The Aldax Moulds Blog

19th May Customer Questions

2009-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

QUESTION:
.....and I really appreciate the time you put into your customers.....

I have searched the site for help but specifically would like the following information..(no rush as I appreciate you have a business to run as your first priority.)

1. I have been trying to embed a picture in resin (the jewellery resin slow curing one) and I would like the background of the picture to look transparent and the actual picture to look as though it is floating. I did a two step process (two layers allowing the first layer to cure and then attaching the picture - however even using water slide decals - there ends up being a cloudy haze in the background - Has anyone done this before and am I using the right medium?

2. MORE IMPORTANTLY - I have a charm about 2.5 x 2 cm that does not have a base like your toy soldiers or knight - but I would like to cast another one- It is a small toy motorbike with fixed wheels. I am about to order some craft Sil and wonder how to complete the project - again is there any further videos on the subject or help that anyone can forward on please?

My projects are moving forward and I am having a LOT of fun - Lets hope it grows to something bigger and better! :-)

ANSWER:

To have your picture transparent you will need to scan it and then print it on clear film. Enclose your charm with a box or something to prevent the silicone from flowing all over the place, pour the silicone and then cut the silicone mould down one side side to release the charm using a new scalpel blade.Then cut an opening in the base through which to pour the casting resin. All the best with your projects. Stan

Have a great and prosperous week!

Extra income with moulds

2008-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

For the first time we are placing some small advertisements in Gardening Australia magazine for December, January and February issues for our new stepping stone and other garden moulds.
We have been receiving a lot of enquiries from people across the country wanting to use these moulds to provide some additional income or to save money on a DIY project.
I suppose this is a sign of the times with many finding it difficult to keep up with mortage payments and looking for a low cost way of adding additional income to the family budget.
We are hearing success stories from people making concrete or plaster product to display at markets,fairs and fetes. We will keep you posted on how this is working out.
Another way of saving big time is with our stencils to lay down those simulated brick and stone cement stencilled driveways and paths around the home. The reason the professionals have been able to charge 3 to 4000 dollars a job is because of the supposed necessity for the use of high cost hopper concrete guns but we have worked out a method that makes this unnecessary for the smaller home jobs. One of our customers is currently testing this out and is reporting great success. Stan Alderson

mosaic moulds

2008-10-05T22:49:00.000-07:00

We have just added 7 moulds which will be suitable for making concrete mosaic pavers and table tops of various sizes. The mosaics are to be made by the indirect method which enables all pavers etc to be finished with a completely flat and even surface, essential for this type of mosaic.
Shortly we will be offering a range of glass tiles suitable for finishing the mosaic patterns which we also have available. These moulds are an interesting addition to our range in that they can also be used for making plain pavers or tiles by varying the pouring depth and colour oxides used.
To keep the prce down we are making them with 1 mm plastic which provides a sturdy useable mould suitable for hobby or low production home use. All moulds will come with instructions and later this year in kit form.
Stan Alderson 6th October 2008

New Jewellery Items available

2008-09-15T22:21:00.001-07:00

Today we have just listed several items which might be of interest to all you resin jewellery artisans out there.

By popular demand we are now stocking an 11 piece jewellery mould. We also have a cabachon mould available.

We are also pleased to announce the availability of a valuable book called "Marketing and Selling your handmade jewellery".

All these items are available on our web store at http://www.aldaxstore.com.au/

Until next time...

Joseph

Who are Aldax?

2008-08-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

Very much a family affair. There are 4 of us . Joseph, Adam, Joan and Stan. Joseph is the son of Jackie who as all who know the Alderson group of companies has been company secretary and chief financial officer for over 35 years, so Joseph is one of the family.
When we recently sold the Revesby factory premises where we had operated for over 25 years in the hobby ceramic field we moved to Mortdale to enable us to concentrate on our main interest of mouldmaking.
This has been an exciting venture and the company is growing steadily. We have just taken over the SuperMoulds business and web sites of Reece Williams of Southport Qld who is retiring. This will expand our latex moulds range and provide further interest. Adam will be meeting with Reece shortly to carry on the good work that Reece has been doing over the years.
Joseph has just set up a video section on our web site and this will be expanded continuously as videos are proving invaluable in helping to demonstrate how moulds are made and used. Look under the Tech Tips and Info heading on the front page of the web site for the drop down menu that leads to the videos. 4 up so far.
One section we would like to give attenion to is the customer project section. Many of you are doing work that would be of interest to others and we are keen to feature photos and the story behind your work. We intend to help promote any small businesses that use our products so take advatage of this opportunity.
All the best,
Stan Alderson.

