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Re: What is Mold Degradation?
Molds are like everything else: they don't last forever, and the more you use them, the faster they wear out.
As was covered in the previous post, basically, mold degredation means the mold becomes damaged to the point where you won't get a good casting out of it anymore. Since molds are often expensive and time-consuming to create, this can be a very costly thing, and can determine how many of an object are created. Furthermore, the more detailed or complex a mold is, the more at risk it is of mold degradation.
How does it happen? Any number of ways, just like any other tool. The force of removing the plastic after it has been cast can, over time, ruin fine details in the mold. The continuous pouring of hot metal or plastic into the mold can warp, scorch, or crack it. And exposure to air, water, solvents, grime, or oils can cause corrosion on the surface, or any number of other chemical reactions that change the surface of the mold. This is especially bad if a certain surface texture is required for the casting to work (to prevent bubbles from remaining on the surface, for example). Molds that are left sitting around for years at a time, even in storage, are likely to corrode as well, which is another reason why reissues are often hard to make.
In short, molds are like any other industrial tool, they wear out, and they can eventually break. How fast depends on what conditions they're exposed to, their original design, and how well they're taken care of.
Does this help at all?
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