NOTE:
DO NOT USE THIS TUTORIAL TO MAKE EDIBLE ITEMS OR ON SKIN! SILICONE HAS A LOT OF CHEMICALS IN IT!
I’m working on a variation of this How to make a DIY silicone mould tutorial that is food safe and you can use for chocolates and cakes etc. If you’re interested in being the first to find out about that then sign up to our mailing list or follow us on social.
We’re back with probably one of my favourite tutorials that has so much potential. This DIY is something I’ve been working on for ages! Being able to quickly and easily make a mould means I can make clay, resin and concrete (to name a few) versions of pretty much anything I like… Think of the possibilities!
This is a really easy and fast way of making a silicone mould. You can quickly take casts of anything solid and durable, then remove it when the silicone is set after about 20 minutes! Your mould is then ready to go!
So, like I say I have been working on this for a long time. The idea originally came from this post, which was awesome but I found it a was lacking a few key details so I recreated it here. I tried several different materials, techniques and combinations so some of the details in the pictures may change – so read through carefully!
Materials:
– Silicone Sealant – So this is important. It has to say silicone on it! I tried with different sealants and some worked… some really did not. The one in the picture below worked ok, but the best I tried was a “bathroom silicone sealant” which produced the final mould.
– Latex gloves (I was very irresponsible and didn’t wear any)
– Caulking gun – to get the silicone out.
– Hand soap
– A positive to make the mould out of
– Bowl or bucket that isn’t used for food (because you’re not going to want to eat of of it again!)
Instructions:
1. Mix your soap and water together. I’ve done it roughly about 1 part soap to 10 parts water.
Whoa! We’ve changed soap colour here. This tutorial took a few times to get right, so we now have purple soap for the rest of the DIY. Like magic!
2. Cut the end off the silicone and without using the nozzle squeeze it all out using the caulking gun. If you’re making a small mould you can just use a little and save the rest for another time.
3. Work the silicone until it is not sticky. I used both my hands to pull and squeeze the silicone whilst it was submerged in the water for about 5 minutes.
4. Keeping it wet transfer into a container. This step was not in the original tutorial but as the silicone drys it gets very sticky so you want it somewhere it won’t make a huge mess! The soapy water keeps stops it from sticking to your hands so don’t dry them yet either.
5. Press your object into the silicone to create the mould. You’ll want something with smooth edges that the silicone will peal off easily. This resin bracelet was perfect.
6. Leave the object in your resin until the mould is firm. This doesn’t take very long. Mine was set in just a couple of hours! Carefully peel the object out of the mould and the mould out of the container (so you can use it again!)
You might be wondering why I needed to make a silicone mould of a bracelet that I just made from a mould I already have…. right? Silicone moulds are ace for different materials and I needed something more flexible for a very special tutorial I’ll be able to share really soon with you! In the meantime I’ll probably be making moulds of everything I can think of, so expect to see more of this!
Click through below and follow Fall For DIY to get loads more DIY’s and tutorials like this one!
Hey, do you think this will work for candle molds? I’d really appreciate your response, thanks for a great tutorial!
I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tested the silicone with heat myself yet. I might do a few experiments and come back to you to make sure.
Most silicone handles up to 400 degrees quite easily. It should be fine. You just want to make sure you don’t have air pockets in the mold that may expand at a different ratio.
Hi I am from England, UK and am having trouble finding a silicone that will work…. I have tried all purpose silicone translucent but it hasn’t worked. Could you please offer me some advise on which brand works the best? Thank you
Hey Harriet!
I’ve used a few different brands but I normally go to Wilkinsons because their silicone is really cheap and it works well. Try the silisone with the sea lion on the tube ;)
Hope that helps! xx
Hiya, I use 100% silicone Silirub 2 which I buy quite cheaply online. Couldn’t get ordinary bathroom sealant to work.
Hi Hrriet i work in trade my self and most translucents are that good ive tried most and i recommend using decorators caulk fat hog it comes in white brown or magnolia sadly not tanslicent but id say its best bet its flexably so its perfect for molding
It has to be in very cold water ,and 100% silicone the brand doesn’t matter just needs to be 100% silicone
Wow i very love it . But I’ve seen some website mix silicone with power. What the best way? plsssssss.
With powder makes it so you can mold it around very intricate object so it wont stick and makes it malleable like playdough. you cant use quick dry for these and make sure you have time to work with it as it make take a bit to add enough corn starch or baby powder before it solidifies. You can roll it out like dough. The mold technique shown has to be placed in a container or a bowl with smooth edges so you can remove it afterwards.
Corn starch is usually used
My brother made beautiful candles using his own hand made silicone molds. He replicated textured glassware by making a silicone mold of it. The wired wick was inserted later through a hole that he drilled with a very small heated drill bit in the candle’s center. I have a white round bowl-shaped candle that looks like milk glass. It is stunning. I never could bear to burn it, and it looks as nice today as it did 15 years ago when he gave it to me.
Hi Sally. Do you know if his mold stood up to alot of pours ? I need to be able to make a mold that will handle years of use.
Hi, I was just wondering could I use this Mixture to make a mould of my hand? Or of my hand holding my daughters hand? Or would I need a different type of mixture to make a mold like that?
Technically you could but it gets really sticky and would stick to you hands and the chemicals can seep into your skin so you both would have to be wearing gloves and would have to be holding hands in the same position for 2-8 hrs!! a very long time.
Its best to get a casting kit specifically made for that.
yes I am very interested in making silicone molds for candles as well. I love this tutorial but I am not sure if this silicone would hold up to the heat of candle wax and not become sticky with use.
I need to make a translucent mold of a 3D object about 7 inches tall. I tried with the silicon before on a smaller item and it never dried. Any advice?
Sorry but what do you mean by 10 parts water to one part soap and would you be able to use washing up liquid to make a mould this way to please Jacqueline mcclurg
It works pretty well on candles. I created colored and scented candles with silicone mould.
Amazing, thanks for getting in touch and letting us know. You’re making me want to make candles now. Oh the possibilities!
I saw your question and I’m sure this would be fine for candle molds once it’s been shaped and cured.
Try using high temperature silicone, should still work
http://spottymoz.com
Yes! It just can’t be Burning or Boiling Hot If this was real silacone you could put the candle was at any temp. So your anwser is Yes you can use this for candle molds!
This looks awesome, but I’ve got a couple of questions: Do you leave the object in the silicone until it dries, or take it out immediately? Also, how long does the silicone take to set up?
