JigStones Casting Materials

ThoroGrip (white bucket) – Found in most hardware and home supply stores or masonry supply houses. Thoro-Seal is NOT the same thing.

Quickrete Anchoring Cement (yellow bucket) – Available in three sizes:
5 lb., 10 lb., and 20 lb. Found in most hardware and home supply stores or masonry supply houses.

UGL Fast-Plug (tin cans) – Made by Dryloc, it has been available at TruValue and ACE hardware stores.

Swift-Set (white bucket) – Available at Sears. Although some users report good results, I have personally not had good luck with it.

Rocktite (cardboard box) – Available at most hardware stores. Tends to be absorbent once cured. Not recommended for exterior projects.

Durham’s Water Putty – Available at most hardware stores. Tends to be absorbent once cured. Not recommended for exterior projects.

Products To Avoid

Hydrocal

Plaster

Portland Cement

RapidSet

Quickrete QuickSet

A release is not necessary when casting most resins. However, there is a tendency for small bubbles to form in the finished product. These may be eliminated in two ways.

1.		Dust the mold using talcum powder and a soft paintbrush. Work the talc into all of the detailed spaces.

2.		Paint them with an acrylic; i.e., stained glass chapel windows may be cast and painted in one step.

Thermocast RP40 – Super-easy, virtually fail-safe. Use a 1:1 mix ratio, by volume or by weight (weight is preferable). It dries to an off-white – is relatively inexpensive at about US$23 for 2 quarts.

Alumilite – A terrific product that is mixed 1:1 and sets in 3 minutes flat. Casts detail beautifully, although a tad expensive.

SmoothOn: C1506 Casting Plastic – Dries to an ivory color and takes longer to cure than Alumilite, but the results are equally satisfying.

SmoothOn: Crystal Clear 200 – Dries clear, but special care must be taken to make the mixture as accurate as possible.

Satin Cast – Made by Bragdon Enterprises (www.bragdon.com) and popular on the west coast.

Enviro-Tex – A two-part resin meant to give a thick, clear surface on a decoupaged table. HO modelers use it to make their lakes, streams, puddles, and so forth. It may be found in most craft stores such as Michaels and AC Moore.

KraftKote – Another product used to create a thick, clear surface to finished wood. Works well with the JigStones window and door molds, and is not expensive, ranging in price from US$5.95 for 8 ounces, to US$100 for four gallons. KraftKote is listed in the most recent Klockit catalog. Call
1-800-556-2548.

Polytek 1512X – George Schreyer lists this product as one he likes, although I don’t know where you can find it. If you are interested, you may visit George's web page.