Services The services that we offer include designing and building laser cut models, making silicone rubber molds, casting parts in either urethane or polyester resin, and finishing the castings so that they are ready to paint. In addition we offer laser engraving and cutting (such as personalized plates for awards), felting the bottoms of trophies and figurines, and providing customized packaging. |
| "Tom
Banwell is my first choice for all my resin casting and mold work.
He is very professional, timely, and does an excellent job reproducing
my finely detailed sculptures in resin. I am always delighted with
the finished product and highly recommend Tom Banwell's services."
Paula B. Slater, M.A., sculptor cpslater@inreach.com |
Mold Making
The material that we use for the rubber molds is RTV silicone rubber, which although relatively expensive, is the preferred material for flexible molds because of its strength, elasticity, durability, and ability to hold fine detail. Even fingerprints inadvertently left on the original sculpture are transferred clearly to the resin castings. The flexibility of RTV silicone allows for deep undercuts unimaginable in rigid molds.
| "Tom
Banwell Designs has done an excellent job molding and casting our
prototypes for the past three years or so now. We have even gained
projects thanks to Tom's consistent quality and dependable quick
turn around time."
Jonathan Thomson Originals, Inc
Jon@jonthomson.com |
Casting Casting resins are synthetic materials that are used to replicate three dimensional objects with great accuracy. Two liquids are mixed together (along with fillers and coloring agents), poured into a flexible rubber mold, and allowed to set up hard through a chemical reaction. We can cast resin parts for you in whichever resin best suits your needs. The castings can be of trophies and awards, figurines, plaques, sculptures, giftware, or prototypes for industry. We utilize a vacuum chamber and pressure pots to insure that the cast parts have no air bubbles, and a vacuum demolder, which eliminates mold lines. We also use a rotocaster (rotary casting machine) with which we can make hollow castings. Resin can be made to look like wood, bronze, Cernit® or Super Sculpey®, ivory, marble, granite, clay, etc. The resin parts can be painted, or they can be cast already colored. They can be made heavy or light, opaque or translucent, shiny or matte. Call or e-mail us with your specific needs and we will advise you on which material will work best and what the limitations are. |
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| "Tom Banwell is the best mold designer and resin caster I've known in 20 years of professional sculpting."
Paul DiPasquale, sculptor dipasq@erols.com |
Prototypes
We make rubber molds and "epoxy" prototypes for the giftware industry. Typically these are cast in a white resin which can be painted, but we are able to provide them in any color that best suits your needs. We utilize vacuum demolding, which allows us to duplicate the original model without any mold lines, producing the truest fidelity possible.
We are known for our quality work, reasonable prices, and our quick turn-around.
Ordering Sculpt your original out of a hard material that can be sealed--Super Sculpey®, Cernit®, wood, porcelain, air drying clay, plaster, etc. It is best if you can send us your original sculpture in order to give you a quote. If you prefer, you can send us two photographs showing different views along with the dimensions of each piece--width, length, and height--and we will give you an estimate on making the molds and casting your parts. You will need to prepay for the molds, and we will bill your credit card for castings as they are shipped. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and PayPal. We can store your molds for up to one year if you expect to be reordering. Molds will deteriorate over time, and any molds left for two years without reordering will be discarded without notice. |
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