Candle in the Wind

Actually, the candle is in the garage. There's really no wind at all. It is progressing, though. Here's what I've learned so far.

First, the first layer needs to be very thin, the capture detail. Subsequent layers can be quite a bit thicker. As long as the first layer is thin and dry, any layers afterward will just be sticking to it. Second, use of foam brushes instead of bristle brushes is okay. Finding cheap foam brushes is easier than finding cheap bristle brushes a lot of the time. Also, the clear silicone makes it very tough to see voids and everything. I'm thinking very seriously about going with the white next time, just to see if that makes it easier.

Second, a square of tile makes a great platform for this. I got a 12"x12" piece of tile off the closeout rack at Lowe's for $0.72 and no work involved in cutting it to size. I have also confirmed that it will be reusable, as the hot glue and silicone will peel/scrap off. It doesn't have to be a perfectly smooth tile, either. Mine has a very slight texture to it and it's still fine. The silicone sticks to itself tenaciously and to everything else basically not at all. The hot glue will stick to the tile well enough to hold something down, but not so well that it can't be scraped off. That's also cool. A 12"x12" piece of tile is big enough for most anything I'd be doing at this point. The mold needs a good-sized skirt on it, but I'm not making anything big enough that it wouldn't have room.

Third, I was right about the smell of the silicone. It smells like very strong vinegar and a quick read of one of the tubes confirms that acetic acid is released in the curing process. That's very good news. What it means is that my nose works properly, and also that with proper ventilation, this stuff isn't going to kill me. It's just super-strong vinegar, not some hideous death-chemical like hydrofluoric acid (that stuff haunts my dreams).

So there you have it. Still no pics yet, though. No pics until I get a successful test on the trial run and know that this is going to work out.