients, storage temperature and humidity. Expect up to 30% shrinkage. ======================================================== CASTING: Mod Podge Mod Melts or Glue Gun Gun DESCRIPTION: Glue Sticks or Mod Melts can be heated in a hot glue gun! Tip - Colored glue sticks also work well. DIRECTIONS: Coat well with cooking spray, which will act as your release agent. Pour in from a glue gun. Let cool completely. Once cool, pop out with a craft knife from the mold. Paint with craft paints or enhance with metallic rub- ons or a variety of sealers. ======================================================== CASTING: Bone China DESCRIPTION: Made from 50% bone. The bone is what makes pottery white. Has a low deformation and a shrinkage of about 12%. DIRECTIONS: Experiment with transforming a porcelain body into throwable bone china by adding synthetic bone ash. Be aware that ingredients from different countries may produce different results. The general rule is to use the purest possible ingredients. Try experimenting with variations of the bone ash content and firing temperature. ======================================================== CASTING: American Art Clay Casting Compound DESCRIPTION: Create whites, fine-textured, durable cast pieces. DIRECTIONS: When mixed with water and poured into a mold, AMACO® casting compound sets hard in a few minutes. ======================================================== CASTING: Paperclay DESCRIPTION: Creative Paperclay is a non-toxic modeling material that can be sculpted, molded or shaped, and air dries (no baking!) to a hard finish that can be carved, or sanded - perfect for artists and crafters. DIRECTIONS: ======================================================== CASTING: Solid Perfume DESCRIPTION: Perfume in a solid state. Can be poured into chap stick tubes or lockets worn as jewelry. Can be molded for use in a compact. DIRECTIONS: Recipe Melted Beeswax 1/2 oz. Infused oil 2 oz. Essential oils 40 drops about Start by melting the beeswax on the stove top. It another pan simmer water with the jar you intend to put your perfume in sitting in the water (double boiler effect) pour your infused oils into the jar sitting in the simmering water and add the melted beeswax. Stir well. Take the jar out of the water and add the essential oils stirring well. Put the top on and let cool. Makes approx. 2 oz. ======================================================== CASTING: Porcelain Slip / Clay DESCRIPTION: DIRECTIONS: Many of our customers are using porcelain slip, however more information a needed on how it is used. Porcelain is often used for doll parts or figurines. ======================================================== CASTING: Fusing Glass DESCRIPTION: DIRECTIONS: Does not work in kiln. At about 500 degrees or so they begin to burn up and produce some nasty fumes. ======================================================== CASTING: Playdoh DESCRIPTION: A brand name for children’s modeling compound. It’s usually pretty cheap and it comes in many generic names as well. Usually it comes in bright primary colors. DIRECTIONS: No mold release is needed with Playdoh. It works well with mica powder for a pretty shiny finish. ======================================================== CASTING: InstaMorph DESCRIPTION: InstaMorph is a reusable, hand moldable plastic. It's lightweight, strong, and durable. Great for any hobby, craft, or maker project. DIRECTIONS: Works at low temperatures. Reheat and Remold it again and again. No special tools or activators are needed. It can be painted, dyed, machined, carved or stuck. ======================================================== We are always happy to accept information from our customers, so if you have anything to share with others, please let us know so we can include it here. Thank You!