Why Make Silicone Molds
Silicone is a strong choice for mold-making because it offers such a diverse array of benefits. You can easily create custom designs using silicone molding. The molds themselves are also quite durable, so you can use them repeatedly without fear of breakage. Silicones inorganic makeupcompared to rubber, its organic counterpartmakes it highly resilient to heat and cold, chemical exposure, and even fungus. Some of the benefits of silicone molds include the following:
Measure Mix & Pour Silicone Mold Rubber
Based on the new dimensions of the mold box, we determine that approximately 40 lb of TinSil 80-15 Silicone Rubber is needed to make the mold.
As mentioned previously, TinSil 80-15 has a mix ratio of 1A:10B. The components are measured by weight and then mixed thoroughly.
NOTE: Do not attempt to measure products with 1A:10B mix ratios by volume always measure by weight.
Because of the quantity of rubber needed for this project, we mix two separate batches using a turbo mixer.
The rubber is mixed until a uniform color is reached. NOTE: Avoid hitting the sides of the mixing pail with the turbo mixer as this can introduce air into the mixture.
The batches are then mixed by hand with a Poly Paddle. NOTE: It is important to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing container several times, as this is where unmixed material tends to cling.
The silicone is poured into the lowest point of the mold box and allowed to rise.
The rubber is poured until it reaches at least 1.0 above the highest point on the sculpture.
We allow the rubber to cure at room temperature for ~24 hours. Heat lamps can help speed the cure. NOTE: Demold times vary by product. Check product Technical Bulletins for this information.
Procedure For Blanks With Undercut
Things become a little more complicated with silicone molds of the brand Eigenbau when it comes to the production of molds with so-called undercut. This is when a blank has exposed edges or corners that protrude over the blank and therefore get stuck to the material of the mold when the blank or a duplicate is removed from the silicone mold. If you want to make a casting mold out of silicone, smaller undercuts are usually no problem if the silicone product is reasonably elastic. In such cases, you should therefore use soft silicone with a Shore value between 0 and 20. With larger undercuts, however, it can be problematic.
Even when working with silicone molds, large undercuts can only be made with two-part or multi-part molds. Here too, you should use soft silicone rubber if possible and be as patient and careful as possible when removing the blank from the cured mold so that the silicone does not overstretch at any point.
Tip: Sometimes it does not want to work at all when the blank is removed from the hardened silicone mold. If necessary, you can then cut open the mold with a sharp cutter knife at the problematic point to remove the blank. The crack in the mold is then closed again by fixing it with several tightly fitting rubber bands. In this way you can also easily remove the finished work-piece from the mold later.
You May Like: How To Test Mold Exposure
Pipe Diy Silicone Mold Material Onto Object To Be Molded
You can now use the heavy-duty zip bag as a piping bag. This will help you apply your silicone precisely to the item you are casting a mold of.
In this image, Im demonstrating with a few small, but highly detailed toys.
Thinned down silicone and the easy application of the mixing bag turned piping bag makes it easy to carefully apply the silicone to delicate detail and fragile areas of my item to be molded.
Making Your Own Silicone Mold
Any silicone caulk labeled 100% silicone, will work to create a mold for small to medium-sized objects- capturing detail in a reusable, easy to clean, flexible mold.
The problem? Pure silicone caulk is very thick and very goopy. This consistency makes it really hard to cast a mold without any bubbles or gaps in the silicone- Imagine trying to cast a mold in peanut butter and youll get the idea. This texture creates gaps and bubbles in the mold which leave ugly blister-like marks on the surface of cast objects when unmolded.
Solution: The internet-delivered several solutions for me: silicone caulk can be mixed with other ingredients to change the consistency without affecting the usability of the mold you make.
Also Check: Can Mold Grow On Concrete
Remove Object And Heat Cure If Needed
I removed the snowflake from the mold. After the cure time, the mold is ready to use. However, the instructions say that if youre using a resin casting product, concrete, or plaster, the mold needs to cure at room temperature for 24 hours first.
If youre feeling impatient, you can heat cure the mold by putting the mold only in the regular oven on aluminum foil or a cookie sheet. The guidelines say to place in the center of the ovenor at least 6 from the heating elementsand make for 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. I did test out heat curing mine, and it worked just fine.
What Material Does Epoxy Resin Not Stick To
Epoxy resin does not stick to plastic materials. Silicone molds are great because you can easily bend the silicone while removing the cured resin without damaging the mold or the project.
