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Mold Materials-
Jeanne Rhea
Heart Of Clay
Jeanne is sharing her experience with "Alley Goop!" from Clay Alley.
Click on thumbnails to see larger images.
 I just finished using a batch of Alley Goop mold material.  I have done extensive testing on five different brands of  silicone molding materials.  Now for my preference---it is Alley Goop. Here are some pics of Alley Goop so you can see. These are the molds I got out from a pound of Alley Goop  (8 ounces of  Part A and 8 ounces of Part B).  For sure I have made   more molds than  most people, but after learning a few tricks, I can  almost double the molds out of Alley Goop than the same amount of the other materials.

Here's what my tray starts to look like. 		 I had a lot of items I wanted to make molds so I knew  I would use the full amount.  I use two separate spoons and make balls of one part and place a few inches apart on a piece of glass.  I do the same with  the second part.  As the material sits, the balls have  leveled out into a pancake. By the time I get through spooning out one color, the first color will be leveled out. I pick two pieces from each side that are visibly as close to the same amount as possible.
I already have my items to mold handy.  As I mix the materials, I can pick the piece which will fit the lump the best.  Also, if I need more material for a larger piece, I can pick two balls from each stack with both pairs matching the amount that is in the one of the opposite part.  This might not make sense if you have not done this---but it works for me.  Since I had made most of the pieces too large, I split in half several of the pancakes after this picture was taken. 
Here are a few reasons why Alley Goop is my favorite:

1)  It goes much farther than any of the other materials that I tested.  I believe this is because it is a thinner product and it is easier to make a thinner mold and waste less.  I got almost double the molds out of this product for the same weight as other products and it mixes easier and faster.

2)  Alley Goop stays very flexible and is still very  tough. Other products are good, but are less flexible and harden up even more after a couple of weeks.  So if you need something  with rigidity,  then you need to use more Alley Goop for a thicker wall.  I like  flexible molds.

3)  Alley Goop has very little gas released during the curing process.  I had only two very light bubbles on the edge of two molds.  Other products have a lot more of these bubbles 
and most seem to want to come up right under the piece you are trying to mold thus ruining the mold or at least making the work on the impression more difficult.

4)  Alley Goop mixes very well and evenly.  With other materials that I tested, they wanted to start curing  before I even had the colors mixed evenly. Two of the other products would split when pushing the item I wanted to mold into the molding material.  Although the mold was still a good mold, it was not smooth and did not have a nice appearance.

5)  If a mold is too thin, more Alley Goop may be added to the already cured mold for a thicker wall.  Of four other mold materials that I have tried, I have been unable to get additional material to adhere to an already cured mold.

Alley Goop does have an odor---more so than others.  After curing there is no odor--but
for those who are sensitive to smell, there is definitely more odor.  One part has a chemical smell and one has a slightly sour smell. 

I have not baked any clay in it.  The reason is that I have not been happy with any clay including liquid clays that I have baked in all the other molds.  So far all the molds release fairly well. I always use a light powder dusting in the molds and have no problem with getting clay out in perfect condition.  I use a paintbrush and dust on and then tap the mold on the table to be sure any excess is knocked out of any crevices before putting in the clay.  I believe from all I have read about Alley Goop (from manufacturer specs), it should  withstand at least close to the same temps that the others do. For best information, contact Karen at Clay Alley.
 
I compared the detail in all molds and Alley Goop consistently gave the best impressions. I even was able to take a  printed picture and the lines were actually captured in the  impression.
Close-ups of other molds...
Publishing this article does not constitute endorsement by PCPolyzine or its staff. This article is based solely on the experience of the author. Products tested were  Miracle Mold, Alley Goop and Micro-Mark Silicone Putty

Tip from Alan Vernall
A little tip on ferns - and probably any type of freshly picked  flat leaf. You know that very wide, self adhesive parcel packing tape that fits dispenser 'guns'? Well, if you carefully lay the frond onto the sticky side, making sure all the tiny leaflets are lying flat, then, before the leaf can dry out, apply the mould material.