Introduction
Are you planning on making some small statues but don’t need to know how to mold concrete statues? Or do you need something fun to do with your children that you can get them excited about?
If your answer is yes to one of the questions, you don’t have to search any further. Here, I will teach you how to make a latex mold for concrete and use it to make some duck statues. Don’t let the duck fool you; you can use this mold-making for most objects with a simple structure.
Concrete is a good material for making statues and decorations for our gardens and homes. It’s cheap and durable, can be painted or colored, and can also be a pretty fun process. It’s also an excellent way to involve your kids and teach some skills, so that’s this guide for you.
Here, we’ll make welds out of rubber duckies to have an example; you can use other objects if you like. It’s a two-day project; the first day is for making the mold and letting it dry, and the next day, you can make the concrete object.
Materials
The materials needed for this craft are simple, and you should get them quickly. If hardware stores don’t work, order the don’tng parts online.
What you need for this are:
- A Rubber Duckie that fits your taste
- Ready-mix concrete
- Liquid Latex
- Gauze bandage
- Cooking Spray
- Box of packing peanuts
- Plaster of Paris (optional)
- Paint (optional)
How to make the liquid latex mold
To make these duck molds and statues, you only need to go through the following steps. I’ve explained it to the best of my ability so they can understand why it is done. If the next steps work for you, skip my explanations.
Step One: The first thing that must happen to make a few concrete rubber duck statues is choosing one of your/kids’ favorite rubber duckies to reproduce in concrete. The most accessible rubber duck to make a statue from is the airtight ones that float in the bathtub.
Because they are hollow and the surface gives away with pressure, they are easy to take out of the mold. Complex objects should work out, and the concrete duck should come from the mold.
Step Two: We will use Liquid Latex to make a concrete rubber duck mold from an original Rubber Duckie. Put a piece of wax paper, cardboard, or foil under your original rubber duck. Then, paint the rubber duck and 2 inches of wax paper with your liquid latex mold compound. Let the latex dry for about 45 minutes.
Note: It’s essential to note that you’re not painting that you’re a part of the Rubber Duckie but onto the wax paper or whatever you’re using under it. At your end, you will remove the wax paper and Rubber Duckie, which will be our project’s upside-down mold.
Step Three: Put the second layer of liquid latex onto your rubber duck and go about 2 inches onto your wax paper. Let it dry for about 30 minutes so it is still tacky.
Step Four: Wrap one layer of gauze bandage around the still tacky latex. This is what will reinforce your mold to make it strong. The inside of the mold that is up against the Rubber Duckie is the part that will make the design in the cement.
You do not have to be neat about anything you do beyond the first layer of latex you put on. Wrap the gauze onto the duck any way that it will go on.
Step Five: Put the third layer of liquid latex onto your rubber duck, going about 2 inches onto your wax paper, and let this dry until tacky; add another layer of gauze. Put a fourth, fifth, and sixth layer of liquid latex onto the duck and let each dry for about 45 minutes.
Step Six: Put the seventh layer of liquid latex onto your duck, carefully covering any gauze bumps still exposed to the air. Let this dry overnight or longer if necessary.
Step Seven: Your original Rubber Duckie should quickly come out of the mold when the liquid latex is completely dry. You might have to take a razor blade and carefully trim any liquid latex away from the bottom of the rubber duck if he is getting caught on it.
Step Eight: Your latex mold should turn inside out and return quickly like rubber if it is scorched and ready to use. Fill this mold with water and look at the sides to see if it holds its shape. If the mold does not have its shape, it needs another layer of gauze and two or three more layers of liquid latex put on in the same manner as above to make it thicker.
Step Nine: Now, you can put your concrete duck mold into a box of packing peanuts. Ensure the rim is flat on top and the peanuts hold the mold suspended so the head won’t touch the box’s width.
Step Ten:
- Mix your concrete according to the directions on the bag.
- Spray the inside of your latex mold with a liberal dose of cooking spray.
- Spoon your concrete into the mold, pushing down with a spoon to remove air bubbles until the mold is complete, and let dry for 24 hours. Your concrete duck statue will easily pop out of the mold after it is dry.
- Respray your mold with Pam and make another one.
If you are careful not to rip the mold, it will last to make lots of concrete duck statues.
Conclusion
If you want painted ducks in your garden, your latex duck mold will also work for Plaster of Paris ducks. After painting your Plaster of Paris duck, use a waterproof sealer if the duck stands outside.
Plaster of Paris is firmer than cement; place these ducks somewhere where they will not fall and break. Also, if you like this kind of guide, you can check these guides for concrete candle holders and leaves. If that is not enough, there are still concrete garden spheres.
What is common for all guides is that they are simple, and everyone can do them without fancy pieces of equipment. They are also suitable for children and adults; you only need two hands and a little patience.