Thanks!
Hi Alicia! I completely forgot to put these details in the post. Thanks for reminding me! Leave the object in the silicone. It’s easy to remove once the silicone is set, which only takes about 1-2 hours. Really quick!
Hi,
Can you use anything you want to make a mould?
Like a polymer clay object or oreo cookie or something.
Or will that permanently stick to the silicone?
Maybe put oil on the object?
Thanks for reading :-)
Hope you can help.
Vaseline !
What if you were going to make a mold of a vase how would you do that. Or a animal
Hi, I am needing to make a mold of my daughter for her Halloween costume, I need a mold of her whole body but in parts. Would this method work and would it hurt her in any way?
Hey Kayla,
I wouldn’t use this technique on skin. The caulk has some pretty strong chemicals in it. What about using plaster of paris bandages instead?
As it cures it releases acetic acid. If you use this on your daughter, she won’t need a Halloween costume – she’ll look like a ravaged-flesh zombie for the rest of her days. Possibly with the bargain effect of some lung damage for you both.
You can buy product that are specially designed for this purpose:
https://www.dwrplastics.com/product-information/5622b19b3b079/Thixo-Body-Moulding-Rubber-1kg-Kit
Acetic acid is vinegar.
In reply to Courtney Phillips – acetic acid is vinegar yes, but vinegar is a very dilute solution of acetic acid. Less than 6% normally. You wouldn’t want anything more concentrated on your chips or on your skin because it’s corrosive.
Will this mould work on a penis? Is it safe?
Ah, so cool! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while to make resin bracelets! Also, can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with for the new site :)
I’m curious do you need to coat object with anything before sinking it in the silicone?
Hi Helen,
I didn’t coat the bracelet, but as it was resin it has a nice shiny outer layer anyway. Plastics and other hard shiny surfaces should be ok as well. I imagine any surfaces that might be porous like fabric or wood might need a layer of glue or vaseline over the top. I’ll be experimenting loads with this technique so I’ll see what I can find out!
Thanks for your question!
Just don’t try to make a mould of a silicone object. Silicone doesn’t play well with silicone!
Ha! Thanks for adding that Patrick. Good advice!
Yep! You’re right! I found out the hard way and had to throw an expensive mold away. lol
will dry silicone stick to fresh silicone? I am looking to make a mold of a sculpture, in which I hope to be able to put lets say several layers of silicone one by one to make the mold thick, and then I will make a mothermold out of plaster.
just wondering what materials could be used as a food grade source.
buying molding kits for fondant etc. are expensive. but some of those molds are also silicone. or even using the rubber dip that you can find have you tried that as a molding source? TIA
Hi Catolie,
For food grade silicon, I am using Amazing mold putty. You can buy it easily online. It is working well with fondant, resin, clay and you can bake it.
Have fun :-)
Fantastic! Thank you Eve x
Hey,
I’m pretty sure you can’t use this silicone with food items. The smell alone is a bit chemically. I have also bought silicone molds for fondant, but I’m afraid I don’t know how you can make a safe mold for food. Have you tried pressing shapes into compact brown sugar and using this as a mold?
Please do not advice something you do not have any knowledge of it.
Silicon for food uses and the Silicon for windows as a very different chemical with in.
Silicon for windows will keep bacteria on the surface… When a Silicon for food use will not.
If people get food poisoning after your advice you will be Unfortunately directly responsible.
Please don’t be lazy and do the minimum research and don’t advice on a hunch.
Hello Maxim!
If you read through the comments you’ll see I have advised very strongly against using this with food. I have used it only for clay or concrete to create jewellery or other small trinkets.
Maxim perhaps you should fully read comments before responding. She wasn’t remotely telling anyone to use this on food safe items.
How dare you call her lazy LMFAOOOO when you were the lazy one not reading her comments to see she did NOT advise using for food. Cheesh.
Fran NEVER advised anyone to use hardware store silicone for bakeware or on skin dummy . Did you even read any of her replies when people asked??
She did not advice using this with food or on skin
She has commented several times about NOT using silicon for food!! Read all the post before jumping in on someone’s conversation and being completely rude and uncalled for.
You can make a mold for fondant from fondant. Use some of your old fondant (use your older stuff for this) and dust with cornstartch. Stick what you want to mold and take out and let dry. I saw a video on youtube. The lady use practically anything–mcdonald toys, toy cars–whatever you want. Paint and you have a great fondant decoration for your cake.
Any 100% silicone should work for food. If it needs a very high heat you should buy a silicone for that. The caulk smells like vinegar because that is the major curing ingredient. You can use it for soap molds too. If you mold an ore cookie the worse problem will be cleaning nasty cookie out of the mold when you make the mold. After it’s made the mold will work like any other baking silicone dishes.
you can also use silicone sealant and cornstarch.. dump cornstarch on a smooth surface.. the pump out the silicone sealant, enough for what ever you need to mold. knead the cornstarch into the silicone adding cornstarch as needed and work it until it isn’t sticky. lightly coat whatever your going to mold with petroleum jelly or spray lightly with cooking spray and press into the silicon and leave to dry/cure. it works for lots of small things such as pendents for jewelry etc.
Amazing! Definitely need to try this. Thanks so much for sharing!
That is a great idea. Would you know whether any brand of silicone works or is it only specific ones
Hey Cherie,
Thanks! Just make sure you get one that has the word “silicone” on the tube, but I think that any brand is fine. I usually use the cheapest ;)
I did an ornate oval frame with both recipes. Due to the size of my project I used an overlay rather than a press method. I found the soapy water was not as messy to prepare, it was quicker and much easier on the hands.. With the soapy water method you can pinch off pieces and add them to the mold without causing lines. The cornstarch recipe worked very well but it had to be done in one large application or it formed lines in the mold.
Are u able too paint the items after it dries?
The silicone needs to state on the packaging that it is paintable otherwise the paint won’t stick.
Hey Demetria,
I think it depends on what you make the item from. I’ve used a lot of concrete which is absolutely fine to paint. See my Color Block Concrete Bracelets for a example :)
One quick comment to piggy-back on something that was already said. Do NOT use kitchen or bathroom silicon sealant for anything that will touch food related items. These sealants have chemicals to prevent the growth of mold (like cyanide!! YIKES!) mixed into them.
Thanks for clearing that up Tony. Definitely don’t want those things to be touching food! Also probably wise to wash your hands well after you’ve been making/using the mold as well.
