There are a lot of nitty-gritty requirements when it comes to intricate arts like mold making and casting. The art studio needs to be stocked with a range of supplies, tools and equipment that will be used regularly.

Mold making and casting are novel art forms that make it possible to create beautiful pieces of art. Most of the three-dimensional figurines and other objects of art we see today are made by casting. In fact, everything from soaps and candies to food and ice sculptures have their base in mold making and casting.

Making molds and casts involves different types of materials, supplies, tools and equipment. Let us take a look at some of the equipment and tools that are used on a regular basis:

• A vacuum pump with vacuum chamber is usually required to deair the casting material so that the finished cast does not have any unsightly air bubbles. What happens is that air tends to gets trapped in the material while it is being mixed. The vacuum process removes this air thus leading to blemish-free and perfect castings. It is necessary for casting rubbers and other flexible materials.
• A pressure pot is another staple in most art studios. While a vacuum chamber pulls out the air, the pressure pot uses a reverse principle of introducing pressure into the pot till it compresses the trapped air bubbles to miniscule sizes. The trick here is to allow the casting to cure in the pot under pressure itself so that the bubbles do not get a chance to spring back to their original size. This works well with resins as they cure to a rigid form.
• A vibrating table is a more basic piece of equipment. All it requires is to place the mold with the casting material on the table. The vibration will lower the coefficient of friction, thus allowing the air bubbles to rise to the surface. Though this is not a perfect method by a long shot, it allows most of the bubbles to be popped easily.
• Mold making and casting involve the use of a variety of tools for mixing, carving, sculpting, finishing and more. The art studio needs to be stocked with an assortment of trimmers, corers, knives, rasps, calipers and more. They are especially useful when working with clay, plaster and similar materials. Different shapes and sizes will be required depending on the application.
• Apart from this, the artists also use a range of supplies like mixers, spatulas and brushes. The mixers can be manual or electric depending on the volume of material and other considerations. Containers, gloves and other such staple items are part and parcel of these arts of course!

Keeping the above items handy in the studio will be helpful as the artist will not feel stuck at any point or end up wasting time and efforts. However, quality remains paramount for best results. This is why the vacuum chamber, rasps, mixers, gloves et al should be from a reliable source.