Surf Wax Molds

General Discussion
1

Guys,

Do any of you know where i can get surf wax molds from? I have been searching, and searching, and SEARCHING(!) and cannot find anything. I am after the types of molds with the dent/crease down the middle. I found one guy who wanted $2000 for them! Never gonna happen, but if anyone can help, that would be sick! I have actually tried making them from existing waxes on the market but they came out sh*t so really desperately need some proper molds. I also tried soap molds and they came out looking like soap (no center crease) and hard edges. If ANYONE can help I would be really greatful.

Thanks

2

I’m not sure I know exactly what you’re talking about but I would guess a 3D-Printer would be your best friend to get exactly what you want for fairly cheap… If this is for commercial use, this obviously wouldn’t be a viable option. 

3

Hi Ryan

Thanks for the reply. I did think 3D printing but I do not think it would be cost or time efficient. And yes, this is for commercial use so again 3D printing isnt going to work, though thanks for the suggestion! I realise I did not really clarify myself too well, so I am looking for something like these: http://solspot.com/files/2012/01/Prepping-for-waxy-deliciousness.jpg. When I say crease, what I mean is that the actual molds have a ridge through the middle of each cavity, so when the wax is released from the mold, the finished surf wax has a dip in the middle which basically makes it easier to break apart in 2. If anyone else (or Ryan) can help, it would mean a lot to me as like I said, I cannot find any information on these types of  molds anywhere and I have spent months looking.

Thanks

Below are Matunas molds. I am not looking for these specific molds, but something similar, either with a horizontal ridge or diagonal ridge in each cavity of the molds.

 

4

Maybe you could create a plug ( or sheet of plugs) from wood and then use vaccum to suck a hot sheet of plastic down over it…

this was the method we used to build large sign faces back when I worked at a sign shop…

The good thing is once you have your plug you can make as many as you’d like…

I could describe in more detail how to build the plug if you wish. 

5

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the input bro. Without wanting to sound like a complete moron, I literally have no idea what you are talking about. If you want to explain further, that would be good but if not, no problem. As I say, I have tried making silicone molds and they came out sh*t. I am starting to wonder if all these professional molds are custom made, and if they are, by who?

Thanks

PS. Perhaps someone has one of these type of molds they might be able to sell which I can then get replicated in silicone? Probably the easiest option?

6

@Wooddave

Great idea!

How do you heat the plastic sheet?

How hot should it be?

Do you keep it heated while pulling vacuum?

7

Ok, I found an instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Your-Own-Prototypes-%3A-How-to-make-your/?ALLSTEPS

Very interesting technique for mold making!

 

8

That is an interesting link hans, that does pretty much describe the process… I would have never thought of using a coke bottle as sheet material,

I will try to take some pictures today that will help explain a little better than just words how we used to do it.

 

9

This is looking a great idea guys! It might be my best shot so thanks for sharing. Interested too in how the plastic sheet is heated, and furthermore whether the end resulting molds would withstand the heated wax? Also, which might be an important point, it looks as though putting hot plastic over a wax bar might indeed melt the wax before there is time to take a cast of the wax…hmm. Good start though as I say!

PS. I just want to put this out there that I am not condoning copying someone elses molds, its just that I cannot find anything for sale. A bit of a disclaimer incase someone takes issue with what this thread is about.

10

Try Hobby Lobby or commercial kitchen supplies…you won’t believe the interesting shit they sell that can be used in alternative ways… lots of molding supplies.

11

unstick cupcake tins with a piece of metal solder 
in the bottom. Plan to give out some bares of wax for all this free advice?

12

Thanks Wildy. Believe me, I have tried every website going and every store going and whilst I can find something close, I just cannot seem to find molds with the ridges meaning test bars I have made always come out looking like soap. SO frustrating! haha.

13

How about an old waffle iron?  You can then cast the wax with maple scent.  Ummmmmmm!

14

it would be really easy to make your own mold out of plaster for this.

take 9  bars of wax in the shape that you like and arrange them in a similar fashion as the molds you posted are. a 3x3 grid. 

Build a box out of wood 2x4’s scrap plywood anything at least 2 inches high and with at least a 1 inch border around the grid of wax bars.

Pour plaster over the wax to fill the box making sure you have plaster atleast 1-2 inches above the wax.

once the plaster cures flip the mold over and take the bars out.

to use the mold soak the plaster in water until it no longer bubbles(water is the release for wax) pour your hot wax into the molds allow to set up for a few minutes then you can dunk the whole thing in water to further cool the wax. the bars will most likely come out on their own when you do this. otherwise take them out when they are cool…rinse wash and repeat!