Who are Aldax?

2008-08-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

Custom Moulds :3D design work

2008-08-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

We had our CNC machine serviced this morning as it has been running hot from producing our mould masters.

I am often asked how we set about making a new mould. We start by going to our customer request list to find a suitable subject that potentially has a sales potential.

After drawing up the design in 2D we scan the drawing into our computers and bring the drawing to life in other computer software. We then drop it into another program and convert the 3D file to machine code and send it out to our CNC machine that carves the master ready for us to vacuum form on another machine.

In quoting for custom mould work we are often unnecessarily feel like apologising for the time and effort involved, which makes it a very expensive business to make a master mould. Custom work is a lot cheaper if we are given a job starting from an original sculpture. However not everyone is talented enough to sculpt to the standerd that the market demands.

Most of our new range of concrete moulds are being made direct from natural materials. Rock moulds will make concrete reproductions that will look like real rock. We hope this will result in more bush rock being left where it belongs unspoiled in the bush.

Stan

2008-07-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 30th July
We are working hard on getting our new range of concrete moulds up and running. Our new wall cladding moulds are looking terrific starting off with a cobblestone series then ledge stone and Gosford sandstone. We are introducing this new series with a low cost DIY entry point with PVC plastic moulds before following up with the premium PolyU rubber moulds for the professionals
The pavers have 3 new types to put up on the web in both plastic and PolyU while the tiles are available only in PVC at this stage.

Our new concrete stencils will be available hopefully next week complete with all the colour hardeners and sealers required. Adam is finalising these products while Joseph is setting up the new www.moulds4concrete.com.au web site to give better exposure to these new lines.

All these new products will mean that concrete will be one of the most interesting products to consider for an additional source of income let alone a new business opportunity.

The beauty of concrete is that you can start at home before making the plunge to rent a factory and employ staff. We intend to help beginners with all the product and technical information required to make it easy to enter this exciting field.

For the far sighted the opportunities in the concrete industry are far greater than those that existed in the hobby ceramic industry nearly 25 years ago when we helped set up hundreds of small studios operating from homes around NSW. Concrete will not be subject to the dictates of fashion or the competition from China.

Concrete has been seen for years at markets and fairs in the form of garden gnomes and figurines and will continue to fascinate . The new products will only expand on this existing market. Pavers are already proving a great success as new attractive designs can be introduced to compliment the plain stepping stones on sale at the garden centres. Concrete tiles have not been seen yet will be just as interesting to develop the natural bush look.

Wall cladding and stamping will take longer to develop as new skills are necessary but will prove to be well worth the effort of learning for the small business person and entrepreneur. Out of habit I typed "business man" but overseas women are showing the pace in many of these new fields as is proved by the fact that women far outnumber men in purchasing moulds from us as sources of additional income. Jewellery for just one avenue.

Will keep you posted. Stan

How to colour pavers

2008-07-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

Question
How do I colour the pavers that I am producing with the ABS plastic moulds? Jim

Answer
The paver itself can be coloured by adding a metallic oxide base colour to the concrete mix before placing it in the mould. Additional colour or colours can be sprinkled into the mould before casting through a sieve to give a contrasting face colour to the base colour of the paver. Stan

Materials for making Toy Soldiers

2008-01-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

Question:

Hi, just wondering if you sell moulds for casting lead alloy soldiers or more specifically the kits, ingredients to make these moulds. Any help would be much appreciated.

Answer:

Hi Rob,We stock the silicone suitable for casting low temperature metals suitable for toy soldiers and have plans for making a kit in the new year. All the best Stan Alderson

Colouring Plaster and Concrete

2008-01-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Question:
Hi there, I've got a question. A guy up at bellingen uses some sort of color to color plaster like a sandy color. He says he dips it in. I can get you a pic of an item if you want to see one just curious if u have any ideas and other colors as they look pretty good and i got a lot of wall plaques i wouldnt mind doing.

Answer:
Hi, You get the colours in concrete and plaster by adding metallic oxides. We just put the colours up on our web store where you can see them. Click here to see the range. All the best for Christmas Joseph

What latex do I need? #70, #72 or #74?

