The casting methods are essentially the same as that used for casting in urethane or polyester resin and fiberglass. FMG can be slush cast (hollow), hand laid-up, sprayed through the proper equipment or poured for solid casts. FMG is an easier product to work with than resins, making casting less time consuming to complete. Repairs are also easier to make when using FMG versus a casting made of polyester resin or epoxy.

An additional advantage is that, unlike polyester and epoxy resins, FMG may be cast directly into an alginate mold to produce a casting with extraordinarily fine detail. From a health and safety standpoint FMG is considerably less hazardous than resins and FMG has a Class 1 fire rating according to ASTM-84.

Forton VF-812
Forton VF-812 is a specially formulated, all acrylic co-polymer (50% solids) which cross links with a dry resin to make the system moisture resistant and UV stable.

Dry Resin
A dry melamine resin is added to provide additional moisture resistance.

Ammonium Chloride
pH adjuster to insure proper cross-linking of the VF-812 and the dry resin.

Gypsum
Alpha hemi-hydrate gypsum is available through Ball Consulting, Ltd., US Gypsum or their distributors. Hydrocal® FGR-95 Gypsum Cement has a low water/gypsum ratio and is formulated for hand lay-up, but is often used for spray-up. Hydrocal FGR-115 Gypsum Cement is formulated for spray-up. Hydrocal Architectural Gypsum Cement is a lower cost alternative to FGR, but has a slightly grey color. It can be used for hand lay-up or spray-up.

Gypsum 1 roving
38 tex continuous strand roving specifically designed to give optimum reinforcement of the gypsum matrix in the spray-up process.

Colors and Textures
A wide variety of colors and finishes can be incorporated into the FMG face mix. UV stable liquid or dry powder pigments can be added to FMG to provide a vast range of colors. Aggregates can be added to the face mix to achieve desired texture effects when sandblasted and sealed. Metal powders can also be added to the face mix to achieve various cold cast metal effects. After de-molding, the cold cast metal can be patinaed or polished to achieve a desired finish in a fraction of the time and cost normally associated with foundry cast metal.

Cast product photos by:
1. Architectural Products Fabricators, Inc.
2. Moonlight Molds
3. Lynne Feinberg
4. Architectural Products Fabricators, Inc.