Hard plastics can be used as molds, but arent ideal since removing the cured resin from the hard plastic mold is much more difficult. The hard plastic cant be bent and manipulated to release the resin item.
Read Also: Can You See Black Mold
Make Your Own Silicone Molds
In this article, I explain what casting silicone is and how the PixieCrafting silicone mold maker is used to cast an impression of something, i.e. make your own silicone molds. The individual steps and the results are explained in detail in the tutorial and illustrated in many pictures. Nothing can go wrong now, can it?
Casting Resin In The Diy Liquid Silicone Mold
I wanted it to be a bit easier to get my resin succulent out of the mold, so I use a pair of small scissors to strategically cut the opening out a bit more and then used a small syringe to fill the mold with green-colored resin. After that cured, it was time to get it out.
Long story shortI had to cut the mold up pretty badly to get the resin succulent out. Kind of defeats the purpose of springing for silicone that makes reusable molds, right? But it was a trial and error process. I now know that for an item like this, it would probably be best to do a glove mold or a multipart mold. Nonetheless, you can see that I actually was able to replicate the succulent! Pretty cool.
This was definitely a fun process, and I enjoyed working on a new skill. Hopefully some of my mistakes help you if youre Googling around wondering how to make your own silicone mold. I highly recommend both of the products I tried out! Good luck!
Also Check: What Does Mold In The House Look Like
Make A Silicone Mold From Common Household Materials In Your Kitchen In 1 Hour
Taking off from this BRILLIANT ‘ible I have started making silicone molds on the cheap and thought I would share. This is incredibly simple and fast and can be used for a ton of casting ideas…Here is the podcast I did on it:
What Other Materials Can You Use In Silicone Molds
In addition to food, Mold Making Material is ideal for casting other moldable materials such as epoxy resin, cement, plaster, polyurethane, wax, soap, potters clay, polymer clay, play dough and paper mâché to make prototypes, art projects, architectural details, statues, figurines, candles and more! PLEASE NOTE: We cannot guarantee the food safety of molds that have been used with non-food materials. Once youve used non-food materials in a mold, do not use that same mold for food. Molds designated for use with food should ONLY be used for food.
Don’t Miss: Does Mold Have To Be Removed Professionally
Make The Mold Material
This is where the coolness happens…
- Mix a 50/50 mixture of Silicone Calk and Corn starch in a cup
- Add some mineral spirits . You need about 25% of the volume of the 50/50 mix of silicone and corn starch
- Mix with your handy dandy bent nail you chucked into the drill!
- Add more mineral spirits if you need to to get the goop to flow
- Pour into the top of the mold base you made in the last step
- Get on to the next step before 5 min is up!!
How To Make Silicone Molds For Baking
I love using molds for baking, especially when it comes to making cookies and cakes. While there are plenty of options on the market, I find that going for something 100% personalized is so much better. With just a few materials, time, and work, you can make your own at home, too.
Hey, bakers! My name is Michelle and I love baking. I have been using homemade silicone molds for years. I use them to surprise my kids or give my clients exactly what theyre looking for. To be blunt, I really just love custom goodies!
If youre thinking about making your own silicone mold for baking, know that it can be as simple or complex as you make it. You can use premade items to mold, or create your own using clay. Either way, the process is a bit time-consuming, but entirely worth it in the end.
Lets create some silicone molds for baking.
Contents
Recommended Reading: How To Treat Mold And Mildew On Wood
Mix The Two Parts Of The Liquid Silicone
I decided to make a block mold. But I probably should have chosen a glove mold. More on that in a bit. So I mixxed up my two-part silicone first. If youre doing a block mold, ETI recommends estimates how much silicone youll need using uncooked rice.
To do this, put the item in the container youll use, then add rice. Once the item is sufficiently covered, pour the rice back out and measure how much you needed. Thats how much silicone youll need.
What Youll Need For Diy Silicone Mold Making :
Caution: This mold making method gives off potentially dangerous fumes. Work outdoors or in a mechanically vented room only. Do not attempt in a closed room. Wear a gas-filtering mask if needed. Be prepared to double-bag and dispose of the mixing bag and any extra mold material. Finished molds will have an odor and should be stored double-bagged or in sealed containers.
Don’t Miss: How Much Does Black Mold Removal Cost
Prep The Item To Mold
- To prep the item for the mold cover it with Vaseline .
- Next cut the bottom of the box out and place it on a piece of wax paper
- Get some play dough and fill the bottom of the box with a layer thick enough to cover half the figurine (don’t put the figurine in yet this is just setting up the base
- Press the figurine into the dough and make sure to cover 1/2 of the figure
- Vaseline the dough and the figure .
