The Energon Pub

Well I did some re-search cause i wanted to know how to make the stuff and found some clues on how to do it both the cheap way and the expensive way, and if it would help with the process of making repro or casting molds it may have just been time well spent.

On the Show Myth Busters they have a Gel they use called "Ballistics Gel" it's a mixture of two ingredents
I'll post two of the recipes I know of plus a little info...

The main ingredient is gelatin powder. That?s just plain, unflavored Jell-O. You can get it at a supermarket or resteraunt/baking supply place dirt cheap. The reason proper ballistics gel is so expensive it's because it is specially manufactured for forensic testing, and so it?s chemistry is very precise. If you just want something to work with in an artistic capacity, you don?t need to go so far.



Recipe #1

1 part pectin powder (used in making jams & preserves, shoud be in the same supermarket isle as gelatin)
1 part gelatin powder
3 parts boiling water (double boiler reccomended)
Stirr untill disolved. Makeup powder or other dry pigments can be mixed in to color the gel. A few drops of oil of wintergreen (from baking supply store) can be used as a preservative.


Recipe #2

20 grams gelatin powder
12 cc distilled water
100 cc glycerin (sometimes available at drugstores, check first-aid isle)
Let the mixture soak for about 45 minutes, then heat to 140.F in a double boiler, and pour into ziplock bags and lay flat to cool. The gel can be remelted for use with a microwave. Oil of wintergreen works as a preservative here too.

Although I?ve not tried them myself. You shouldn?t need the kinds of molds they describe. Just strong plaster molds w/ petrolium jelly as a sealer. The two downsides of any gelatin recipe will be (1) it is perishable like food, and so will be succeptable to decay & mold, and (2) it is water soluable. There are addatives that will alleviate the water soluabilty issue, but I?m not up to date on my sources, I apologize, but if you look around you should be able to find a solution to the water issue.

If you want something similar in look and feel, but of a more permanent chemistry, there are other options: silicons (expensive, but better durability & flexion), and hot-melt vinyls (cheap, but they get the job done). www.smooth-on.com makes silicons that are now widely used for this sort of work. Or you can try www.artstuf.com . They also sell silicons.

Hope that helps

I use platinum based silicone almost exclusively. Yes it is more expensive but I can use the molds 100's of times before it degrades. My only concern with the gelatin molds are if it's too soft it will distort under it's own weight and if it is too hard it will tear trying to remove the piece you were molding unless there are absolutely no undercut areas at all! My other concern is that most casting agents need to cure and when they cure they heat up, sometimes a little bit sometimes a lot (Iv'e gotten some really good burns from deture acrylic):oops: ! Depends on the material and the amount. Either way it could end up liquifying the details before it's form is set.

On the other hand I have never tried it and it might work! I would love to be proven wrong on this, Try it out and LMK (Cheaper is always better in my book as far as money is concerned)