2008-01-08T21:20:00.000-08:00

Question:
Dear aldaxmoulds, I'm not sure which latex I need, what I want to do is make moulds of timber mouldings (like you see on old singer sewing machine drawers) and recreate them in plaster.

Answer:
Hi, You could use #72 Latex for the whole job. Where we wish to pick up fine detail we use #70 for the first 5 coats and then finish with #72. #74 can be used when there are large vertical surfaces on your model. All the best Stan

What Materials to use casting chocolate?

2008-01-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Question:

Dear aldaxmoulds,Can you tell me what product would be best/safe to use for making chocolate moulds? Thanks

Answer:

Hi, Our plastic moulds are all made with food safe plastic however there is a difficulty with rubbers. We only know of one rubber that is food safe. A silicone Number M4642. Do not hesitate to contact us if I can be of further assistance.Stan

Making a mould of a timber railing.

2008-01-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Question:
I am wanting to make molds of timber railings and posts to make concrete versions. Can you suggest what items are best to use? Please include items required for sealing timber if required.

Answer:
We recommend that you use Latex #72 rubber for your particular item as the detail isn't very intricate. If your item was intricately detailed we'd suggest using Latex #70. We recommend that you seal the original wooden item with Craft Seal. You will find both items on our web site but do not hesitate to contact us again if you need further information. All the best Joseph

2008-01-08T18:20:00.000-08:00

Question:

Hi are these Paver moulds easy to re-use with concrete Thanks

Answer:

Yes thay are designed to be re-used with concrete. All the best Stan

What materials to use to make Model plane parts?

2008-01-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

Question:
I'm interested in turning out small quantities of model plane parts ( missiles, bombs, nose spinners, wheels, pilots etc..) that will be using a sample machined/finished in pine wood ( or similar).... These items will range from very small to about 5 cm x 2 cm.
Can you advise me on what product would be best for me to have a go at it? The moulded items might be precoloured and/or hand painted afterwards.
Thank you

Answer:
Use CraftSil silicone for the mould and CraftCast polyurethane resin for casting into the mould for the finished part and you will get perfect parts that can bne painted, sanded drilled etc. We have some information in our web site Tech Tips on this subject and will be releasing a kit later this year.
Craftsil Can be found in our store by clicking here
CraftCast can be found by clicking here
All the best

My Crystal Cast Epoxy Resin Doesn't Set.

2008-01-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

Question:

Hi,I purchased some Crystal Cast Epoxy Resin last year, Tuesday 10th April 2007 and it has worked great on two occasions.I have just opened the bottles and used the formula as always but the resin has not set?I used 50/50 mix and stirred for 2 minutes but it has stayed tacky after 2 days?Can you advise, is the product out of date?Can you supply something I can spray on the surface to harden the liquid on the surface?

Kindest regards, waiting in anticipation.

Answer:
Although the shelf life after opening is 6 months sometimes we get good results for much longer periods it all depends on how it is stored. Cool dark places are best. There is nothing you can spray on to assist hardening but you might try gentle heat. We use an oil heater and place items on top that we are having difficulty with., No guarantees but you might save it. All the best.

Release agents for use with Polypropylene Moulds.

2008-01-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Question:
Hello,Do you sell the mould release/condioner for use with clear casting epoxy and polypropelene moulds please? Thanks

Answer:
Silicone moulds usually do not require a release agent with epoxy resin but polypropylene moulds do. We would use a wax first then PVA release. We use J Wax aerosol but this cannot be posted only sent by courier but you can use Johnsons Paste Wax available from some hardware stores. The PVA is listed in our shopping cart. Click here for PVA Release.

Do you make chocolate moulds?

2008-01-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

Question:
Do you make chocolate moulds?

Answer:
Yes we do. See our website for more information.

Fabric Covered Lamps

2007-12-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

Question:
Hi. I have a question regarding a craft project I am working on.
I am making lamps out of chicken wire and covering the frame in
fabric and then coating the fabric in varnish. At the moment I am
leaving the chicken wire inside as extra support. What I am after is
a product that I can paint/apply over the fabric that will be hard
enough for me to remove the chicken wire frame so that it is a hard,
free standing structure. Can you suggest any product that I could use?

Answer:
There is a product called Aristocrat that leaves a coat equivalent to 50 coats of varnish and is colourless that should do the job. You will find it in our shopping cart on our mould website www.aldax.com.au Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further enquires.