In polymer clay, molds and textures are fabulous tools to have. Some of us (ahem, me) spend a lot of time and money collecting different clay molds to use on our work.
Barbara, from Buntwerkstatt, shares a tutorial for making silicone molds using hardware store silicone
and talc.
In the tutorial she comments this should be done outside because the silicone will stink until it’s cured. I also advise doing this with unscented powder rather than baby powder. This method can use a lot of talcum powder and it smells for ages.
You might want to do a test nub of this to see how long YOUR mix will take to set up. Either do a small glob or a very small mold to test the process. Then you’ll be more confident when you go to mold and cast your final object.
Would Cornstarch work?
When I tried this a few years ago, I used a chalk powder from the garage and it worked fine. You could try cornstarch! My only concern is the fact that it’s organic but I imagine it would “cure” in the silicone.
Could you use the sand free grout powder? I use that to make my own gesso.
Give it a shot. I can’t imagine it would react badly – grout powder is inert. You may have to play with the proportions but you would with the talc as well.
Hi
Can I use this mold for soap making? or do I need other type of silicone?
I’d say yes, you can use it for soap making but I’d experiment first before doing a full batch, as I would with any new material.
Great. I’m inspired. Thank you
Once cured do you think it would hold resin?
Give it a shot with a sample one? It’s not my area of expertise but I’d whip up a dummy mold and a teeny bit of resin and try it.
Is this food safe?
I would think not but I’m actually not sure!
Can the mold be put into the oven once it’s cured?
Hi Elizabeth! I haven’t tried but I would make a dummy blob mold to test first before I did that.
Hi. can i use potasium cabonate inset of powder
You could try? Potassium carbonate is less easy to find where I am than talc powder. I’d probably try something like corn starch if I were looking for a substitute.
Hi Elaine – do you know if the molds eventually shrink-up or noticeably shrivel? Thank you!
I haven’t noticed any change in the ones I’ve made with a version of this. They’re about two years old and not heavily used. I did immediately have some dry / didn’t mix great areas where I picked bits of the mold off but no change later.
What is the best way to make a mold of a succulent?
That’s a good question. Anything with over hang you’ll want a really super flexible silicone mold. So you’ll need to do some experimenting to get the right texture. If you’re casting a live succulent (rather than an inanimate object) it may be a challenge!