Where do you get your RTV?

I'm plum outta RTV. I'm trying to shop around and find a place to get it as cheap as possible.

Any suggestions? I've seen micro-mark, and various other hobby supply places.. I'm hoping for a fairly unknown, with decent prices

Am I dreaming? LOL

Tim

 

And what's the shelf life? I haven't molded anything for about two years, and I'm afraid to even look into the jars.

 

I'm afraid about two years is it.. that's how long mine sat too

 

So far I've gotten all mine at the lhs, made by Woodland Scenics (1 part solution) and now also by Alumilite (2 part solution). Except for the greasy measuring cups, I'm partial to Alumilite's product now.

 

Guys, if you don't mind sharing, what is RTV? What do you use it for?

 

Hutch-

You beat me to the post. Until I read the thread, I assumed it was Right to Vote.

 

Hutch, RTV as in liquid latex rubber (?) I believe, used in mold-making. Wonderful stuff.

 

RTV=Room Temperature Vulcanizing. You use it to make molds. I used it to make molds of gun turrets, lifeboats, etc. Others use it to make molds of parts, shells, etc.

 

Try the craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I know that the Hobby Lobby by me carries it. I have not compared the prices though.

OTH, you may not have those stores in your area. But, you should have some type of craft store.

Good Luck,

 

RTV is available in 14 ounce cartridges from Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, K-Mart, etc. It won't be labled "RTV", but it is the same as Silicone Adhesive, or Silicone Seal made by GE, Dow, and DAP. You may have to experiment a little to find which of the products is best for your particular application, but the clear ones all should work to a greater or lesser degree. I don't know what you would pay for RTV molding silicone at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, but I expect that a 14 oz. cartridge @ $4.00 from Lowe's would be less expensive, even if you had to buy 2-3 to experiment with.

As a point of interest - GE invented RTV back in the 50's as an adhesive to bond 2500 pound copper heat sinks onto ICBM war heads so the A-bombs wouldn't burn up during re-entry. RTV sure has come a l-o-n-g way since those days.

 

Do you mean MicromarK?

Also, was it you who was telling me you do your mold AND cast under pressure, instead of putting the RTV in a vacuum?

Tim

 

Yep, still waiting for mine. Must have been popular since they're now on backorder

 

Check with a dental supply and jeweler's supply too for RTV.
Molding RTV will not bond to anything, so make sure you get one that is NOT an adhesive!