.
How to make silicone molds
I have always been very curious to know how silicone molds are made. On the other hand, this type of molds offer a huge range of possibilities to carry out subsequent crafts of all kinds.
Today we have selected this Grand Evening tutorial with which you can learn how to make a silicone mold to, for example, make handmade soaps and candles, countless shapes and resin figures, etc.
Making silicone molds is very easy, it just depends on having a good model to reproduce. Choose yours and… Let’s get to work!
Ingredients and materials for making silicone molds:
• Silicone for Molds.
• Catalyst for silicone.
• Model to reproduce.
• Container to pour the mixture.
Procedure to follow:
Step 1: Fit the container to the mold.
First you have to prepare the container where you are going to make silicone molds (the container). This is an imaginative process.
The more you know how to adjust the container to the size of the model, the cheaper it will be to make silicone moulds, so less silicone is used. Keep in mind, however, that there should be no less than 1cm. distance between the prototype and the container.
Step 2: Paste the model to the background, if it is heavy enough placing it centered will suffice.
The model must be glued to the bottom with any glue. Otherwise, it could float and all the work would be ruined.
Making silicone molds only depends on having a good model to reproduce.
Once this is solved and the mold is placed in position in the well-glued container, we mix the silicone, stirring or shaking the container, since it has components that decant and to make the mold these particles need to be in suspension.
Now, we combine it with the catalyst. With 5% of the second. For 1 kg of silicone 50 g of catalyst. The mixture must be strictly homogeneous.
Step 3: Place the model centered.
One of the most important steps to make silicone molds is mixing the catalyst with the silicone, it should be 5%, it is best to weigh the silicone and calculate the amount of catalyst to mix.
• For 1Kg. of silicone 50 grs of catalyst.
• For 500 grams of silicone, 25 grams of catalyst.
• For 250 grams of silicone, 12.5 grams of catalyst.
• For 100 grams of silicone, 5 grams of catalyst.
Start the casting and fill up to exceed the model one or two cm. plus.
Step 4: Pour the silicone, if we have not glued the model to the bottom, to prevent it from floating, we can pour a small amount of silicone to later, with a freshly made mixture, pour back to the top.
It is important to be quick and once we have mixed the catalyst with the silicone, have everything ready to pour the silicone, since the setting process begins and it begins to solidify very quickly.
Step 5: Solidified silicone mold.
We recommend waiting 6-7 hours before unmolding the prototype.
The time needed to make silicone molds depends on the setting and this depends on the temperature and a little also on the humidity. The colder it is, the longer it will take to harden (catalyze).
Sometimes, so that the unmolding is possible or easier, we can make a crack with a cutter in the mold. This does not cause problems when filling it. You simply have to take the precaution of placing a rubber band around it so that the liquid that we put inside does not escape and take care that the parts fit correctly.
Step 6: We can make a slit with a cutter or scissors in the mold.
Step 7: Remove any remaining silicone from the base of the model.
Step 8: Unmold the model taking advantage of the crack that we already made before.
Step 9: Completely remove the model and we already have the finished mold. hope you liked it.
.
For greater clarity, we include below a video that also shows the process for manufacturing silicone molds.
Making silicone molds or what is better, making silicone molds is very easy.
.
Source: Innate
Video: Manuel Vilas-Figueras
.
