Oyumaru/Instant Mold and Images from a Workshop in Hamburg
Those of you who have read my book Patterns of Color in Metal Clay, and my new book Metal Clay Practice, know that I use resin molds to make color-patterned cabochons. For example:
Resin molds are available in many shapes, but sometimes we want to create our own shape. This can be done by pressing an object into a mold material. Here are some possible objects:
Rocks, building blocks, glass nuggets, real cabochons, beads, etc….
This mold material is thermo plastic that comes in the form of sticks, which feel like an eraser.
Put in in a bowl and immerse in boiling water.
After 2-3 minutes the stick will soften and become clay-like. Take it out (Careful! It’s hot!) and form in into a chunk. Push your object into the chunk.
It will cool down quickly, but I suggest waiting a few minutes to let the mold harden before pulling out the object. It will be flexible even when hard.
I used this mold to make this piece from Brilliant Bronze and steel:
The advantages of this mold material are the immediacy, the low cost, flexibility, and the fact that it is indefinitely reusable. You can trim away with scissors any excess material around your mold and use it again. Also, if you didn’t get it right the first time, you can start over, unlike other mold materials.
As far as I know, This mold material is available in the US from Art Clay World and Amazon, in Canada from Metal Clay Alchemist, and in Europe from Susan D. Design.
I just came back from a 4-day workshop that Susan hosted at her workshop near Hamburg, Germany. I will soon show photos but first let me tell you how it is related to this mold material.
Some of you may remember that for about 14 years I’ve been looking for a texture of raindrops running down a window pane. I did some crazy things to get it (like standing in the rain with a piece of glass and immediately freezing it), but all in vain. On my last day in Germany, while taking my morning shower, I noticed that the water running down the acrylic doors of the shower is actually a texture. I had half an hour before leaving for the airport. I boiled water and pressed the mold into the shower door.
It’s a little hard to see because the mold was translucent like the door. Here is happy me having the texture at last:
The workshop was wonderful. People came from Germany, UK, Estonia, Austria, and Holland. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos; all I had was my cellphone.
Brilliant Bronze
Brilliant Bronze
Brilliant Bronze
Brilliant Bronze
Brilliant Bronze
October 15th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Curious what size mould each stick will make?
October 15th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Great pieces ! and surely a fantastic teacher 🙂
October 15th, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Wow wow wow! You have sent me straight to the studio! Thanks for the inspiration!
October 15th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Great molding product that I’ve got to try. I use silicone molding compound, which I like, but it is expensive and I have several molds that didn’t turn out like I wanted. Being able to reheat this and try again would be a great benefit. Thanks for sharing!
October 15th, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Finola, The sticks are about 2″ (5cm) long. You can combine few sticks together for a larger mould.
October 15th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Thanks for the info about the mold material, but surely when you pressed it onto the shower door whatever water was there was pressed aside and all you ended up with was an impression of whatever texture was inherent to the shower door? No? Perhaps I don’t follow you. I really like your latest book.
October 15th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Hadar, What an inspiration you are. You are a brilliant teacher and it was a wonderful class in Germany. Cant wait until i take another one of your classes in the UK next year. Sharon
October 15th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Hadar I think everyone who has met you knows about your quest for the raindrops texture ;0} I begged a shower door shop to let me make an impression of their water on glass material but it was more like water running down the door not the raindrops pattern that you finally found! Eureka!!
October 15th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Ron, The texture was on the outside of the doors. They weren’t wet.
October 15th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
hello, i found a supplier on etsy that will sell five sets of 24 pcs. of oyumaru for 64.95 plus 11.00 shipping(that’s 12.99 each plus shipping). that is an amazing deal. if there are four people here that would like to buy one set of 24 from me i will purchase it and then resell through etsy. please contact me at pamelapixel@gmail.com. when i have four people interested i will place the order.
October 15th, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I can just feel the electricity that was running through your veins at your discovery. It’s fun when that happens……
October 15th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Ha! I love the happy picture of you! Im so happy your quest for a
Raindrop texture is over ! I can’t wait to see what your going to make with
It!!!’
And thanks for the info on the new molding material! There are many
Shapes I want to use in my designs but I can’t find them
In resin molds…you’re the best Hadar!!!!
October 18th, 2012 at 8:28 am
so lovely!
Hadar, I had a really good time during the workshop. And I love (!) to work with your clays!! Thanks!
Have a lovely day
Lizzy
October 20th, 2012 at 2:47 am
Hi Hadar, it was so nice to meet you and the others in Germany! I learnd a lot, thank you for that. In moment I test my oven :), but hope I can send you photos of new works soon. Have a good time!!! Martina