You can fill the inside of your wire mold with "great stuff". Think that's the name, it's spray insulation in a can.
I've used the sheets of insulation that they sell in the home improvement stores. You can cut out shapes, butt the ends together (like a square or rectangle....many shapes), push long nails into the joint and wrap around the outside with duct tape. You can carve or cut out the inside of the sheet for raised patterns and designs. Billie

Thanks, Billie

I did a search on "great stuff" insulation and found that the spray is really toxic and smelly. Perhaps the sheets are more viable.

I continued to search and found some interesting links on "Monster Mud". I wonder how good of an inner mold this would make. It seems more manageable.

Billie_ann

Would you recommend your approach for lanterns?

I tried styrofoam sheets... good god was that messy. I didn't like my shape and tossed it, left only with a huge mess to clean up

Did you look over on the gallery side at the lanterns there? Also if you do a search on this forum there are several discussions on what to use for molds. I've used various plastic containers, screwed together wood, nailed and taped insulation board. You just have to make sure that each component blends together. You don't want too small of a roof or too small fire box. It will look out of proportion......start small, then you only have small messes to clean up. Depending on the style you make, you can use a plastic fruit bowl or the top of a bleach jug for a roof. Recycle!

It's been some time (more than just a couple of years) since I used any of the spray foam, but the product I used was VERY dangerous (cyanide-based) and was to expand-to-fill and I found it very difficult to control just where and how much it expanded. It was also pretty expensive because it didn't go very far. Ok, maybe, for filling a small crack arund a window, but not a space. I wouldn't use it again.

To cut foam without the mess, get (or make) a "hot wire". I bought one to trim some foam and it worked well. But it was flimsy and limited in just what it could do and where it could "go". The best one I ever saw was homemade by a guy at a boat shop and he used it to form molds for a boat he was going to make. Check out the big hobby shops and a boat dealer with a big shop.

What I know about electricity is limited to the spelling of the word, but it is apparently not rocket science to make a hot wire.

No matter what, if you are melting foam be sure to work in a very, very well ventilated area. There are many foam products and most are not labeled so you don't know just what they are made of...many are pretty nasty when melted.

Keep us informed, please.

David

amaretto, I have made spheres both ways, formed around the outside and poured into a glass globe, then break away the globe. I have used tufa and portland, tufa is lighter than the other.
I have also made a couple lanterns, I used different pots and items from around the house or shed.
I have some pics somewhere of the lantern and molds I used, I will see if I can find them.
bonnie

Here is a link that might be useful: tufa ball

Great job, Bonnie!

I love your leaf castings. I'm looking for a clean and quick way to make molds for japanese lanterns. I plan on making 10 or so, if I ever get to it.

I tried making the light box mold out of a styrophone. I didn't like the shape, and since cutting it was so messy, I haven't bothered retrying (especially since I have doubts it will hod the weight of the tufa).

I looked for foam boards yesterday at my local HD, no luck.

Although melamine seemed tempting, I'm not much of a carpenter, so I held back. If I can come by it, I'd prefer something I can cut with an exacto knife or box cutter.