Hot Sculpture How-Tos

How To: Make a professional surface cast mold

This video covers creating a detailed professional surface cast mold for creating mechanical parts. Ideal for working on medium-sized projects, this process of pouring a high quality material around a lower quality core creates a highly accurate, yet economical part. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

How To: Make rigid molds with fast-cast urethane

This excellent detailed video demonstrates how to create rigid molds with a fast cast urethane. Ideal for smaller models/molds with a flat side, fast-cast urethanes are widely used for their ease of use, low cost, and quick de-mold times. However, their use requires careful application of release agents. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

How To: Make a urethane rubber mold

This video illustrates in great detail how to create a perfect urethane rubber mold. Urethane Rubber molds are widely used when a flexible mold material is required and a more expensive or less abrasion-resistant silicone rubber is not desired. However, their use requires careful application of release agents. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

How To: Mass cast complex parts with a parting line

Check out this detailed video that covers how to mass cast an object with no flat sides. This video is only for very experienced mold makers or the particularly ambitious. When mass casting a part without a flat side, you must create a two-part mold. We create a two-part silicone rubber mold with a clean parting line and then cast the part with Repro. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

How To: Make a clear silicone rubber mold

This is an excellent video that covers creating a clear silicone rubber mold to deal with a complex parting line or irregular shape. When a project requires a complex parting line, it is often easier to pour the entire mold in one process with clear rubber, then cut your parting line. This process also saves at least a day in creating the mold. This process can be used in automotive, mechanical, fine art and film special effects uses.

How To: Sculpt a wolf mask

Learn how to sculpt a mask using 'slab construction' techniques. I use mixed studio clay from scrap. A small segment about ear placement and animal perception are included in the video.

How To: Weld yard art

In this video series, our expert Chris Ramirez will show you how to make and weld yard art. He will teach you about all the tools you will need to make your yard art, teach you a bit about yard art in general, and teach you how to be safe while doing your welding.

How To: Forge metal

In this metal working how-to video series, learn how to forge metal from metal working expert and fabrication specialist Terry Leafty. Terry will give you the history of metal forging and hot metal forging tips such as how a homemade metal forge is constructed, and what metal forging safety gear you need for working with hot metal. He'll also show you how to create sculptural items like vines and leaves.

How To: Recycle junk CDs and DVDs into a miniature disco ball

So, AOL might not be mailing as many internet CDs as they did in the past, but chances are you have a few of those junk discs lying around. Chances are you have tons of junk CDs and DVDs laying around, not necessarily from AOL. And now... it's time to turn them into something useful, or at least fun! Kipkay shows you how to build a mini-disco ball from those recycled discs, with scissors, hot glue and a styrofoam ball also needed.