How to Make a Resin Mold from Liquid Silicone
Have you been thinking about how to make a mold for casting? Making your own silicone mold is not difficult and you can do it too. You just need to keep a few things in mind to create a flawless mold.
Quality Silicone for Mold Making
Choosing the right liquid silicone is a crucial part of mold making. When selecting silicone to offer to our customers, quality, viscosity, and curing time were important factors for us.
Why is curing time important? The longer the silicone takes to cure, the more time it has to flow and fill in all the fine details of the object you're creating a mold of, and you also have more time to work with it. A longer curing time also allows it to release any bubbles that we don't want in the silicone.
The silicone that meets all our strict requirements can be found here.
Choosing the Negative Mold
The object from which you will make the silicone (positive mold) is called the negative mold or basic mold. Keep in mind that everything will be imprinted from it. If this object is matte, the mold will also be matte and may not be suitable for casting resin, for example.
Also, be careful about the material of the negative mold. If it is silicone, the liquid silicone will adhere to it and cannot be separated. Problems can also arise with unglazed ceramic items and other porous materials. To ensure that the object can be easily removed from the positive mold, first treat it with a separator.
Preparing for Pouring
Clean the negative mold, remove grease and dust, and apply a separator if necessary. Then place it in a box that will surround the object and provide space for creating edges at least 1 cm thick. If the edges and bottom of the positive mold are too thin, the mold may not hold its shape when the casting material is poured and could be damaged during handling and removal of the casting. The box must be somewhat flexible or collapsible to easily remove the silicone mold.
If you don't have a plastic or paper box available, make your own using cardboard and adhesive tape. The inside of the box does not need to be lined with tape; you can pour the silicone directly into it. However, it is essential that the box is well-sealed to prevent the liquid silicone from leaking out.
Mix and Pour the Silicone
Place the negative mold into the box. If there is a risk it will float, glue it to the bottom of the box using a hot glue gun, adhesive, or double-sided tape. Mix the silicone according to the instructions; the mixing must be precise and the ratios measured accurately. Be careful while mixing; the less air you incorporate into the silicone, the better. Pour the well-mixed silicone slowly into the box. Pour it over all the details of the negative mold, and avoid pouring from a height; instead, get as close as possible to prevent unnecessary bubbles from forming.
Remove Bubbles
To release any bubbles, tap the mold gently from all sides and let it cure. After curing, you just need to remove the negative mold, trim any excess, and the mold is ready.
VIDEO TUTORIAL: Making a Mold from Liquid Silicone
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