If you use nitrile exam gloves (like the kind that are used in medical clinics now in place of latex), that will protect you from the chemicals you might be exposed to if you handle the sealant for extended periods of time. :-)
Clear 100% Silicone for use with aquariums is food safe!
That makes sense to me since fish are ultra sensitive to chemicals.
I am making candy bars and other types of chocolate candies. The molds in the store dont have the shapes i need so when i saw this i was excited until i saw a post about not for food. So what kind do i use for food again. I think i saw it in a post but could you elaborate on it this please. Thanks
Thanks for this. I have been looking for something to use to make a dolls head mold. I live on a mountain miles from anywhere and find it hard to get supplies but I can buy silicon from the local butchers!!
Will give it a go :)
Fantastic! So glad to hear this is useful. Thanks for commenting! :)
This is exactly what I was wanting to do, but using concrete to make faces for a mosaic. Did this work for you?
There is a silicone that is heat resistant, we had to use it when we installed our pellet stove. This is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hey Kelly! Thanks for that pearl of wisdom. Heat resistant silicone would be perfect for candle making… the options are endless! :)
Hi, this sounds fabulous !! Would the moulds work with polymer clay do you think ?? Also are they flexible when they set so you can get the object out easily ?? Thank you.
Hey Pat,
Yes! I’ve used them myself with polymer clay. They work brilliantly. The reason I wanted to make silicone moulds is for making objects out of concrete. I needed something flexible to keep the concrete intact when I was releasing it. These moulds are perfect for that requirement. I have also popped the mould, with clay set inside, in the freezer for half an hour to make it even easier to get the clay out before heating. Works a treat. Hope that helps!
FREEZER! Brilliant idea to get the poly clay out before baking! Thanks for mentioning that!
I have been wanting to restore an old mirror with plaster framing there are several places where the plaster has been broken off it was always one of those how can i do it projects. now i know i’ll make a mold of a good section . then pour plaster into that and glue the dried product to the mirror then paint and gild it. Won’t my friend mate be surprised when i restore her special floor length oval mirror. She asked me years old to fix it now i can. thanks
I have repaired several old frames and mirrors. I use a rubbery mold marterial I buy at a craft store. But instead of using plaster to make the repo. parts I use Creative Paper Clay. It’s strong and carves and fills in bad spots with a little water.
You need to use cornstarch or talc as a mold release. pat
Thank you for your reply Fran, I must have a try with this !!! Thanks for sharing it with us xx
Hi, does anyone know if this would work for pewter. I want to cast pewter.
thanks
This would be amazing. I have absolutely no idea myself. I’d love to know though.
lost wax casting …. sand casting … molten pewter vs silicone ? hit the library or utube GOOG LUCK LET NOTHING STOP YOU BE SAFE ; )
lost wax casting …. sand casting … molten pewter vs silicone ? hit the library or youtube GOOD LUCK LET NOTHING STOP YOU BE SAFE ; )
Hi, do you or anyone else know if this would work to make soaps as well? Thanks.
I have never made soaps, but I think it would. That’s something I’d really love to do… I’m going to do some research!
Yes these handmade silicone molds will work for soap. Works great to make embeds for your unique soaps!
I do wonder about the chemicals causing skin reactions if you are making soap. Some purple have sensitive skin. I did see something above about aquarium sealant possibly being safer. I would defiantly read the warning lables and take those in to consideration when making food or bath and body products.
That’s what I wanted to know Linda!
Jaclyn – Pewter melts at 340-450 degrees. If your silicone is good to only 400 you might have a problem, but if you find some that is for heat resistant , like Kelly mentioned.
Well, from everything I have read, why not use a silicone mold to make a cement mold, then use the new cement mold for the pewter casting …. just a thought
Thanks Diana! These are all processes you can do easily at home. If anyone tries this out I’d love to see the results!
Diana, the double-mold process works great. I’ve used it many times to make plaster molds for glass casting. The plaster molds are destroyed by heat needed to melt the glass, but the silicone mold they’re made from is good for many, many reuses.
Fran, good tutorial, thanks. Gonna have to check out the rest of the site.
ive gotten all the stuff to try to make a couple molds for some buttons and maybe some pendants. how do you store your molds after youve made them?
karrie, anywhere cool & dry will be fine. As long as the mold is completely cured, it won’t stick to a shelf or whatever you set it on. Any dusty bits that settle on it after a while can be rinsed off with plain water before using.
this just blew my mind…. thannnnnnnnkyoooooooooou
Awesome! Do you think it would work for a mold of an actual finger? Any tips?
I made a soap hand using a disposable kitchen glove. I poured the soap in a bit at a time, waited for each layer to cool & set only enough so I could adjust the pose of the fingers & the hand. Then the next layer, etc. Temperature of the soap had to be warm enough to pour but not hot enough to melt the previous layer’s shaping on contact. A slow process, but I was also able to press in features like nail edges & crease lines at the knuckles, before the soap completely set. It took a few days.
I’d tried to make a mould out of dental mould mix as the amount of latex required would have cost too much. It would have been great to have known about this silicon method… except that keeping a hand in the setting silicon for 2 hours is a big ask. And would the mould have to be cut in 2 pieces to get the living hand out? (& the soap hand too)
cest beau ce que vous faite etr je sai je suis tres interer de faire et de creer des modeles car je sui sure de faire mieu et meme plus mai jai pas les moyen de materiel sasserais tres reconnaissante pour la puit que vous me raporterais, mercie manque ces creation et ideé et model et nous avons bon acheteur,
mon portable :00213698586348
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mercie
Heya,
Just wondering whether anyone has attempted this tutorial for a two part mould and used anything like porcelain slip? I would really love to make ball jointed dolls, which means making two part slip moulds to achieve hollow body parts, but I can not bare the concept of the expense for a liquid silicon mould kit!
The tutorial is fab by the way- I will find some use for it whether it is the above described or not, I have no doubt xD
Hey Emily,
I have not tried anything like that. Hopefully someone might comment who can help maybe?
Thanks for your lovely compliments about the tutorial though. I hope you fins it useful!
x
Hi Emily, and excuse me Fran if I step right in with an answer. I am not sure silicone moulds would work with porcelain slip, as the point in getting hollow parts is making the porcelain powder in the slip adhere to the mould walls while the liquid part of the slip gets soaked up by the mould itself, which therefore should be quite porous to do this. I used to cast tiny miniature cups using gesso moulds and don’t know of any alternatives that work as well.
