Which molds are best for casting concrete statuary.

So you are thinking about making your own concrete statues. And you know that to do so that you will need some molds to make the statues. But perhaps you are confused as to what style of mold you should try or which one is best.

Well I will do my best to inform you about the molds and try to give the pros and cons for each. There are many types of molds but I will group them into 3 main groups: Rubber molds, Aluminum molds, and plastic or fiberglass molds.

Rubber Molds

Probably the most common and widely used molds for casting concrete statuary are rubber molds. Most rubber molds consist of a rubber insert that is the actual mold that will give your finished statue its detail. This rubber insert is usually supported by a mother mold, a hard shell that keeps the rubber in the proper shape. The mother mold is usually made of fiberglass but I have seen them made of plastic and even plaster.

It needs to be said that you should never purchase a rubber mold that does not have a mother mold or backing with it. I have seen a lot of sellers claim that their "rubber only" molds work perfect and that you just need to pack the mold in sand or some other nonsense like that. I have hardly ever seen a rubber mold that works well without a mother mold. The only exception would be some very small rubber molds that are made extra thick, but even then it would be wiser to get a proper rubber mold with a backing.

 Now there are a couple different kinds of rubber molds that you need to be aware of. First you have silicone rubber molds. These can produce a beautiful, detailed statue. They are also very durable if used properly. However they can tend to be a bit difficult to work with. Silicone rubber doesnt usually have as much "stretch" in it as other rubbers and this can cause the removal of the rubber to become difficult at times. Also it must be said that most quality silicone rubber molds are VERY expensive! So expensive in fact that it may scare off beginners who dont know of alternatives.

Fortunately there is a more cost effective alternative and that is- Latex Rubber Molds! Latex rubber is a great mold material as it produces just as much detail as silicone, it is easy to work with, and it is much more affordable. That doesn't mean latex rubber molds are always cheap as a large mold can still cost a few hundred dollars. but compared to other molds, latex rubber molds can generally be found for prices that will fit anyones budget. If there is a negative to latex rubber it would have to be that if it is not used properly the rubber can have a shorter life than other molds. However, if you fake care to use them properly they can last for several years and produce hundreds of statues. For my money I would say that overall latex rubber molds are the best molds for casting concrete statuary. But rubber molds are not always the best options. Sometimes a dufferent style mold is required, such as......

Aluminum Molds

Aluminum molds are sme of the oldest style molds that have been used for casting concrete. They are just as you think, molds that are made of aluminum metal. Most aluminum molds are made in multiple pieces that need to be bolted together. They are obviously durable but can still break if misused. And even though aluminum is a lighter metal, the molds can still be quite heavy. The main positive about aluminum molds is the fact that they are great for large items that dont have much detail. This would include large water fountain bowls, benches, birdbath pedestals, etc. Since the molds are so strong they can hold large amounts of cement without losing shape. Of course you can get very small aluminum molds as well but most times I feel that for anything other than large items you are better served with a rubber mold. The main reason is because aluminum molds do not allow very much detail at all in the finished statue, usually resulting in very smooth and plain statue. This is fine for certain pieces but if you want any kind of detail or texture to your finished statue you will want a rubber mold instead. it needs to be said that aluminum molds can also be quite expensive and hard to find these days. I do see used ones pop up from time to time on auction sites for decent prices. I actually sold a lot of my old aluminum molds on Ebay a few years back, and that is what gave me the idea for selling my own rubber molds there.

The last type of molds are similar in use to aluminum but are just made of different materials. These are...

Plastic and Fiberglass Molds

Plastic molds are usually the cheapest molds you can find by far. And you get what you pay for. Plastic molds are good for small plaques and stepping stones but they will not last long and they simply cannot produce good detail at all. If you are going to use plastic molds I suggest getting the thicker pvc molds, not the flimsy light plastic. That is really all the time I will spend on plastic molds since they are almost worthless in my opinion.

The last type of molds I will mention are Fiberglass molds. These are a great alternative to aluminum molds as they are very similar in use. Fiberglass molds will have a gel coat that allows them to give the same smooth finish as aluminum molds. They are lighter and usually cheaper than aluminum as well. Of course they are still not the best choice if you want a lot of detail on your finshed item. But they do work great for benches, stepping stones and fountain bowls.

Yes, there are a few other style of molds on the market but these 3 types that I discussed are the most common. So what kind should you look for as a novice? My personal opinion is to start with a few small latex rubber molds. There are literally thousands of different mold patterns available so you will surely find something that appeals to you, or better yet your customers.

In my years of casting concrete statues I found that latex rubber molds were easily my preferred molds. I liked them so much that I learned how to start making my own for the family business. The first few were pretty ugly but they worked. Since then I have made several thousand latex rubber molds, many for my own use but most to sell. I make all of them the way I prefer to use them. That is I try to simplify the actual mold so it has as few seams or pieces as possible. I then make lightweight but still strong and durable. If there is one thing I could never stand it was any mold that was as heavy as the statue it produced.

If you want to see some of the molds that I sell you can check them out at my brand new store on Etsy.com  Just go to Etsy and search for my store, JRCMolddesigns. I also sell on Ebay under the same name. I have a store there as well as some weekly auctions for advertizing purposes. Keep checking back as I am always updating each store.

My next post will be about the care and use of latex rubber molds. Since I sell these style molds I get asked a lot of questions about that very subject so I will try to be very informative. Especially since it has become evident that there is a lot of very wrong and misguided information on the web about latex rubber molds.

See ya then, Paul