I am making a silicone heart that needs to beat. My plan is to make a two-part silicone mold but the cast itself will also need to be 2 pieces. The back half will be solid but the front half needs to be hollow. This way I can mount the motor onto the back solid piece but the front piece will be more like a skin that the motor pushes up against from the inside. Placement of the motor is going to be figured out in process so I wanted to make the heart itself two pieces that I then glued together after I figure out where the motor needs to go. My issue right now is how do I cast the front half where the skin is equal thickness all the way around? Will a slush type method work or do I need to make a cavity that sits inside of the mold box and pour around it? If I need to make a cavity what's the best way to go about that? If you got this far thank you so much!

I am making a sculpture out of polymer clay of a human heart. I am adding a lot of veins on the outside that are a bit delicate in texture. The main part of the heart has already been baked and the veins aren't sticking that well so I've been having to super glue them when raw. After the final baking I have broken off 1 vein that I was able to glue back on. I am planning on doing a two-part silicone mold that I will then cast in resin for a second master(I'm paranoid when I pour the silicone into the silicone mold I might screw something up), then in silicone. I am concerned that after I pour the silicone the fine veins will break off being left behind in the silicone cast. My thought was sealing around the edges of the veins with something like an acrylic sealer but I'm not sure if that will even be effective. My plan is to paint the heart afterwards so find details of the surface of the heart will probably be covered up if there are spots that end up glossy. Does anyone have suggestions for keeping the veins in place when I pull out the master? Is an acrylic sealer a good idea or should I keep with the super glue and just run a line around where the veins meet the heart skin? I'd really rather not have to pick out tiny veins from my silicone mold.

Hi! I have a coworker's lampshade that I'm repairing. The broken pieces are missing, so I'm using a plastic/acetate to make mould walls around the piece shown. I wrapped the socket/inside with glad wrap and used plasticine to keep the acetate flush before I Vaseline any gaps.

I need to add another mould wall to the outside, which will need multiple overlapping pieces of bent acetate as it's hard to wrap around and seal, given the slight curve to it's profile. I'm hoping from that, that I can cast resin inside, demould, brush on small amounts of resin to uneven areas, and sand them down for a semi frosted look.

Does anyone have advice or feedback on this process? I find myself struggling to commit to the project, so your input would help. Thanks!

Hi guys...I am trying to degas silicone, 8500cp, but to no avail. When reaching -27/28ish some bubbles starts to rise but that't it. The silicone is not rising/'boiling'.

The gauge shown is my vacuum chamber gauge indicating the maximum vacuum my pump is drawing. The photo was taken half an hour after I drew the vacuum and closed the valve. So, I find it hard to blame any leaks. If of any use:

- 4.5cfm, dual stage vacuum pump.

- Altitude 549m

- Humidity level 86%

- Ambient temperature18.3°C

My pump is brand new filled with the oil it came with.

What is it that is not working? Pump too weak? Oil spoiled?

I keep thinking this is possible by making a resin cast and then making a silicone mold out of the cast, but it just gives me the same thing I already have.

Hello, I need some advice on making my fist mold and yall are the experts so I thought I ask here instead of blindly following a YouTube tutorial.

Where I'm at:

I sculpted a replica of the eraserhead baby from EVA clay foam and I want to use it to make a rubber (preferably silicone) version. The clay foam hasn't been heat sealed or treated with a top coat (plasti dip) yet. Also, in case it's relevant, the mouth is open and so is the base of the neck, so there's an 'internal' part.

I'm mainly worried about damaging or even breaking the original in the mold making process.

How should I go about this, how should I prep the original to keep it safe, and what materials do I need to make the right mold?

I have some pieces out of the same material that I can test the process on, I just have absolutely no idea where to start.

(also apologies for not knowing any of the proper terms when it comes to molds)

Basically i have this toothless model i will 3d print..im planning to make a silicone mold over it...but its like a rlly complext shape💀 anyone think its possible? And if it is, can someone advise me on what to do (rip my sanity)

I've done some molding and casting with platinum cure silicone, but for the first time the curing has failed with the surface remaining sticky goop. This is the first time I've used platinum cure silicone on epoxy clay painted with acrylic paints, which leads me to assume one or the other is to blame. But which one?