Fran, great tutorial indeed! I am quite a heavy silicone mould user and will surely give this a try! Just a question: does the silicone dry up even while in the soapy water or does the water keep the silicone workable a bit longer?
Thanks again!
sorry, I meant PLASTER moulds, not gesso :S
I don’t think this would be good for clay as the plaster molds used for ceramics absorbs the liquid allowing the clay to set. silicone would not allow for that and it would take a day (or more) to get enough thickness to pour out the excess. Would be great if it would work huh?
I wonder if this would work to make mold’s of leaves for doing concrete,etc. In the winter I have no leaves to work with,this would be great if it would work. What do you think?
Adorei, venho tentando fazer moldes nunca sai bom o seu e perfeito.
Obrigada, um grande abraço.
I am going to try this for making some molds outta of some buttons and maybe some pendants. what do you store your molds in after your done using them?
Hey Karrie,
I love that idea of using buttons to make moulds. You could make some really interesting things out of those! I just throw my molds into a big box. As long as they don’t come into contact with any sharp objects they should be fine.
fantástico, siempre quise ese molde.
Really nice tutorial! I have been trying to make molds for a while now and I bought some liquid silicone but it turned out to be to expensive and tedious. Do you think I could make a two faced mold for plaster with the example you just did? Im thinking of just covering my whole object and then just cutting out the silicone in half when is done. Or is the silicone to hard? thank you!
Hey Catalina,
This silicone mold is perfect for this use. The silicone is soft and easily sliced with a craft knife. I have not tried it myself but I think you can definitely use this technique to make a two faced mold xx
Does this mold stay flexible so you can make a mold of a solid object can be fully incased with the silicone mold material can be crafter the material sets, with a razor blade directly down middle starting from one side and around to other side leaving bottom of mold untouched.
Yeah, it’s really flexible. If you check the comments I wrote a little bit about this somewhere. But basically it’s perfect for that sort of use :)
I just this moment just made a mold using this method. mine set up in less than 30 minutes. I ended up using the whole caulking silicone and it was not enough for a large bangle. I have been searching for a way to make bangle bracelets and I like this tutorial. Before I seen you site and example I had an idea of doing just this method. I just did not think it would work. I used a very cheap dish liquid from the .99 cents store and in my opinion all dish liquid will work . Mine had a chlorine alternative. I do not know if that had to do anything with the quick curing silicone. Any way that this is great I will me making me another bangle mold this afternoon. i use thick and thin masking tape as my bangle object. Masking tape is great for a medium to large adult size hand.
Good to know the cheap dish soap works. I’ve seen more than one article stating must use Dawn Original which I bought for mine, in the future will try the cheap kind. Why pay more than you need to, right? Thanks!
Thank you so much! This tutorial is priceless.
I have a cascading fountain made of very large concrete elephant ears. Over the years they have begun to crack and I’ve patched them many times. It’s getting to the point that I think I should just make new ones. The existing ones could be used to make the molds. How can I make molds of something large like this? Probably 2 ft wide by 3 ft long. About 1″ thick. Thanks!
Hello,
I have a human skull that I would love to make a mold of. Do you think this would work on a larger object like this? I thinking making two and piecing them together, would I need two tubes of sealant? I do not mind covering the skull in Vaseline for the process if I get a good result, the bone is ancient so it would probably do it some good!
Any advice before proceeding would be fantastic.
Jen
I have just seen a previous comment from Kristie, I will try covering the whole skull and then cutting in half to remove. Any suggestions on how to attach both parts together? I have read may options like wet plaster and PVA, any suggestions?
Hi Jen, I use modeler’s grade two-part silicone for my moulds: I can cut them up and the two parts stick together again with no problem at all, I only need a rubberband to keep them aligned while pouring the casting material in. It’s true I work in miniature and my moulds are quite small, but the properties of silcone should stay the same in any scale. Don’t know if this is true with the sealant kind as well, but it could be worth a try anyway.
Hope this helps!
I have worked with a variety of silicones for moulds. For casting pewter, I suggest you find a company like Silicones, Inc in High Point, NC. They make a silicone for pewter casting that works much better than an ad hoc mold, particularly if you want to make a two or three piece mold. Always, be careful there is no water anywhere in your mold if you cast pewter! Water instantly turns into steam and explodes then metal outwards. In bronze casting, aluminum cast, etc, it is always common practice to preheat any metal or tools that will go into molten metal or heat shock will make the molten metal explode upwards. It is one of the most common ways people are badly injured in foundries. It is not so bad with pewter, but much depends on how much and how hot your pewter is.
Food grade silicone rubber is very expensive because it has to be made in an all stainless steel environment subject to surprise inspections by the FDA (the same is true for companies making restaurant equipment) Making an entire manufacturing line over again in all stainless steel is very expensive.
Silicone calk is a two part catalyst material. Acidic acid (know as vinegar) keeps the hardening agent from interacting with the silicone material. If you apply a thin layer repeatedly to an object it may go faster, or at least with fewer air bubbles. Too much caulk flopped together means the vinegar drys on the outside, allowing the outside to harden but keeping the inside squishy. Thin layers avoid that problem. Afterwards, make a back up mother mould to keep it from flopping around. I use plaster.
Your caulk will go further with this method if you’re trying to stretch your material (pun intended.)
Joel Haas, sculptor
Raleigh, NC
I forgot to add in my info about pewter casting—make sure there are “vents” or “risers” cut into the mold. In other words, as metal goes into a mold the air has to leave the mold. If air is trapped or compressed in a part of the mold from which it cannot escape, the casting will have what’s called a “cold shut.” That is, the casting will be incomplete because the trapped air’s pressure was strong enough to hold the molten metal back. A vent should be cut into one side of the mold (I generally make two or three piece molds) with about a 1 mm groove coming off the edge of some part of the casting. The groove widens just a little bit before opening at the top of the mould.
http://www.silicones-inc.com/
http://www.polytek.com/
As for mould making and making some larger items, I recommend casting aluminum in green sand. (No, green sand is no more green than green cheese–green simply means not aged or uncured). If you have a friend or spouse with some basic woodworking equipment, you’ll be surprised what you can make. I prefer to use aluminum from lawn chairs or awnings–it has up to 7% copper in it, making it much stronger. Drink cans are made of pure aluminum because it is so soft it can be punched into super thin sheets. They’re often full of residual liquid, so dry them out first.
I suggest checking out some amateur sand casting web sites.
