Casting Silicone: The Best Way In 5 Easy Steps!

Casting Silicone: Silicone is a multi-purpose weapon. Filling and molding allow possible applications resulting from its various properties.

The different types of silicone also allow a wide range of applications. It’s in use as a release agent in oils and greases.

Use it further as a silicone resin and as a coating. The application possibilities for the do-it-yourself enthusiast open by silicone rubber.

It is moldable and easy to process and offers many details. The following paragraphs aim to explain the processing and possibilities of silicone rubber.

Properties of the silicone

Silicone can stand out from other materials, primarily due to its favorable properties. One of these is that there are virtually no allergies to silicone.

Use appropriate protective clothing; we need this because it makes it possible to work with silicone. Still, we must take care in these cases when using it later.

Silicone is also water-repellent and conducts almost no electricity.

Application possibilities of silicone rubber

Silicone rubber is the most common use of silicone for the do-it-yourselfer. It is an initially soft mass, which later hardens.

However, the compound remains very smooth and elastic when hardening but loses moisture and cant take form.

Take caution because overstretching dried mixture can lead to fractures and cracks.

We can use silicone rubber for several purposes. On the one hand, we can use negative deductions from molds with some skills.

Molds are in use in somewhat more complex work steps and later filled again with silicone.

Casting silicone step by step guide

Casting silicone – Pouring silicone step by step guide / Image by estefania17 from Pixabay

From silicone, you can make wonderful and practical shapes. To achieve the desired appearance, you need to cast the silicone for the molds. Read below which tips will help you do this:

1. Material

The material you need to cast silicone is silicone rubber. Prepared the silicone so that it is already in liquid form that we can pour it into molds. Make sure that you buy the rubber in two components. The two parts together make up the finished silicone.

2. Mixture

The mixture ratio indicates on the packaging, so you should use them as a guide. Follow the mixing rates as closely as possible; otherwise, you will get a worse quality. Use a kitchen scale to weigh the quantity.

3. Preparation

Pour silicone into a negative mold, the later mold. Select a mold with wood, plaster, or stone. The negative form materials are very absorbent. Treat the surface with a release agent spray beforehand. It prevents silicone absorption into the fabric of the negative form.

4. Casting

Cast your silicone parts at room temperature or around 20 degrees Celsius. If it is too hot, the material becomes too liquid; it can clump if it is too cold. Once you have poured the silicone into the mold, let it cure. Depending on the manufacturer’s instructions, this can take up to 24 hours or longer. Tip: Leave the mold in a warm and dry place.

5. Demoulding

Only remove your silicone mold from the negative mold when it is dry. Otherwise, it may stick to the edges and damage your mold. After 24 hours of drying time, you can make your first attempt. If you cannot remove the silicone easily, you should wait a little longer.

Info:

Start with small and simple forms. Preparing the mold requires a lot of practice and experience, and removing the mold will also be much more comfortable after several attempts.

Making negative molds with original molds

Negative shapes are being a basis for duplicating particular objects. Rubber silicone is suited for use too to some other products.

In some cases, a master mold, a frame, has to be produced to carry out the molding process. It ensures that the silicone cannot spread if it is very liquid. The original mold should be larger than the object to be getting duplicated.

It is also essential that the original form is tight and that no silicone can flow under the edges. The silicone is first getting prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The liquid silicone floods into the central mold and over the object to be getting duplicated.

We must ensure that all areas are thick and covered. After curing, the mold can then be getting removed.

Making negative molds without master molds

It is also possible to duplicate some objects without an original shape, and it depends on the consistency of the silicone.

For example, it is possible to put the silicone in a basin with a mixture of water and detergent.

Then it can be formed into a large ball. This ball is then getting used to enclose the object. Parts of the silicone can then be getting removed from the thicker areas.

However, there should be a possibility to get the object out of the mass again.

For this purpose, either an appropriately large hole or the finished negative form must be cut open.

In both cases, the layer should not be too thin not to endanger the stability too much.

Filling molds with silicone

Besides creating negative shapes, there is also the possibility to fill shapes. First of all, you need a profile to be getting filled. This form can either be produced with silicone or already exist.

Other materials, such as plaster, can also be used. Usually, silicone doesn’t bond with the hardened silicone, and release agents can still be used to be on the safe side.

The form can then be getting filled with silicone. If it is a closed form, we should do the pouring from above. Also, a second hole in the mold is recommended to allow air to escape.

But it is often also helpful to fill two separate halves and connect them later. After sufficient time to dry, we can carefully remove the outer form, and a result is an object made of silicone inside.

Conclusion

Silicone is a real all-rounder when it comes to producing and filling molds. You don’t need many tools and only a few auxiliaries, but they are easy to make.

Care should always be taken, as impurities can lead to later errors in the duplicated object. Silicone and especially silicone rubber offer the possibility to make and fill molds for duplication.

For this purpose, the compound must be getting produced and used according to the manufacturer’s specifications to achieve the desired result.

Casting Silicone: The Best Way In 5 Easy Steps!

Properties of the silicone

Application possibilities of silicone rubber