< PLASTICS
NATURAL & SYNTHETIC RUBBERS
Rubbers are by far the most important group of art foundry reproduction moulding materials. Technology in elastic polymers is highly advanced and there is a rubber compound available for almost every conceivable moulding situation. Quality foundry moulding rubbers offer the following essential qualities:
A good product is cost effective, easy to obtain, and straightforward to prepare and use.
Mixed for use, a good rubber should be fluid enough to fill a mould and accurately reproduce the finest of surface details and forms. The flow characteristics of most rubber compounds can be fine tuned by the moulder.
When cured, the rubber should be stable, and contract by only a minimal amount.
The cured rubber should be hard enough to maintain it’s set shape within a mould case, yet soft and flexible enough to pull away from deep pattern undercuts.
The rubber must be able to endure repeated use without sustaining undue damage or permanent distortion.
A good rubber will accept a wide range of filler materials, typically: wax, plaster, resin, concrete etc.
The rubber should be able to survive long term storage intact (both unused shelf life and once used in a mould), preferably requiring minimal attention or on-going maintenance.
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