Shell Shock is a no go.

[SomethingFishy]

So my shell-shock experience was less than spectacular. I worked all day on my sculpting and then went to to make the negative mold and two hours later it was in a total shambles. Without going into the whole story, let's just say I have to spend yet anther day on sculpting the same exact things. Does anyone have any alternatives I could do that are easy to find? I've heard some things about fiber glass molds or even just stone molds. Anyone have any tips?

[Mermaid Oshun]

what went wrong? did your scales stick in the mold?

[SomethingFishy]

I only did my fluke and extra fins. The shell shock just completely cracked and crumbled.

[ShyMer]

If you list everything you did from start to finish with specific details, some of us may be able to help you figure out what went wrong. It would also be helpful for other users who may run into the same issues you had, too.

I worked with a plaster, which is nice for latex because it absorbs the water very quickly, but it isn't as durable as other material and is heavy. It made a big mess, too :/ I would like to try fiberglass someday.

[Jessica]

She'll shock can be tough to work with. I used it for both my scale sheet and my fluke mold. During one of my tests I estimated the ratio of a and b instead of measuring. the shell shock didn't harden properly and cracked. If your mold cracked you might want to double check your ratio of a to b. you need to have it as exact as possible for it to work and harden properly. One more thing....don't forget to use a release agent!

[Usagi]

Haven't used shell shock, but make sure it's think enough. I didn't think about that when I did a plaster mold and the thing just broke into pieces lol

[jazz2453]

I did around 4-5 layers of shellshock for my fluke mold. A corner piece cracked right off when I was demolding. you just have to be really careful and apply a release agent. I've been testing with fiberglass and it works really great! It's also half the price!

[Mermaid Veruliya]

I'm testing a plaster of Paris soon. Another mer used it and in the end turned out pretty good, and it's really cheap considering the coupons my supplier puts out. You'd probably have to make it really thick but as Long as your careful and maybe have a little help.

[jazz2453]

Yea, ill be testing plaster of Paris soon as well;)

[Mermaid Veruliya]

I read somewhere that painting your plaster negative in shellac will seal it, and then covering it in a thin layer of Vaseline works really well. All pretty cheap and common items.

[PearlieMae]

Have you tried Hydro-Cal? http://www.micromark.com/lightweight-hydrocal-1and2-gallon,7517.html (you may be able to find it elsewhere in quantity/better value)

[Mer_Adella]

I used plaster of paris for a casting that i did for a negative mold. It worked great!....the second time around. I made a rookie mistake and didn't apply vasaline onto my plywood and scales before adding the plaster. it didn't come out so pretty. But second time around i gooped it around the scales and enough on the scales that it wouldn't deform the scale but so that it would be covered. it came out great!

[SomethingFishy]

Hey y'all, I've used this product called Cement All. You find it at Lowes or Home Depot. It's basically a fast-setting concrete but it worked really well for my fluke. It didn't go so well on my scales but I didn't make it thick enough. It's definitely worth a try. Play around with it first though and get used to how to works.

[fawkes]

Hey y'all, I've used this product called Cement All. You find it at Lowes or Home Depot. It's basically a fast-setting concrete but it worked really well for my fluke. It didn't go so well on my scales but I didn't make it thick enough. It's definitely worth a try. Play around with it first though and get used to how to works.

Do you pour that, or brush it on?