Matrix Dryve™

Safety - Store and use material at room temperature (23°C). These products have a limited shelf life and should be used as soon as possible. Colder temperatures will slow the working/cure time, while warmer temperatures will reduce working times. Store individual components in a dry environment at room temperature. Wear safety glasses, long sleeves and rubber gloves to minimize contamination risk. Mixing containers should have straight sides and a flat bottom.

Applying A Release Agent - A release agent is necessary to facilitate demolding when casting into urethane rubber molds. Use a release agent made specifically for mold making (Ease Release™ 2831 or Sonite™ Wax available from Smooth-On or your Smooth-On distributor). Release agent should be applied onto all mold surfaces that will contact the Dryve™.

Because no two applications are quite the same, a small test application to determine suitability for your project is recommended if performance of this material is in question.

MEASURING & MIXING...

Use Power Drill & Mechanical Mixer to Mix - Best results are obtained when powder and water is mixed using a variable speed power drill (set on high) with a mechanical mixer attachment such as a Turbine Mixer or Jiffy Mixer. You will need several measuring containers and larger mixing containers. To minimize dust inhalation, we recommend that you wear a NIOSH approved dust mask while dispensing and mixing components.

Mix ratio: 3 parts Dryve™ powder to 1 part water by volume (100 parts Dryve™ powder to 27 parts water by weight).

Step 1: Dispense required amount of room temperature (23°C) water into large mixing container.

Step 2: Dispense required amount of Dryve™ powder into measuring container. With power mixer set on low at bottom of mixing container, gradually sift powder contents into water.

Step 3 : Drill Mixing: Drill mix components with power drill set on high. Be careful not to splash material. Pot life when drill mixing will be about 20 minutes at room temperature (73°F/23°C) depending on mass and configuration. Drill mix until dry powder is thoroughly dispersed into water (1 – 2 minutes) and lumps disappear to a creamy consistency. Do not mix more than 2 minutes. The longer you drill mix, the shorter your pot life will be.

After thorough mixing, Dryve™ is ready to be poured.

Pouring...

Pour your mixture in a single spot at the lowest point of the containment field and let the mixture seek its level. This will help minimize air entrapment.

Air bubbles are sometimes a concern with polymer modified gypsums and will vary depending on conditions. There are additional steps you can take to help reduce entrapped air:

1. Vacuuming Material – Required: vacuum chamber and vacuum pump. Prior to pouring material into mold, place mixing vessel in vacuum chamber and subject mixture to 29 hg vacuum for 1 minute. Mixture will bubble, rise, break and fall. After mixture falls, remove from chamber and pour into mold.

2. Pressure – Required: pressure vessel and compressor. After mixture is poured into mold, place mold in a pressure vessel and subject mixture to 60 PSI (4.2 kg/cm2) air pressure for one hour.

HAND LAY-UP TECHNIQUE...

This product can be used to make interior and exterior architectural elements and rigid support shells to reinforce brush on rubber molds. With the addition of glass fibers in the form of fiberglass matting or chopped fibers, Dryve™ can be “layed up” to make elements that are thin, lightweight and exceptionally strong.

For exterior use, applying a sealer or painting the finished casting is recommended. Chopped fiberglass (such as Matrix™ Chopped Glass available from Smooth-On or your Smooth-On distributor) is most commonly used for this application.

Chop strand mat (3/4 ounce or 22 gram available at a fiberglass supply house) is most commonly used for making large architectural panels.

Hand Lay Up Using Fiberglass Matting - Mix Dryve™ and brush a surface or “gel” coat into a mold. Let cure 10-15 minutes or until Dryve™ gels. Mix another batch and dip fiberglass matting into liquid. Squeeze out excess and lay over previous layer.

After a uniform coating is attained, apply another layer of matting and brush again. Apply a minimal amount of Dryve™—just enough to wet out the surface. Repeat as necessary until 3/8” (1 cm) thickness is attained. The composite mixture over the face mix should have a minimum thickness of 3/8” (1 cm) and contain 5%–10% glass fiber reinforcement.

Hand Lay Up Technique Using Chopped Glass - Another technique for making strong, lightweight elements is to mix chopped fiber directly into the Dryve™ standard mix. Generally, 3/4” “AR” grade chopped fiber works best. “E” grade can also be used. Adding chopped fiber takes much less time than layering fiberglass matting.

How To Proceed...An accurate gram scale to weigh components is necessary. The chopped fiber is added as a percentage of the total weight. Fiber can be added in concentrations of 3% to 12%. For best results, 6% chopped fiber should be added. Mix Dryve™ and brush a surface or “gel” coat into mold. Let cure 10-15 minutes or until material gels.

Next, weigh out 100 Parts of Dryve™ powder, 27 Parts of water and 8 parts of chopped fiber. Mix all parts thoroughly and apply mixture with gloved hand or spatula over gel coat. Additional applications may be required to attain 3/8” (1 cm) thickness.

CREATING FINISHED EFFECTS

Dryve™ can be colored by adding Buddy Rhodes Pure Collection™ powder pigments.

Visit smooth-on.com/dryvecolors for color examples. We recommend using a 100 parts Dryve™ powder to 35 parts water by weight mix ratio when adding Pure Collection™ pigments.

Metal powders (bronze, pewter, brass, etc.) can be added to give the look of real metal castings at a fraction of the cost. Casting effects are also possible using Cast Magic™ powders.

You can create marbling and other effects using inexpensive fillers and pigments. Stone effects can be achieved using Quarry Tone™ stone effects powders.

Create long lasting glow in the dark effects by adding Glow Worm™ glow powder.

See separate TB at smooth-on.com/dryveeffects for more information on coloring and adding fillers and powders to Dryve™ to create casting effects.