MASTERS

Just a few of my carved charms, made into permanent master copies.

Some time ago, I started carving and sculpting my own molds and textures in order to have unique designs for charms and pendants. I model some molds from polymer clay which is then baked and others I carve from a white eraser-like material called Master Carve. In both cases I then make molds of finished pieces using silicone molding compound. Those molds last a long time, but I have started to notice that the ones that I use a lot are beginning to deteriorate. Not wanting to have to re-carve molds, I decided that I would make permanent copies of my favorites out of bronze metal clay. The bronze clay is relatively inexpensive and when fired correctly, very hard and sturdy. If a mold becomes unusable or if you lose it as I recently did, you always have a copy from which you can make a new mold. If you make your own molds and textures, I think this is a good practice to get into if you want to preserve your designs for future use.