Production of paving slabs, souvenir soap, jewelry and bijouterie, cooking and cosmetology, food industry and construction - and this is an incomplete list of possible applications of silicone rubber. Before moving on to recipes for self-producing an analogue of elastic polymers produced by manufacturers, let's recall their qualities.
Moulding Resins
Universal material is obtained by dissolving crushed quartz with nitric acid. When mixed with one of the catalysts, it is somewhat reminiscent of rubber. The substance is non-toxic, resistant to alkalis and acids. In finished form, it has elasticity, impact resistance, water resistance and unlimited service life. It is very easy to care for products from it, they are easy to store.
According to the purpose, two-component compounds consisting of a paste and a hardener are divided into filling, coating, and also silicone for making molds. With your own hands, you can make from these mixtures not only blanks for souvenir soap, but also strong patterns for pouringpaving slabs, obtaining decorative stones and gypsum moldings.
To give the substance a solid state, it is mixed with a tin or platinum catalyst, which is included in the kit, before use. Some qualities of elastic rubber depend on the type of hardener:
- transparency or haze;
- tear or tear strength;
- dimensional stability and heat resistance;
- hardness;
- final setting time;
- durability and circulation stability.
For example, mixtures with tin catalysts are used in industry and construction. For the production of artificial stone or strong plastic products, the most durable materials are needed. Food-grade silicone for the manufacture of molds into which chocolate and caramel are poured is produced on the basis of platinum hardeners. The softness and elasticity of these compounds is more suitable for "sweet" industries and baking.
Where homemade polymer is used
Despite the variety of compounds on sale, some craftsmen prefer to do everything themselves. This is usually justified by saving money and being creative.
Making silicone for molds with your own hands is possible in several ways. It should be clarified that the resulting substance differs in characteristics from industrial mixtures. And these differences are not always positive. If branded liquid silicone for making molds is used to create large and small products, thenhomemade rubber is only made for home crafts.
How to create a casting matrix: some tips
Starting making silicone for molds with your own hands, put a container, box or box for the main work. It is made of cardboard (if the sample is small), wood or plastic. It can be collapsible or solid. From the first it is easier to release the frozen workpiece. There should be no gaps between the parts of the container, as all types of elastic have fluidity.
Before you put the "model" in the container, it is covered with a separator. This lubricant must be wax, grease or soap. To get a matrix for a vertical souvenir, it is attached to the bottom of the container by a support on a piece of plasticine so that it does not float up. Then, a pre-mixed compound is poured around the model in a thin stream. Filling the container starts from the corners, completely covering the figure installed inside.
Recipe 1: Prep
If you need a small amount of elastic for a small product, you can use one of the options below. Making silicone for molds at home begins with the preparation of a bowl, a spatula for stirring, components, a main container for pouring and a small souvenir, the so-called master figurine, a cast of which is planned to be obtained for “cloning”.
For the first method, glycerin andgelatin and placed in a small container. The composition is melted in a water bath with constant stirring, avoiding boiling. Heating lasts 10-12 minutes.
Recipe details 1
The bottom of the prepared tray made of cardboard or wood is evenly covered with the resulting mixture. Then the souvenir is dipped in homemade silicone and quickly placed in this box. The sticky figurine is immediately poured with hot composition, filling the tray to the brim.
Liquid silicone for making molds, obtained in such a simple way, hardens in a few minutes, almost before our eyes. After the mass has completely cooled down, the resulting bar is removed from the box, a cut is made from the bottom side and the souvenir is carefully removed.
The resulting curly cavity can only be filled with epoxy. Making silicone for molds with your own hands according to this recipe has several disadvantages:
- the finished master product absorbs water, so it cannot be used to make plaster casts;
- The mass melts when trying to fill with a hot substance, therefore it is not suitable for making designer soap.
- after several uses, the inner surface of the mold deteriorates, loses its gloss and quality.
A plus is the ability to repeatedly remelt old dies.
Recipe 2: preparation
Making silicone molds with your own hands requires some effort. Masters working with plastic clay make patterns and molds in this way,to bring your ideas to life. So, you will need one of the types of high-temperature-resistant building sealant and ordinary food starch or talc. It is advisable to work with rubber gloves. Since the sealant sets within 10 minutes, it is necessary to put an object next to it from which the cast will be prepared: a shell, a figure that is flat on one side, something else. The mold will turn out hard, with a concave recess, therefore it is suitable for the production of only one-sided souvenirs.
Recipe 2: details
- Sprinkle a little talc or starch on the surface of the table (to prevent sticking).
- A bunch of sealant is squeezed out of the tube into the center of the sprinkle.
- Starch is added on top and everything is mixed.
- The resulting "dough" should take so much starch that it does not stick to your hands and to the table.
- The mass is used to make a thick cake corresponding to the size of the future souvenir.
- Quickly and accurately, the selected sample is pressed into this blank with force.
- The mold-making silicone is left to dry overnight.
- After removing the figurine, the cavity of the template is smeared with talcum powder with a brush and tightly stuffed with plastic clay.
- This base can be placed in the oven to dry along with the filler, it is not afraid of high temperature.
What good is this way
The first of the advantages is the reusability of the resulting template. The material retains all its qualities. In moldsmade of starch and building sealant, you can fill in a hot soap base, after spraying with alcohol from a spray bottle. Handmade silicone for mold making withstands temperature loads on a par with industrial formulations.
Among the minuses are the sharp acetic smell of sealants and the rapid solidification of the "dough". But the master can prepare such a quantity of the substance that is needed at a particular time for a particular job.