How To Make The Masters For Silicone Molding
A patternsometimes referred to as a masteris the part you use to create a precise negative in your silicone mold. If you are simply trying to replicate an existing object, it might make sense to use that object as your pattern. Youll just need to be sure that the object can withstand the mold-making process.
To create a new design or prototype, you must first fabricate your pattern you have several options for this. Here are a few ways to make patterns for silicone molding:
-
Sculpting If youre a talented sculptor or if youre creating a relatively simple design, you can use clay to create a pattern. Sculpting a pattern is also a fun project for kids and a cost-effective option for DIYers.
-
Carving You can make your pattern out of wood. Carved wood masters are an excellent choice for making tiles and flat designs.
-
3D printing Many professionals and commercial designers choose to 3D print patterns. Desktop 3D printers offer many benefits, including design flexibility within CAD software, high accuracy, ease of prototype modification, and quick turnaround times.
Once you have a pattern, you can get started with making your silicone mold.
Guide to Rapid Tooling
In this white paper, learn how to combine rapid tooling with traditional manufacturing processes like injection molding, thermoforming, or casting.
You May Like: How To Remove Mold From Blankets
Five: Mix & Pour Your Silicone
The silicone you purchase will come in two partsthe silicone and the catalystthe latter being what helps the silicone to cure, or harden. We are using a silicone that uses a one-to-one ratio, but check the technical data sheet that came with your silicone to see what the mixing ratio is. We are going to continue under the assumption that the silicone has a 1:1 mix ratio for the sake of clarity and ease. Make sure you follow the mixing ratio of your particular silicone!
Get out your kitchen scale and turn it on, making sure the measurement is set to grams. Place your measuring cup on the scale EMPTY and weigh it. Now click the tare buttonthis will reset the scale so that it goes back to zero and does not weigh the measuring cup. This is helpful because you can weigh just the material itself and not the cup. Now you will weigh out Part A of your silicone. How much you need really depends on the size of the object youre casting as well as the size of the mold itself . Kent is starting with 400 grams of mixed material, so 200 grams of each part of the silicone. Be sure to pour your silicone slowly so that your measurement is accurate! Once you have 200 grams, hit the tare button on your scale again so it resets to 0. Now you are ready to pour in 200 grams of part B to the same measuring cup. Youll notice in the video that Kent actually needed around 600 grams to fill the space of the mold, but well discuss that a little bit more later!
The Hardness Of Silicone Rubber
To make a silicone mold, you first need silicone rubber as a material. This soft and fast curing basic material can be purchased without any problems from the appropriate specialist dealer. Even after curing, silicone is still relatively elastic. However, the brittleness of the material depends on the hardness of the silicone you use. Silicone can also crack at some point when overstretched, or may at least get smaller breaks in the material.
When buying silicone rubber, you are therefore first confronted with the choice between different degrees of hardness. The degree of hardness of silicone rubber is indicated by the value indicated under the name Shore. The counting method works in such a way that a high value indicates low elasticity and vice versa a low Shore value indicates high elasticity:
- Silicone rubber with high flexibility has a shore value between 0 and 20 and is characterized by a soft and rather unstable material quality.
- With Shore values between 20 and 40 one speaks of silicone rubber with medium elasticity. The extensive flexibility of this material is complemented by a relatively good dimensional stability.
- Shore values between 40 and 80 refer to product variants that are more hard than elastic. For example, molds made of this silicone rubber can withstand higher loads, but they are also more prone to brittleness.
Don’t Miss: How To Clean Mold And Mildew Off Vinyl Siding
How To Clean Your Molds Tutorial
With our tips you will get the silicone mold back in perfect condition.
Prep Your Cheesecake Pan
First things first before we can mix our silicone we need a container to pour into! For this salad plate mold I decided to use a cheesecake pan but well need to seal the bottom so no silicone gets out.
You can use whatever container fits your item but youll need to fit your item inside the container with space on either side for the silicone mixture to flow over and underneath. Youll also want to be able to remove the silicone mold once its cured so be aware that if you use a plastic container you may have to cut the plastic container open to remove your newly formed mold
Which is why I like to use a spring loaded cheesecake pan! It opens easily to let you remove the mold and you can re-use it time, after time, after time.
Simply take your electrical tape and firmly seal any gaps in the bottom of your pan and youre good to go!
You May Like: How To Remove Mold From Your Body
