My first concrete mold of a leaf. The leaf I chose to do was a courgette leaf. The first thing I did was to make a mound of sand just big enough to hold the leaf in place then placed the leave vein side up so the concrete lays on top of the leaf and totally covering all the details.
I covered the leaf about an inch deep, I rather have the master thicker than I need as when the latex is finished I can then choose to fill the mold as thick as I want.
Once the master is dry I then peal the leaf off the cured concrete. I wait a few days for the leaf to dry out and then we can start the layers of latex.
I like to do about 15 to 18 layers of latex. In the winter it takes 24 hours if just left to dry o it’s own so that’s 15 to 18 days, but in summer in a green house I can do 6 or 7 quite easy in one day.
When all the layers are completed you can then start with the fibreglass jacket. You need to create a barrier between the latex and the fibreglass so the do not stick and come apart easily.
Once you have made the fibreglass jacket thick enough then you just need to wait for it to go hard. When it is solid the next day you can start to free the mold apart and also free it from the master.
It is then ready for use .
Once your mold is ready you can then make one copy every day. I plan on making waterfalls out of mine .
mrbobsconcretecreations 