My question is how do you release the non-drying clay so no epoxy sticks to it? I have heard of clay being used a lot but its porous. You could try and wax it like all the other surfaces but its sort of hard to wax clay without it moving. The only solution I could see is to just use PVA on the clay. Anyone have tips here?
Clay is oil based so it doesn’t stick to anything. You can pva it if you want but it’s not necessary.
I sort of thought that might be the case. Thanks. On the flanges themselves could you use waxed up posterboard? I was thinking I could even tape up the posterboard and wax the tape.
Most of my experience has been in uni-tape prepreg layup so I need to gain more experience at mold buidling.
One more question for you Evan… Why is it that people use both waxes and then PVA application for releasing room temp laminates? Just for insurance purposes? I have never had any problems just using waxes?
I use aluminum tape for the flange since it doesn’t stick to anything either. Most people use wax & PVA because they’re told to use wax & PVA. PVA is the added insurance that a lot of people don’t want to do without. A lot of times when you are dealing with polyester based molds, the styrene travel from within the mold up into the mold surface during the heat cycle which cause the part to bond with the mold. Sometimes it takes a couple of heat cycles before all of the styrene is gone. So in this case PVA is always a good thing to have. Also most mold release waxes are not made for high temp, no silicon. So the high heat cause by exotherm can break down the wax. And last but not least, many make the mistake of waxing the mold incorrectly.
I still use wax on occasions, but no PVA.
I may end up trying the smelly release you sell in the ican store. Is this ok for heated cures? What type of heat is it rated for?
I think it’s heat rated for up to about 400F. Out of Stock btw. Someone came in on Monday and cleaned house on the mold release.