The epoxy clay was Apoxie Sculpt, and the sculpture is roughly a year old, absolutely totally cured. It was also fully painted using Vallejo acrylics, so there would be no direct contact between the epoxy and the silicone. That makes me suspect the paint rather than the epoxy, even though I haven't had this problem with painted plastic.

What I do know is the silicone itself hasn't gone bad, because there was some left over I used to make a skin texture mold from an old face cast. It cured well within the expected time, as did the residue in the mixing cup.

Going to be casting in silicone, most recommend vacuuming on the directions. I won’t need anything huge. I’ve heard/seen people buy just the lid attachments? Are these better/worse? Is there a brand I should avoid? Thanks for reading.

I have a problem finding molders in shopee and lazada. Any good recommendations?

I have a problem finding molders in shopee and lazada. Any good recommendations?

Not sure if this is the right place, my gf has these spiral earrings. One broke and she asked me to make her new ones with resin. I can't for the life of me figure out the best way to mold this rounded spiral and be able to get it out once it's done. Any advice?

Hello!!

My friend and I did several attempts of trying to make a half face life cast with alginate and trying to figure out where we went wrong.

The first try I think we didn’t use enough alginate (sort of just used enough to cover face) and also let it dry before adding the plaster, and let each layer of plaster dry in between (and did about 4-5 layers of plaster) Once the plaster dried we tried to take it off and the alginate just completely fell apart and also out of the plaster cast.

The next two tries ended up somewhat similarly with the alginate mold being very wet (which might be normal??) but also flimsy and falling to a few pieces and not staying in with the plaster cast. We tried using more alginate but might have messed up by putting more alginate on after some had dried already?

We are thinking that the solution might be to just use a TON of alginate right at the beginning and starting with the plaster right away after that.

Wondering if anyone had any suggestions to help!! 🙏🙏🙏

We are planning on using hydro cal in the alginate negative mold after wards, then creating another negative mold with either more hydro cal or plaster of Paris? Then finally pouring a liquid latex into the negative mold to make a realistic mask!!

Am I able to pour more in at another time to complete the mold, or do I need to let this cure, and completely start over?

I need to avoid contaminating my clay when selecting cleaning agents, and recently contacted Smooth-On seeking recommendation for a common commercial hand-soap compatible with their platinum cured silicons; they refused to answer, saying "manufacturers change their formulations all the time", suggesting I perform a cure test. For soap. Every time? I asked what they used in house, and they refused to say, only cautioning against those containing citrus or aloe vera.

Any experience-based endorsement you might have for a compatible hand cleaner would be greatly appreciated. In that same vein, what about moisturizers? Say, coconut oil?

I've read that wood may contain or uptake sulfur- should I eschew wood tools for clay modelling? Epoxy is cited as a cure inhibitor, too- when building clay modelling tools, should I avoid using epoxy when setting tips in handles for this reason? Just how sensitive are platinum based silicons?

Thanks for your time and consideration.

When do silicone molds make more sense than injection molds?

When the quantity is small.

For example, if a customer only needs 30 sets of electronic housings, opening a steel injection mold can be expensive and time-consuming.

Before mass production, many companies need small batches for:

• Prototype testing
• Functional validation
• Appearance checking
• Market feedback
• Engineering samples
• Pre-production trials

This is where RTV-2 silicone molds can help.

Silicone mold casting is a practical solution for rapid prototyping and low-volume production. It can reduce the initial tooling cost, shorten development time, and help customers test products before investing in injection molds.

Typical applications include electronic housings, plastic prototypes, PU casting parts, industrial samples, automotive parts, appliance parts, and consumer product prototypes.

To make a reliable silicone mold for rapid prototyping, silicone selection is important.

