Mold For a Refractory Brick

This is a mold for a high-temperature part. A castable refractory material will be poured in this rubber mold, to create a specialized furnace brick. I made a plaster model from a supplied drawing, and a rubber/plywood mold for production. 


When I make a rubber mold such as this, I like to build a plywood frame.  I have the facilities and experience to do this "carpentry" quite efficiently.  The frame serves two functions:

 First, it acts as a container in which to pour the rubber. I can design the frame to fit close to the model, so as to minimize the volume of rubber used.

 Second, the frame supports the overall form of the rubber. Urethane rubber is great- it releases easily and delivers excellent detail and finish. However, I'm always concerned that if the mold is put down on a less-than-perfect surface, it will pick up a slight distortion. This is especially worrisome with ceramic "cases", where one is making multiple parts which must fit tightly together. So I like to have the rubber fit into a "mother" frame where I know it will hold its shape perfectly. 

  Most mold makers solve these problems by just pouring huge volumes of rubber to make big, stiff molds. I prefer to minimize the rubber as much as possible- the material is expensive, it's a pain to mix very large quantities, and I try to use less petrochemicals where I can. 



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