Jan 21, 2007

Resin Picture Frame

The picture frame is a popular decor or gift item. Below is a procedure to make so called resin picture frame because the mold is made of silicone rubber. There are four stages in making this: (1) the making of the one-piece mold, (2) the making of the support, (3) casting and (4) finishing.

Tools and Materials:

• model of a picture frame
• 300g silicone rubber or RTV
• 15 g catalyst for silicone rubber
• about 2kgs plaster of Paris
• about 600g water
• 4 square pieces of gauze, 1 1/2" x 2"
• 30g dyes or paints (green, light blue, white, yellow, red)
• knife
• spatula
• wire
• cotton
• cardboard or any flat carton
• mixing bowl
• paint brush

Procedure:


A. Making the Mould :

1. Make sure the model is smooth. If necessary, scrape off rough surfaces with the knife.
2. Mix about 150g silicone rubber with 8g catalyst.
3. Place the model on the cardboard. Make an applicator by pasting cotton swab to the tip of the wire. Apply layer of silicone rubber mixture to the model using the applicator. With the plastic straw, blow away any bubbles that may have formed on the mixture. The bubbles should be removed or they will produce holes on the mold.
4. Wrap the fully covered model frame in gauze. Use spatula so the gauze adheres properly.
5. Mix the remaining silicone rubber and catalyst.
6. Apply another layer of silicone rubber mixture to the entire model to reinforce the mold.
7. Cover the middle portion of the mold with gauze so it will be easier to remove the cast. Apply the mixture to the gauze.
8. Let the silicone rubber mixture dry for 30 minutes.
9. Gradually peel off the synthetic rubber from the model. The one-piece mold is now complete.

B. Making the Support:

1. Lay the mold upside down on the cardboard.
2. Mix about 1kg plaster of Paris and about 300g water in a mixing bowl. Stir well until viscous.
3. Put cardboard walling around the mold, the height of which should be higher than the highest portion of the mold.
4. Apply a thick layer of plaster of Paris mixture to the mold. The plaster mixture should be easily applied and packed well so the support is durable. Let dry for 25 minutes.
5. Remove the cardboard walling.
6. The mold and support are now ready for casting.

C. Casting:

1. Mix the remaining plaster of Paris and water in a mixing bowl.
2. Using the paint brush, apply the mixture to the innermost parts of the mold to ensure that its design and details are properly reproduced.
3. Pour and spread the remaining mixture on the entire mold, apply evenly. Let dry for 25 minutes.
4. After 25 minutes, remove the mold from the support.
5. Gradually remove the mold from the dry cast.
6. With a knife, scrape off excess cast along the sides of the picture frame to make it fine and smooth. The resin frame should resemble the model.

D. Finishing

This is the process of painting the frame to make it more attractive. You will need paints of different colors as follows:

1. Green for the leaves of the frame.
2. Pink and white for the flowers.
3. Light blue and white for the ribbon. Make sure you don't paint beyond the designated area.
4. Yellow and red are ideal for the middle portion of flowers.
Let dry. The picture frame has been provided with a backing. Use an acetate sheet to shield the picture. You may opt for different colors depending on your taste.

For supplies and materials:

Polymer Products (Phil.) Inc.
11 Joe Borris St., Bo Bagong Ilog, Pasig City
Tel: 671-9837 to 39
Email: info@polymerprod.com

Source: TLRC