I just finished making a mold of a small hood but it has a texture to it. I want it to be smooth. Can I paint it ??
Generally you would sand it… but you don’t want to eat into the fibers. It’s possible to spray it with a gelcoat or surface coat it and then sand back. Obviously the part diemnsions will change some by sanding. If it’s curved then use sanding blocks and be careful not to scour into one area too much. If the texture isn’t too bad you can also try polishing it out.
Really whatever the surface quality of the piece is what you get with the mold. If your surface is so so, then your mold will be as well. Time spent in preparing the master is worth ten fold in mold repair.