Silicone mold for gypsum. How to make a silicone mold

Gypsum is widely used in many industries. Especially often this material is used in construction, medicine and architecture. But working with gypsum requires certain skills and knowledge. How do gypsum products are described in this article.

Features of gypsum

Gypsum is considered a unique material that can be easily processed and can take any form. Of liquid plastic gypsum, you can make almost any shape. After hardening, the product looks especially beautiful.

When dry gypsum is combined with water, a mass is obtained, similar in consistence to dough. It quickly hardens and perfectly retains the specified shape. During solidification, the solution slightly increases in size and releases a small amount of heat. This feature is very important. The fact is that the expanding gypsum begins to fill all the notches, repeating with the maximum precision the shape.

Another important property of gypsum is its environmental friendliness. So, for the preparation of the basis for modeling, only dry gypsum and ordinary water are required. Ease of use and safety for the environment made the gypsum particularly popular.

Of the plaster make different architectural decorations, decor elements, shapes. To create products use special forms. They are made of wood, cement, plastic, epoxy, plasticine, metal. But the most convenient and practical to use are silicone molds for casting gypsum. They are in great demand and allow creating unique gypsum products.

What is a silicone mold for gypsum?

Forms of silicone have many advantages. Firstly, a plaster solution does not adhere to its surface. This is very important, because the integrity of the product is not violated. Thus, gypsum crafts, poured in silicone form, have an ideal appearance. No other material has such properties. Secondly, the silicone mold for gypsum is very elastic and wear-resistant. It can be used many times without violating integrity. Thirdly, the form of silicone is easily separated from the frozen product. This means that the silicone mold for gypsum does not require lubrication before pouring. For masters this is very convenient and greatly simplifies the work.

How to make a silicone mold for gypsum

Ready-made silicone molds can be bought in building stores. But you can make it yourself. In this case, the master has the opportunity to create a form on his own creative idea.

The production of a silicone mold for gypsum is carried out according to a certain technology.

First you need to make a container for pouring. To do this, you can use wood, chipboard, fiberglass and any other material. Or you can take already ready capacity. Then it is necessary to carefully glue the details of the form so that they hold well and there are no cracks.

The next step is to take a sculptural clay and evenly lay out half the container. Do this carefully so that the surface is smooth and free of defects.

Then in plasticine it is necessary to place the model, under which the form is made. It is very important in the plasticine to make small pencils with a pencil so that parts of the mold do not move during the casting.

Now you need to measure the volume of the required silicone. Calculate the amount of necessary material can be by the dimensions of the container.

Then you need to lubricate the surface of the model with a soap solution or wax grease. To create silicone, you need to mix the liquid solution of silica and acid hardener according to the instructions on the package and pour the mass in a thin stream onto the clay with the model. When the upper part of the mold hardens, you can remove the clay. But do it carefully so as not to damage the surface of the mold.

Now you need to re-lubricate the surface of the model and shape, prepare the silicone mass and make a shape for the top of the model.

Silicone mold for gypsum is ready.

Cost of finished silicone molds

Today many companies produce ready-made silicone molds for gypsum. The price for them, depending on the complexity and size is from 200 rubles and above. So, for a simple form for decorating a room in the form of a shell or a leaf, you need to pay 290-320 rubles. More complex forms of large size are much more expensive. For example, the price for a mold for making a decorative stone ranges from 900 to 1500 rubles per square meter. M. There are intermediaries who offer forms of silicone made in China at wholesale prices.