Don’t dismiss the idea out of hand, women especially. When I was in welding school right after the last dinosaur died, a third of the class were women. The same was true a few years later in the blacksmithing classes. In fact, several presidents of ABANA (Artist Blacksmith Society of North America) have been women. Almost all metal working is about how smart you are, not how strong you are.
http://www.myfoundrycoach.com/(Australian site, but still excellent for the States)
http://www.myhomefoundry.com/ (Australian site, but still excellent for the States)
http://www.abymc.com/
http://www.castcraft.com/index.htm
http://foundry101.com/
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/bill_r/fun_with_molten_metal.htm
http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html
http://www.foundry-supplies.com/
http://www.onlinemetals.com/index.cfm?affiliate_id=1014 (small orders)
http://www.freemansupply.com/
An excellent newsletter and series of books on sand casting with aluminum is sent out be the Australian foundry man Collen Croucher.
Well, that’s too much for today!
Joel Haas, sculptor
Raleigh, NC
Joel, Thank you for this in depth info!! I am a dinosaur myself and truly want to learn welding!! I want to make metal art object for yards!! This mold process sounds relatively easy but the one you described sounds like it’s more of a detail oriented process which I’m really good at!! The devil is in the details, my dad always said!! Lol
Use aquarium grade. Its considered safe for food contact when cured, unlike the construction grade that contains chemicals to kill mould and fungus growth. The kitchen and bathroom grade is the most toxic!! to prevent mould growth in the wet conditions of those places.
Thank you, Barry! Excellent suggestion! That should be safe for my natural soaps. I wouldn’t want to expose it to anything that could possibly be harmful.
Thanks for the great tip Barry!
Do you think it could handle heat up to 200 degrees?
I’m sorry if this has been suggested, I couldn’t make it through all eighty comments.
If you had access to a 3d printer, you could create any pattern you wish, within the constraints imposed by the process of mold making. For geometrically complex patterns, you may need a mold release agent.
I would love a 3D printer!!! Dreams for the future ;)
Hi!
This technique looks really great! I can’t wait to try it with some objects. However I’m wondering if you or anyone checking out this forum, has ever attempted to make a mold out of an already existing mold? I already have my negative made out of foam, but I would love to make a new one out of something more durable like silicone (since the foam is not in the best condition anymore after making many plaster copies). If I make a positive with silicone in my already existing foam mold and let it dry, do you think it would be possible to try to make a new mold from this object with the same silicone material? I would totally appreciate any insight, advice, tips, comments?
Hey,
I’m no expert but if you read through the comments I think this has already been discussed! Sorry I can’t be more of a help…
Silicone sticks to silicone. Separate with mold release like petroleum jelly and you will be ok.
do you think I would be able to make a berries mold… Say out of raspberries? or maybe something firmer like strawberries? or is the silicone too stiff?
Yes you can use fresh fruit to make molds this way
I want to make positive molds of 3D items such as shells, starfish, etc. Any suggestions for making a mold that has form and design on both sides?
Gostaria de comprar o silicone vc vende? Obrigada.
white background on photo made it impossible to see what object was molded
Hey
I would like to know if the silicone mould can create objects based out of PC-ABS. I found this link which mentioned processing conditions for the PC-ABS resin – http://www.viewmold.com/Injection%20Mold%20Management/resin%20processing%20condition/PC_ABS%20processing%20condition.html
The object I am longing to create is a pair of headphones.
I have a 3D printed positive made out of ABS. With that I can shape the mould but I like to know your opinions and advice as to have a pro set in hands.
Thanks.
eons ago I used a mold to make candles but here’s the great part…I used finials like from a bed post to make the mold…The candles were amazing!
Dziękuję za podzielenie się pomysłem! Wszędzie szukałam, jak można zrobić własne formy do żywicy. Zamierzam zrobić trochę wlasnej biżuterii.
Na pewno wypróbuję :)
Fantastyczne. dziękuję Lidia x
Trying to make a mould for a lego piece for my sister. Thanks for that, I have tried other methods but they didn’t work. Will try this method soon but exactly how much soap and water. Thanks xx
I love your information on making molds. I have a small toy dinosaur that fits in my hand and would like to make a mold of it. Once I have the mold made what can I use to form my new dinosaurs? Will air dried clay work or what do you suggest? These dinosaurs will just be painted and set on a shelf. Help!
Which bathroom brand did you use? The only bathroom specific one I could didn’t work. I saw later on the tube it read that it it supposed to stay tacky.
Hey, nice tutorial. I’ve been experimenting with this over the weekend and have gotten some pretty great results. :)
I have a question though. Is it safe to bake the molds in an oven? I’m not using this for food, but I do plan on molding stuff out of polymer clay, and to avoid potential warping of the shape, I’m hoping to bake the molds in the oven, with the polymer clay still inside. The silicone I used is resistant to at least 250C in temperature, so that isn’t an issue, but I’m worried the silicone might release harmful contaminants into our oven while it’s baking.
Have you tried baking your molds before?
Wow, amazing wealth of information. Joel Haas you really contributed some great info. Thanks. I’m so looking forward to doing this. I have been wanting to make a dog/cat tic TAC toe board for outside use and this will be perfect to cast concrete pieces. Thank you all so much.
i made this mold yesterday and the mold is still not dry yet(its still sticky), did i do something wrong? If so, do you know of anyways for me to remove the object from the silicone?
I had followed the same instructions using GE 100% silicone II in the color white and had used dawn soap. when i had pressed the object into the mold, the mold did not stick to my hand but it did stick to a different object so, i had placed some soapy water on the object before pressing it into the mold. now as i stated before the silicone still has not dried over the course of 12 hours:(
Hey Daniella!
ARGH! I can feel your frustration. Everything you have done sounds correct and in my experience the silicone would have dried by now. My advice is to leave it a little longer. That type of silicone might just need more time. In the end it will stop being sticky (otherwise what would you use it for!?) and you should be able to remove the object without having the wash off the sticky silicone.
The only thing I can think of for the future is to spend more time kneading the silicone in the soap or a stronger soap/higher concentration in the mixture. I hope it sets for you really soon!
Fran
With the GE caulk, it took weeks for mine to set up to feel firm then it relessed the positive fine.
You need outdoor 100% silicone, as it is being exposed to water.
Привет!!! Можно ли сделать форму для винтажного,декоративного ключа ?Нужно наверное две половинки слеить ,чтобы получить полную форму ключа?Благодарю!
Just some thoughts on silicon. It is a mixture of carbon (from wood) and silicate (from stone). When it cures it generates acetic acid (vinegar). I don’t know that adding vinegar will accelerate setting time.
