Moulding materials can be purchased from www.polysil.co.uk or www.tiranti.com

I use three different types of moulding material. For the most crisp and long lasting mould I use silicone rubber which takes about 12 hours to set. For a mould I may or may not want to keep I use hot melt rubber as I can cut up the mould and use again, and it's ready to use in about 30 minuets. Both of those need a clay wall around, if the piece I want to mould will be damaged by the clay wall I use putty silicone. Not a sharp mould as you can get air pockets if not pushed on properly but  it wont damage the gold and is great if your in a rush.

Wooden moulds can still be used, if you can get your hands on one keep hold of it as they are now used as decretive pieces and can cost several hundred pounds.

Moulding with hot melt rubb

Section of frame to be moulded.

Make a clay wall around the section you wish to mould. Making sure there are no gaps. I use the smooth 'buff school clay' from www.potclays.co.uk

Cut up the hot melt rubber (I use Gelflex or vinamold) into a microwavable dish. Microwave for a few minutes then stir, repeat till it's melted. Be very careful not to overheat as lots of air bubbles will form, keep stirring while it cools a bit if you do get bubbles. It can also burn and produce horrible smoke. For large moulds use an electric melting pot.

Pour the rubber into the clay wall.

When cool remove the clay and peal off the mould. A small mould like this does not take long to cool about 5 mins. Make sure the mould is free of dirt and dust, wash in warm soppy water and dry.

Press the warm compo into the mould.

After about a minute, peel out the compo. You can now trim it with a scalpel and use it to repair the damaged decoration.

Moulding with Silicone putty.

A very easy way to mould small or upside down decoration. Mix the  two parts together with wet hands. Press on the area to be moulded. In about 20 minutes it's ready to remove and use.

Makeing something to mould.

I am making a christmas tree decoration here but you can sculpt anything.

Above, I have sculpted this bird using a soft wax (Scopas white modelling wax) on to a piece of glass (taken from a picture frame) so I could see the out line I have drawn underneath.

Above, I made a wall around the wax birds then poured silicone rubber (silicone rubber T20) over it. let it set over night then peeled it off.

Above, I heated up some compo and pressed it into the mould.

Above, the compo bird ready to be stuck together.