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victoriaelizabeth_gw

Showing off my first repair using liquid-latex to make a mold.

I scored a huge, antique garden-urn on Craigslist, aside from being rusty, it was missing one of the large, decorative swags on the base... we DIY'ed a mold out of liquid latex, and the resulting piece is indistinguishable from the original.

The latex should also work on wood or plaster-- if you need to match a fancy claw foot, or chunk of missing plaster from a mirror's frame, I would recommend giving this a try!

Here is a link that might be useful: making a latex mold

Comments (12)

  • ppbenn
    9 years ago

    This is amazing - thanks for posting
    I have several projects that I could use this on

  • lynninnewmexico
    9 years ago

    Oh my gosh, Victoria, that's amazing! You did a fantastic job repairing that. It looks beautiful and I would have never know it had been repaired. Thanks so much for taking the time to post before and after pics and the link on how to do this ourselves.
    Lynn

  • outsideplaying_gw
    9 years ago

    That is so cool! I had no idea!

  • LittleChic
    9 years ago

    WOW....that sums it up!

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    Great job...I'd not seen it done on something like your urn, but I have seen it done to repair ornate picture frames. Well done.

  • detroit_burb
    9 years ago

    you can do a similar thing with clear silicone calk applied to the surface of whatever you want to replicate. It takes a few days to thoroughly dry, and you need to spray the item with vegetable oil first to allow the mold to release.

    after placing the silicone over the item, used wet gloved hands to smooth it over and make sure it is completely covered.

    cost = $4 for 10 oz calk

    or

    cost = $16 for the product the OP advertises on her blog.

  • painteddragon
    9 years ago

    Wow Detroit, that was harsh and uncalled for.

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    Detroit ... And how much to repeat it when you realize the silicon caulk mold has bubbles? And you just wasted a huge can of Bondo and all afternoon.

    The latex mold material, being build up in layers with the release powder base, is less likely to have bubbles.

    TIP: If you layer a net material - the nylon used for petticoats, for example - you can get a stronger mold that is still flexible.

  • palimpsest
    9 years ago

    Actually I think it cost the OP $32 for the latex because she used two containers. In any case well worth it to repair something like that. And I don't think she was advertising the product, just linking to it. Unless she owns the company that makes or sells the latex. Or owns Amazon.

  • oldbat2be
    9 years ago

    Great fun to read, the urn looks fabulous.

  • beekeeperswife
    9 years ago

    Ahh, VEB, I was driving through York today, passing some fab old mansions, and there it was....an urn just like yours! Fabuloussss dahling.

    Thanks for posting this here--you know your fellow GWers love this stuff.

    And detroit--you must think VEB is a spammer. Quite the contrary, she's a wonderful longtime GW member.

  • Bunny
    9 years ago

    VE, I just love projects like this! I enjoyed reading your blog post about it very much.

    Two questions:

    1) How did you remove the original swag you used for your mold?

    2) How did you reattach both swags?

    I used to be into polymer clay. One of my favorite things was to make textured beads and buttons. I would carry mold material around with me and stick blobs on interesting textures (e.g., picture frames) to copy.