Silicons adhere best to smooth surfaces by a vacuum. I would put oil on something valuable before coating with silicon. I think the soap in this mix insulates the plug. silicones have a water demand so added water probably helps the setting. They can stretch about 4 times their original length.
I’m curious. What is the purpose of the hand soap? Does it have to be colored? Or does the color help you see the clear silicone?
Hey Roseanne,
The silicone reacts with a chemical in the hand soap which speeds up the setting process. I don’t think it has to be a colourful soap but I’ve not tried it with colourless soap so I’m not 100% sure of that. Thanks for reading!
Fran
Thanks so much for the reply. Well, I tried this yesterday and it was an epic failure. The silicone totally stuck to the gloves (medical type) that I was wearing, and I ended up with more in the mold than in my container. I needed it for several minutes and it just never seem to change texture? Finally I gave up and slapped it in a plastic container and shoved in the item. It did pop out of the container this morning, but there were tons of air bubbles. When massaging the silicone in the water, it looked nothing like your photos! It was real stringy. What brand are you using? I know I bought silicone sealant. Any ideas?
Thanks again!
Roseanne
Ive seen silicone used to make fishing flys, the bloke painted the silicone from time to time using Photography Fixer (whatever that is) which made it set immediately allowing for more work and more additions instantly. (just sayin)
Por favor quisiera saver mas de los moldes de silicona pero no entiendo no hablo ingles gracias
How we’ll would this hold up if I was to make a cosplay head piece with it?
I enjoyed reading your article! Thanks for the tips! Just want to add: use RTV or “Room Temperature Vulcanizing” silicones that are mixed in two parts (a base and a catalyst) to induce curing. Its high tear strength makes it the choice of professional mould makers. When creating your own mould, there will need to be a positive and negative item. A positive item is an item that is duplicated for multiple uses. For instance, the positive item would be a bracelet, pendant or toy. The negative item is the mould of the object you need to replicate. When the silicone mould has finished setting, and the original object has been removed – this would become your negative item. Having a reusable mould saves you time and energy in duplicating your products, which is critical for any business (or crafter) hoping to keep their bottom line down. Read more here: http://dalchem.com.au/how-to/how-to-make-silicone-moulds
Oh, you have inspired me so much! I was cruising the internet looking for ideas on a kitchen reno that I’m doing and want to make something out of paper mache’ and thought I would need a mold to accomplish what I was thinking. THIS IS PERFECT! With this technique I am going to make antique tin ceiling tiles out of paper to finish a very ugly kitchen ceiling. The silicone mold idea is perfect and I can see my vision coming to light! I ordered one tile piece that I will use to make the mold and have already targeted the paper mache’ recipe that I will use. I will post pics of what it turns out to look like!
brillant! I have 24×24 tin ceiling tiles that I could use! Please let me know how it works and the process ! OMG ! The things I could do with this! Thanks for the ideas !
D.
Hi,I want to reproduce river rocks as soap,either cold press or melt and pour and was wondering if that would be possible using silicone. I realise I will have to leave just a small opening in the mold and be able to sort of peel the mold off the rock nearly turning the mold inside out in preference to cutting it open which I would then have to join before pouring soap into mold making it messy and with a join line I don’t want. Any ideas anyone!!!
When the mold has “cured” is it fully cured silicone or is it still fragile and mushy? I’m not in need of making stuff from the mold but the mold itself for a piece of art and I need it to withstand some abuse from people handling it. I’ve tried just using straight silicone without the soap and water but it takes way too long to cure.
Someone did mention Oogoo somewhere. By mixing cornstarch with silicon you get water right into the silicon and it cures quickly. Small batches as it sets fast. Build up in layers. Google Oogloo. Good luck.
Thanks Max! You’ve got me watching videos on Oogloo now ;)
Thanks for this great post. I’m gonna give it a try!!
Hi! I
was searching for a way to make a star wars cake mold for a birthday party , i couldn’t find what i wanted and other related molds and cake pans are unreasonably expensive…. I read the comments but still no sure which material is the safest for cakes.
I will be so glad if you can help me based of your experience… :)
hmmm… not too sure about this one. Try researching Sugru perhaps? Sorry I can’t help more
There are special silicones for gluing fish tanks, non poisonous and food safe.
Thanks for all the knowledge Tempo! I need to find myself some fish silicone ;)
Si fuera una persona racional, debería haber
previsto la posibilidad de una situación como en la que se halla.
I would like to make molds of hands…will this work? Please tell me there is a way
May I ask, I want to make candle holders out of cement can I make a silicone mould and then pour the cement into the mould. … the mould that I want to make will have a few rounding in the shape , to take of the mould from the cement object , do you think I can just rolled it down.
Fab tutorial! Ive seen this before with all usa crafters using ‘blue dawn’ hand soap…. Which I cannot find for cheap in the uk. What hand soap do you recommend? Does it need a specific active ingredient??
Thanks!
Hey Emma!
I used the absolute cheapest handsoap I could find and it worked every time! I don’t think it needs a special ingredient but perhaps buy a couple of different brands to try out? x
It was interesting.
I scrolled through rather quickly looking for comments on making silicone molds for making stepping stones. I plan to use various leaves as patterns. The two inquiries I noticed did not have a reply. One was exactly what I’m wanting to do. Gather leaves during the summer, make my molds and when we build our house this fall, have my casts ready for left over concrete after pouring our foundation. I hope someone can advise.
Hey Sue!
By the sounds of it I think your project would work but it depends on how large you would like the stones to be. The silicone is ideal and cheap for smaller projects but when scaling up it might be more cost effective to go with more traditional casts. Also I’m not sure how much of the leaf detail you would preserve. However as I said, the materials are cheap to buy so you could test it out first before committing to the full scale project.
Thanks,
Fran
Hi can you please tell me can I use this recipe to make silicon mould for cake lace will this work or not? And can you use any silicon u use in bathroom tiles or it’s different thanks
Hey Lubna,
Don’t use the silicone for food use! Lots of chemicals you definitely don’t want in your cake! I think you can buy cheap moulds that are great for making lace on cakes.
Thanks! xx
Do you think this would be possible to use on fabric items such as pillows or stuffed animals? Would I have to coat the item with something before applying the silicone?
Hey Casey!
