Using strofoam as a mold

[Anne Marie Flaherty]

Hi there-

I read somewhere that you can use styrofoam as a mold if you kiln wash it- Could this be true?

thanks!

[Brock]

Absolutely not.

[vblue]

I've had Styrofoam melt from certain glues, hate to think what it would do in the kiln.

[Morganica]

Not only will it melt at relatively low temperatures (I think about 250F), the stink it produces is horrific and also toxic (it's styrene gas, which can enter your body in all sorts of ways). And the ashy soot leftover from burning it isn't all that great for you, either, if you inhale it.

I keep styrofoam discards in the studio for lots of purposes, because they're free and I'm getting at least another use out of them before they head to the trash. Styrofoam makes a great framework when you're sculpting and don't want to use so much clay, it's a good mounting base when you're ready to make the mold and need to craft a glass reservoir, it is a very nice place to sheathe and store sharper tools or even small shards of glass on your workbench.

But it never, ever, ever goes into anything that will get hotter than about 150 degrees.

I've seen glass casters carve styrofoam shapes to use as models for mold-making (one of the Bullseye eMerge finalists a couple of years ago cast a really nice entry out of discarded styrofoam used to pack electronics). That might be what you're thinking of.

[Rick Wilton]

I'm guessing someone saw some fiber board molds (it looks somewhat like Styrofoam)

[S.TImmerman]

I use a styrofoam cutter when I'm shipping odd shaped panels over-seas. The smell is so horrific I only do it in from of a strong fan outside withs mask on. It's super nasty smelling. I can't even imagine the damage it would do go your elements and bricks,

[GuyKass]

You may have seen someone making models to make molds.

You can sculpt foam, and then seal it. You would then use that to make casting or slumping molds.

You can go to http://www.sculpt.com/ and look at stryofoam, and foam sealers to see what I am talking about.

Guy