15

Wooddave-

Please show us your plug making techniques when you can, that would be awesome!

Storm-

My son did a skate/snowboard wax start-up as a school project. Nice shapes, smells, and colors…but we were not tooled to make, or aligned to sell enough to make it worthwhile.

If you make really good plugs (draft angle, rounded edges, smooth/sealed surfaces) you could retry mold-making silicone and try thermoforming with the same plugs.

If you are just probing the market (in the US) I would contract someone like Jim at Jimbosurf.com to make your first batch as a private label as that look seems to be a criteria for you.

Board member Waxilla was doing an effort to bring a vintage brand/smell wax. Grape?

All the best, let us know so we can help you empty that first case. J

16

Cheers guys again for all the new advice.

@ Tohearyourvoice: Using plaster was an idea I was against purely because I wasn’t sure it would hold up when it came to release but I may very well go back to it so at least I have some molds - I will look into this further and let you know how I get on! :slight_smile:

@Randy: I also thought of what you said to get my first batch made up by someone else so am considering this too, so cheers for your advice too. I am ready to roll pretty much apart from the molds so amped to get this very final hurdle over with. I too actually thought about bringing back a proper old school grape scented wax but dropped the idea as was so busy. Be a fun project though. As for scents, I am probably gonna concentrate on Bubble Gum for now as everyone loves it, right?

@Surffifty: The waflle iron sounded an interesting concept too! ha.

As for free wax, I am absolutely more than happy to give out free wax to everyone who has helped in this thread with their advice. I was originally going to offer that but I didn’t want it to look as if I was basically trying to sell on Sways but let me get the molding sorted and I will get some out to you all - and don’t worry, I will send out the petro wax rather than the natural unless someone really wants a natural bar or two? (Not a fan of eco waxes myself as don’t really work all that great in my opinion though good for the planet). If this post sounds a little dismissive(?), its because I have just got up and not quite with it yet! yawn haha

17

When Mike Doyle and Rusty Miller, did their surfboard wax in the mid/late '60’s, they had a sheet metal fabricator make trays with removable spacers much like the old fashioned ice cube trays.      It seemed to work quite well.       Being metal they would cool rapidly.      I think the wax squares were about 3 inches by 3 inches, and about 5/8ths inches thick.    I think the trays were about 18 inches long, and 6 inches wide.     Is this helpful to you?

 

18

If I were you, I would carve my own wax block shape in a block of wood and use the plastic sheet thermoforming technique on that block.

This way you can easily cast your brand name or logo in the blocks and have your own shape.

19

I messed around yesterday at lunch and made a semi functional plug for making wax molds,

here are some pics of how it was constructed…

I ripped strips the desired widths… the squares that form the wax shapes were cut from a strip also ,I used a slide miter saw to cut the 45 deg, slot before I cut them to length.

I used plywood because that’s what we had on hand, MDF is the best material for this project (and it’s cheaper too).

I didn’t take the time to radious the edges but all corners should have at least a slight radius to keep the plastic sheet from tearing

stapled mdf strips to the bottom board making sure that the joint is tight.

placed the top plate on and arranged the squares (sort of) on the top and fastened in place.

drilled some holes in the corners to allow communication between the top and the inside chamber…

 

these holes are too big… a lot of smaller holes are better…

then I made a frame to hold the plastic sheet down…

Then I drilled a hole in the bottom plate for the vaccum (no picture required).

That’s as far as I got…but the mold is essentially ready to go…

The plastic can be heated in an oven on a sheet pan to keep it flat…

 I’m not sure of the temperature (the type of plastic and thickness makes a difference) it would be best to start lower (maybe 200 deg f )and keep an eye on it…

after the plastic is soft, place it on the mold with the vaccum already on place the fame on top and it should suck down pretty quickly and you might not need to clamp it in place…

If the plastic cools before it forms the correct shape a heat gun could be used to do some spot forming where needed…

That link that hans provided got me thinking about alternative sources of plastic for molding, and one that might work for this would be cutting sections out of the sides of a five gallon bucket,

but also plastic from a cheap picture frame would do… probably many others too…

releasing the wax from the molds is important so it would be helpful to use a plastic that is a little flexible but maintains its shape over many cycles,

lexan would be a good choice (if you don’t have to pay for it)…

20

Thanks wooddave, I really love this!

Some other interesting links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqyKV2g8CgI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b75-YApH_cI