That’s a tricky question to answer. I’ve only tried it on a small scale with non-porous items so I’m not sure if it works on fabric. Perhaps if you waxed the fabric first? It would be worth doing a few test runs on a smaller pieces to see the results. I’d love to hear more about it! :)
hi. i’m from the u.s.
i’m late to the party but i recently made a silicone mold using this method. i was wondering if the vinegar-y smell ever goes away? or will the mold always smell like that?
I just tried this…several mistakes. I used too tall of a container which made it super difficult to remove. The areas where I embedded my pieces had a lot of bubbles. How do you get it smooth?
Great guide this – esp about the ratio of soap to water.
I am going to try this to make a mould of a tractrix hifi horn. If you imagine a large continually curving / opening vase.
The volume is quite large, around 3 litres (I checked by filling it with water, so I will build up the silicone in layers I think, so each sets.
Question is at what point / thickness to release the mould from the horn? Too thin walled and it will not retain it’s shape, too thick or solid I may never get it out. I will use Vaseline or similar to try to prevent the silicone getting too attached to the object. It will be an inside mould but the end is open about 1.5″ so I can push it out from there and work at it.
I’ll try getting some smaller samples to cure first.
I understand that it’s the glycerine in soap that acts on the silicone to speed up setting.
Once I have my mould I will lay up gel-coat and then 3-4 layers of glass fibre resin, which I am used to working with.
Here goes…
I need a mold of a light bulb. do you think this will work?
Is the smell really awful? because I made it and almost throw up because of the chemical smell.. is there any particular brand that has less smell on it or its normal for it to have a strong chemical smell?
I want to make a mold of brick so I can make my own thin brick. Will it work for that?
Thanks from Ireland for sharing this fran and also to everyone that has added their knowledge and ideas. . I’m so excited, but doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight thinking of what to do as I have a lot of sad furniture that I plan to update with plaster mouldings xxx
Great Post..
I Really enjoy reading it.
Keep sharing it here.
Great Post.
Keep up the good work.
hi, just wana share somethng too, if you dnt want your mold sticking on to your end product try brushing your mold with color guard, its what we dental tech’s uses to keep our cast mold from sticking from dental matirials when we are processing it,, and thanks ms.Fran for the tutorial, i can use it making decorative molds,
by the way dont mind the miss splells okay,,, lol,,
You shared useful information. But now I’m trying to do some more research into silicones that will haves a more forgiving mold life.
Any ideas about changing the color of the mold (silacone). I think it would make it easier to see any imperfections. Thanks for the ideas. Good job!
Hey John,
A great suggestion. You can get so many different colours now that would make it easier to see the imprint! I just like the clear ones because I think they look good! haha!
Just to let you know Fran… I’m jumping into this DIY thing with both feet. You’ve inspired me with the quality of you process. The amount of your followers is impressive and the time you take to follow up is a credit to dedication. I’ll be making molds, soap, and candles and following you example. I see blog in my future!
Yes John!
Thank you so much for your lovely compliments and I wholeheartedly recommend starting a blog. Please let me know when you do. I’d love to read more!
Fran
Oh this is just too awesome for words!!! i came across this yesterday and decided today to read through the comments. Many thanks to you Fran…I was looking for something this easy and economical to try molds. And thanks to everyone for all the additional tips and suggestions. Great help!!! Have you, or anyone else here, tried pouring UTEE into one of these molds? UTEE melts to 350 so I was curious as to how the mold would hold up or react. I would love to hear about your experiences!
Hi, I was wanting to make molds for fondant and was wondering if Latex plus silicone caulk would work?
Hey Trisha!
The silicone has all sorts of harmful chemicals in it so I would avoid for fondant and any other food items. I definitely need to look into food safe mould making though… leave that with me! x
Hi guys. Im trying to make a mould to make a personal chocolate bar for valentines day. Can i use this method for the mould? If not do you have any suggestions.
I live in a small town thats very limited.
Cheers
Hi…Could you please advise? I have a painted art deco face wall plaque and I would love to make a couple more, would this be possible to make a mould from my face plaque or would it harm it? Thanks Sassa
Does the water you put it in have to be a certain temperature
My silicone won’t set…can I do something…maybe put in oven? I have tried to make this several times I have followed the directions this is the closest I have gotten. Clear silicone and concentrate dish soap!!!! HELP
Hey Michelle! Don’t put it in the oven!! It won’t help and the silicone is very toxic. It doesn’t need to be clear – it can be any colour but it needs to have silicone in the ingredients and on the label. Also the soap I used is hand soap rather than dish soap. This might be why it isn’t working for you at the moment. Keep us up to date on your progress!
OK thanks I’ll keep trying!
If the silicone mold has been sitting for a few days and is still sticky, there isn’t much you can do to re-set it. I’ve found that soaking it for 3-4 days in a bucket of very soapy water will sometimes harden the outside so it’s usable. If it’s just certains spots that didn’t set correctly you can also try covering those sections with new caulk (silicone loves to stick to itself).
Things to try with the initial mix
— using a higher soap-to-water ratio
— work the silicone under the water for longer until if feels like slightly stiff clay (like Fimo)
— If you are using GE brand caulk, make sure you are using SIlicone I and not Silicone II. SIlicone II has a different formulation that has had setting issues for me.
Hope that helps! :)
Can anyone see this?
Just stopping by to leave a giant THANKS for this post! It was what kicked off my plunge into mold making back in 2014 and I have had so much fun making things since. :)
Je comprends pas l’anglais.explain in French please
Hi, I was wondering if this would work for bigger projects. I want to make some concrete heart stepping stones from a valentine candy box. Do you think if I made the mold from that box, I could reuse it to make many hearts?
Hey Cheri,
You would need quite a lot of silicone but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work :D
Reusing mold.
