Douglas and Sturgess

Douglas and Sturgess Materials for art, sculpture & invention — resin, rubber, plaster, pigment, foam, clay & more.

05/12/2026

Working on a new Acrylic Paint Formulations class with my dad 👀

One of the biggest things I’m learning through all of this is that understanding materials gives you SO much more control as an artist.

This class is all about learning how to modify acrylic paints and mediums. Adjusting viscosity, sheen, texture, fillers, pigments, and more.

May 28th at Douglas & Sturgess SF

05/11/2026

Thursday’s Epoxy Formulations workshop was such a good reminder of why we wanted to start doing these classes.

People experimented, asked questions, made things, and got more comfortable understanding how materials actually behave.

Huge thanks to everyone who came out, it was so much fun!

Next up: Acrylic Paint Formulations on May 28th 👀

04/24/2026

We’ve got some new workshops coming soon, the first of which is an epoxy formulations class on Thursday, May 7th from 6-9 PM at our SF store.

This one is all about learning how to control epoxy and the different formulations/recipes (if you will) to make your materials work better for your application. How to make it moldable, trowelable, brush-able and more.

Join us! All materials included and some you can take home too 😊

04/17/2026

I’m heading to Douglas & Sturgess tomorrow to hang with my dad and talk materials, mold making, and all the things I’ve been learning.

We’re going to go LIVE and do a Q&A - so if you have any questions, drop them here and I’ll make sure we answer them!

Would love to have you join us 👀 we’ll be on sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 am PT 😊

04/06/2026

Late night garage thoughts about art materials.

Hide glue has taught me a lot so far, and I still have so much to learn. But it’s scratching a part of my brain that’s been asleep for a while, and I’m really enjoying the process.

Thanks for being here and following along, your questions and advice are so helpful and energizing. I’ll keep sharing what I learn!

03/31/2026

I made this small casting from a cookie mold using hide glue, and within 36 hours it shrank about half an inch.

This is a process called shrink casting. I’ve never tried it before, but it’s really cool to see how much it contracts as it dries.

I’m curious how much more it will shrink over time 👀

03/24/2026

Attempt Number 3 😅

Still way too thick. I followed a 1940s recipe, but I think adding glycerin too early is what’s causing the issue.

It’s still usable though. I can reheat and adjust it, which is one of the reasons I love working with hide glue.

Learning that this isn’t really about following a formula, it’s about understanding how the material behaves.

Starting fresh next time.

03/02/2026

I’ve been testing pouring hot wax into hide glue molds, and a lot of people suggested putting the molds in the freezer first.

So I tried it.

The overhydrated (jello-like) molds froze solid and basically cracked themselves apart from the inside. The firmer molds survived better, but the wax castings still weren’t great.

What I learned:
1) Hydration matters a LOT. If the mold feels jello-like, it probably has too much water for hot wax.
2) Freezing time matters too. I left these in the freezer for over a day and they froze completely through 😬which caused internal ice expansion and damage.

So freezing can help temporarily, but I’m thinking a firmer mold + a short chill works much better than a fully frozen one.

The good news? Hide glue is reusable… so back to the double boiler we go ♻️

02/21/2026

Comparing two hide glue molds: one underhydrated and one overhydrated.

The one with more water started soft and rubbery, but it’s already getting tougher as it slowly dries.

One of the interesting things about hide glue is it doesn’t really “finish” curing, the properties keep changing as water leaves.





02/18/2026

Batch 2 of testing hide glue as a mold material.

I followed an old molding & casting recipe but misread the water step and overhydrated the glue.

Result: almost no bubbles and great detail… but weaker, gelatin-like molds.

Turns out hide glue strength depends heavily on concentration.

Now I’ve tested both extremes. Next batch I’m aiming for the middle.





Address

1023 Factory Street
Richmond, CA
94801

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

(510)2358411

Website

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