[spcglider]

Ugh.

There you have it. Once that "bad feelings" can-of-worms is open there's no stuffing it back down is there?

I'm probably speaking out-of-turn, but I'm sure Max's comments were off-the-cuff and promoted by disappointment from his perception that the Viper was from New Galactica. I'm also sure Max didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings. It's highly probable that he mis-understood and reacted precipitately.

Yup, he could have expressed that in a different way. No argument there. Feelings were inadvertently hurt.

But, please, folks... don't let this become a divisive thing.

In fact, Terri, if you have a chance to chat with him, you two could have the "mother of all bitch sessions" commiserating about New Galactica. Max is definitely NOT a fan of it either.

And Max is a wealth of information about the very self-same subject you're embroiled in now. Think of him as "the grumpy old sensei" if it helps.

And speaking of that, as the "happy, forgetful sensei" I would dis-advise you on moving to urethane mold-making compounds. Personally, I have never had any sort of satisfactory results with urethane rubbers for any application. Resins, yes... rubbers, no.

All the shops I know stick singularly with silicone for making molds. Its relatively non-toxic, and ALOT more reliable in the results.

Now, there are ways of cutting silicone to thin it out. Talk to your supplier about getting something to thin it with if that is your need, but be warned: when you thin out silicone chemically, it can take up to 8 times longer to solidify. Your supplier should have different formulations of his product to address your needs.

Tip: when you over-catalyze silicones, they kick off much more quickly, but become "brittle" or "cheesy" very fast. The mold life is definitely compromized and you'll get a "crumbly" mold.

One way to deal with your silicone bubble trouble: mix your silicone in a paper cup/container. When you're ready to pour (instead of dumping it out the top of the cup which causes it to come out in a huge, uncontrolled wad-stream), poke a smaller hole in the BOTTOM of the cup and allow the silicone to drain out the bottom and into your mold box.
This helps in two ways: 1) it gives you a thinner pour stream that can be stopped simply by putting your finger over the hole and 2) it allows the bubbles that are in the silicone a longer time to rise to the top (away from the pour hole).

NOTE: Be SURE...and I mean ABSOLUTELY SURE that you've mixed the silicone and the catalyst THOROUGHLY. You don't want un-catalyzed silicone against your pattern, do ya?

-Gordon