Heart mold
As a professional handyman for 12 years before I retired, I had many opportunities to use silicone and caulks of various kinds. I’ve done many bath tubs and sinks with bathroom silicone, and many, many feet of floors behind wood trim, and up and down room corners, and back and forth across ceilings, and in and out of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, prior to painting or to seal rooms and cupboards to keep out bugs. I squeezed an enormous unknown quantity of caulk and silicone. What worries me for you is that my experience with silicones, whether paintable or not, is the possibility of cancer-causing agents or internal organ damage from silicone components. Absorbed through the skin, many chemical substances lodge in the spleen, liver, kidneys, fatty tissues of breasts, and accumulate to later hurt the body. And these days with all the alerts about breast cancer we need to be super alert. I often used bare hands, and equally as often used nitrile gloves during application of silicones and caulks. What information do you have about this issue of potential tissue damage from silicone? Sincerely, Bill
Oh, and I’d like to add that silicone is just as wonderful sticking things together. On my brick wall between the garage doors there are still three white glass bowls my wife and daughter stuck to the wall 25 years ago. Still can’t pry them off. They adhered the bowls to the wall, and painted the interiors of the bowls with the red, yellow, and green or traffic lights.Also, and this is the truth, a few years back before I fixed the basement wall, the brickwork was caving outward, having broken just above the top of the basement wall. I took five or ten tubes of silicone and filled the crevices with silicone, and that stuff held together the brick wall until I took it down for repairs. And when I removed the brick wall, the bricks still clung together with the silicone. I had the scrape it all off to replace the brickwork. I was absolutely impressed with the silcone’s ability to hold together the weight it did for a couple of years. -Bill
As silicon is made from silicate (sand) and carbon (wood) I very much doubt that it can cause cancer. When it sets it generates acetic acid which accounts for the strong vinegar smell.
If you have any doubts phone the manufacturer and speak to a chemist/specialist.
hey there! Do you think this recipe would be okay to use on your face? if not, is there an alternative recipe i could use?
Hey Jessica. I would NOT recommend using this on your face. The silicone has a lot of chemicals in it! You can buy food safe silicones but you should check with the manufacturer about using them on your skin first!
Great post, keep adding. very nice post.
Thank you so much for this :)
Hello I work in the powder coating industry if I was to make a mask out of silicone like you do on this page would it go through a oven at 200 degrees c for 50 minutes to a hour without melting or would I have to use a moe expensive sealer silicone?
Ra
Regards. Steve
Wow, i exceptionally adore it. Be that as it may, I’ve seen some site blend silicone with power. What the ideal way? pls.
This may be an old post but I just wanted to add a bit of info. I have made this using the technique shown. It DOES make a nice rubbery mold! I like the mold to be a bit more sturdy so there is another way you can use the silicone. If you mix it with corn starch it will be a stiffer material, and it will hold heavier weight objects. It works really well!
http://www.madebybarb.com/2017/03/30/cast-your-own-concrete-bunnies/
http://www.madebybarb.com/2016/07/21/cast-your-own-concrete-critter-part-2/
Hi there, I’ve just stumbled across this tutorial and have been desperate to find a way to make moulds of my ceramics for ages, hoe stiff is the mold, would I be able to remove a glazed ceramic object from it easily do you think?
Hey Rebecca,
The great thing about this mould is that it’s really flexible. As long as you make sure you have a coating on the object (like vaseline) to help the mould come off you should be fine. It’s easy and quick to make though so perhaps you can try it with a test piece first and see what the results are?
Thanks,
Fran
It’s an remarkable post in support of all the web visitors;
they will get benefit from it I am sure.
We love this idea for making awesome cake by this recipe and thanks to you for giving this awesome recipe. I will try this recipe recently. Thanks!!!
i agree with you , i love these cake , thank you very much
Does the water need to be cold?
Cool? Room temp? Warm? Or what?
1. Could I use this for a large (24 inch diameter) pot? (With a mother mold to support it, of course.)
2 How much does the mold shrink while curing? If it shrinks more than a minimal amount then it is impossible to support it with a mother mold made from material that does not shrink, or that shrinks to a different degree and/or schedule.
(I made some molds of bricks that were supposed to fit together using the silicon and flour method. It shrank so much that the mold could not be placed in a mother mold, or put together for casting as it had shrunk and distorted. —> useless mold. }
I’m a sculptor. Wondering if I can use it to cast 3 dimensional standing objects, or even something like a doll head. Is this pliable enough for the little noses and ears, etc that stick out, or will it break the clay? I usually have to block off the sections with clay and then pour with plaster. Ideas?
hi fran
would I able to do one for fairies as I am doing a fairies garden and some of them are very costly and would love to do it pamie
hi Fran
I am making a fairie garden and would like to know if I would be able to cover both sides of the fairies as I would need a few of them and I am useing das modelling clay thanks pamie
I have a lot of ceramic molds (plaster of Paris). Some are open-face molds-that you just pour your slip into it and let it dry. Others have 2 or more pieces and are banded together…. I was wondering if I could use these to make silicone molds or for anything other than the traditional slip or porcelain that is poured into them, then fired. I would love to be able to use these.
The silicone I used became solid in seconds..before I could even get the bracelet in.
Does anyone have an idea about why this happened..?
Can you make items that will be worn or used internally with this silicone mould?
I am wondering if this could be used to make a sort of plaster of a print I want to make? I have a very important foot print, of my son’s foot and he has passed away, in our cement on our sunporch and I really want that print to save as we may move from our home in the near future. Any idea if I can do this for that purpose?
Thank you!
Liz
Hey Liz,
I’m so sorry to hear that. Of course this is so important. I think this should work perfectly but please test a little maybe on the concrete nearby just to make sure the silicone peel off when it’s dry. xxx
nice blog about silicone molding, thanks for this information.
nice blog thanks for sharing
It’s a very useful article, thanks to sharing it with everyone who is interested in reading a story that teaches something we do not know of.
ฮวงจุ้ย
Приветствую! I enjoyed your instructions on mold making. Have you tried making a two or three part mold? If you did, what did you used to keep the silicone from sticking to the first part?
I want a make own hand module in silicon what i have to do …love to hear from your regarding this
Hi, I have a question about molding a doll like Monster High or Barbie. I’m trying a new craft with my nieces and I would like to practice with a remake molded doll instead of the real ones…$$$
Would it work for tree bark?
You can use silicone and liquid soap to make a silicone mold. Fill a bowl with room temperature water. Using one part soap to 10 parts water, mix in your soap until it dissolves. Next squeeze some construction silicone into the water and knead it underwater, until it is no longer sticky. Pull the silicone out of the water and form the putty into a thick disk by rolling and flattening it. Now press the desired item into the silicone and let the disk harden over the next several hours. Pull the item out of the mold, and you are done. If you want to learn how to use cornstarch or 2-part silicone for your mold, keep reading!
Squeeze some construction silicone into the water. Purchase a tube of pure silicone from the home improvement store; make sure it is not the quick-set kind. Squeeze enough of the silicone into the bowl to cover your desired item with.
I have used the red high temp silicone to cast lead and solder
Was wondering if I could use my glasses ear plugs to make a mold for resin ear plugs just curious I wanna make my own ear gauges plugs decorated the way I want them. And I can’t find ear plug molds. And I think this may work.