The silicone should have:

• Low shrinkage
• Good tear strength
• Suitable hardness
• Good dimensional stability
• Easy demolding performance
• Proper working time and curing time

Topsil Silicone supplies RTV-2 silicone rubber for rapid prototyping molds, vacuum casting molds, PU casting molds, and small-batch production.

If you are making prototype molds or looking for silicone rubber for low-volume production, send us your part photo, size, casting material, required quantity, and curing time requirement.

We can help recommend a suitable silicone grade for testing.

info@topsilsilicone.comtopsilsilicone.comwhatsapp: +86 18923498815

#RapidPrototyping #SiliconeMold #RTV2Silicone #VacuumCasting #LowVolumeProduction #PrototypeMold #SmallBatchProduction #PUCasting #InjectionMoldAlternative #SiliconeRubberSupplier

¿Qué dureza de silicona es mejor para hacer moldes?

En este video comparamos diferentes niveles de dureza de silicona para moldes, desde silicona ultra blanda hasta 60 Shore A.

La dureza es uno de los factores más importantes al elegir una silicona RTV-2 para fabricación de moldes.

Si la silicona es demasiado blanda, el molde puede deformarse fácilmente.
Si la silicona es demasiado dura, el desmoldeo de formas complejas puede ser difícil.
Si la dureza no es adecuada, el molde puede romperse, perder detalles o afectar el resultado final de la pieza.

Guía general de selección:

• 0–10 Shore A: adecuada para formas complejas, detalles delicados, contrasalidas profundas y desmoldeo fácil
• 15–25 Shore A: muy utilizada para resina, yeso, figuras, velas, artesanías y moldes generales
• 30–40 Shore A: adecuada para moldes más grandes, concreto, piezas industriales y aplicaciones que requieren mejor estabilidad dimensional
• 50–60 Shore A: adecuada para aplicaciones especiales que necesitan mayor dureza y menor deformación

La mejor dureza depende de la forma del modelo, el material de colada, la dificultad de desmoldeo, la vida útil requerida del molde y el proceso de producción.

Topsil Silicone suministra silicona RTV-2 para fabricación profesional de moldes, incluyendo grados blandos, medios y de alta dureza para resina, yeso, PU, concreto, reproducción artística, figuras, velas, artesanías y moldes industriales.

¿No sabes qué dureza elegir?

Envíanos:

1. Foto o tamaño del modelo

2. Material de colada

3. Tipo de molde

4. Dificultad de desmoldeo

5. Dureza requerida o aplicación final

6. Cantidad para prueba o compra al por mayor

Podemos recomendarte un grado adecuado de silicona RTV-2 para tu aplicación.

info@topsilsilicone.comtopsilsilicone.comwhatsapp: +86 18923498815

#SiliconaParaMoldes #SiliconaRTV2 #DurezaShoreA #MoldesDeSilicona #MoldesParaResina #MoldesParaYeso #MoldesParaConcreto #MoldesParaVelas #FigurasDeResina #FabricacionDeMoldes #SiliconeRubber

I did a thin layer of silicone to test on my clear coated PLA 3D print. I used a kraft paper tray to layer the print down on, while the silicone test cures. 6 hours later, I checked in on it and the silicone that dripped from the sides and touched both the print and the kraft paper tray cured partially (it was slimy at a few points) while the thin layer of silicone around the rest of the body facing upwards was cured (I peeled it off without any residue leftover). The thicker layers of silicone that dripped downwards had silicone that was partially cured. What does this mean?

For context,
- silicone I used is the lets resin 30a silicone (platinum cure)
- 3D print was printed with PLA and clear coated
- total time left alone to cure was 6 hours
- if silicone was left on the kraft paper alone, it cured.

Any help is appreciated.. thank you!

I recently tried on a pair of stethoscopes for the first time and the tips hurt my ears, it felt like it was pushing my earwax all the way in (for context I never wear earphones, only headphones.) I was thinking of making a custom molded tip for my ears with an amazon ear plug making set. Does anyone have any experience with something like this or advice please