What is mold and what is it for?

Needlework is the most common hobby for women and even for some men.

In order to make the work of the craftsmen easier, the craftsmen invent more and more various adaptations. It can be special needles for embroidery or beading, braiding machines made of rubber bands, beads or threads, cutters of different shapes for wood carving or molds.

Today we will consider such a tool as mold: the meaning of a word, what it is for, and how to make it yourself - all this you will learn from the article. Also we will find out what molds exist and in what crafts they are used.

Mold: definition, concept

Mold is translated from English as "cast". Therefore, by name you can guess that it can be used as a form for obtaining a particular figure or figure.

Such tools are a kind of pasochki like those of which children mold kulichiki, but often they are smaller and of different material. That's what mold is.

However, with the help of molds, it is possible not only to cast figures from liquid material, but also to extrude a pattern or even some object from a substance like polymer clay, mastic or plasticine.

Without molds it is very difficult and even impossible to achieve the maximum realism of the product, so if you want to exhibit your work for sale, then you can not do without these forms.

Where to use molds

They use silicone molds both in needlework and in the food industry . The application of these forms is now considered in more detail.

• Such a tool is required in the work with cold porcelain. It is used to impart realism, for example, to porcelain faces of dolls and puppies.
• Some clay products can be made only using special forms, which are called molds for clay.
• Working with polymer clay also requires the presence of molds, with their help you can make leaves and flower petals, which will be difficult to distinguish from these. Also, making jewelry, you will significantly improve its appearance by applying these casts.
• Especially beautiful is jewelry made of epoxy resin. There are special molds for epoxy resin, most often they have the shape of geometric shapes, for example: circle, square, oval, triangle, etc.
• It is very fashionable for birthday and other holidays to order cakes decorated with mastic. To make these figures use molds, which we are talking about.
• To make handmade soap, fit any mold of a not very small size.

As you can see, in many areas such forms are used. The meaning of the word "mold" we have already described in detail, now let's figure out what it can replace.

Several ways to replace molds

There are a lot of options for what can replace special molds:

• The veins on the rose petals can be made with corrugated paper. In order to make realistic leaves from polymer clay, use real leaves of flowers and trees.
• Using a wire, wind the tweezer on the toothpick on each part from the inside. Binding the edges of the leaves, you will receive double-sided streaks.

We gave only a few ideas on how to replace special forms and seals, but knowing what a mold is, you can come up with many interesting substitutions yourself. Use all your imagination - and ideas will not keep you waiting.

What is a mold made of silicone sealant

In order for the part to be easily removed, the mold should be made of a plastic material that is easy to bend. If this condition is not met, then during the extraction, the finished product may crack or break.

The cheapest material, suitable for making molds by hand, is a silicone sealant. For a very small amount you can buy a sufficient amount of material from which you can make a lot of silicone molds.

You can buy silicone sealant in any construction store located nearby. Sealant on an acrylic base is not worth buying, because when it cools, it loses its plasticity and can crumble. Neutral or acid base is what you need. Also pay attention to the heat resistance of the material you choose, since you will bake it, it must withstand at least 200 degrees Celsius.

In addition to silicone sealant (how to make a mold, we will describe a little later), you will need several more tools:

• Special pistol.
• Starch, the amount of which should be equal to the amount of sealant (it is needed to thicken the mass).
• Soap solution.

When making a blank for the mold, mix the sealant with the starch in equal proportions.

Remember that the sealant very quickly withers, so when working with it, do not waste time in vain.

Molds made of silicone "Moment"

Manufacture of molds in this way will be justified only for products that do not have to be baked, for example, for soap. Also, under no circumstances should such silicone be used for molds with which you want to make edible figurines, since it is quite toxic.

With silicone "Moment" you need to work the same way you would work with a sealant.

By the way, this silicone is much more expensive than our first option.

Mold of special silicone

There is a special, consisting of two components, silicone for making molds. As you know, for this purpose it fits best, but it also costs more than all the above options.

Molds made of such material can also be used for products consumed in food.

If you follow the instructions given on the package, the relief on your mold will turn out to be beautiful and clear.

Just before you start creating your personal form, you'll have to mix both components of the special silicone. And after the end of work the drying time of the product will be from 3 to 6 hours.

Forms of polymer clay

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with how to make molds by yourself! Everyone can handle this process.

Before we outline how to make molds from polymer clay, it is worth noting that this is the most expensive and not cost-effective way, because polymer clay is non-plastic, toxic, therefore it is impossible to use molds made of it for mastic shapes .

Of course, if you do not have any suitable material at home, and you need the mold very urgently, you can use polymer clay.

In addition to it, you will need more petroleum jelly and water.

Mix the polymer clay with a small amount of petroleum jelly, pre-kneading it well. Before you make the desired imprint, moisten the crushed mixture of clay and petrolatum in water with water. When the mold gets the kind you need, bake it in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees (about 20 minutes).

More on how to make mold of polymer clay

Since this method is the most difficult, we decided to talk about it separately. Let's analyze how to make such molds using the example of a birch leaf. Tools and materials that you will need:

• Polymer clay.
• Petrolatum.
• Water.
• This birch leaf.
• Plastic dosochka.

Mold making process:

• Preheat the polymer clay in your hands until it is as soft as possible.
• Add to it Vaseline and thoroughly rub the mass with your hands. You should get the consistency of an unbroken test.
• Roll out the mass on a plastic board.
• Print on the resulting cake birch leaf inside.
• Remove excess weight.
• Bake the first form in the oven, heated to 100 degrees Celsius.
• Cool the finished product and moisten it with cold water.
• Apply to it the remains of clay-vaseline mass.
• The resulting shape, get rid of excess clay and bake in the oven.

Now you have realistic molds. How to use these tools? Place the birch leaf without veins on the first mold, from the top cover with the second and press it. The product is ready.

Preparation of mold from silicone

Now we describe to you the technique of preparing mold from silicone material, and it does not matter whether it is a sealant, "Moment" or a special silicone - the principle of cooking is the same. Let's analyze the creation of a rose petal mold.

Ingredients and materials:

• Silicone.
• A sealant gun (if you have a sealant).
• Rose petal.
• Starch (if you do not have a special silicone).
• Sunflower oil without odor.
• Heavy package.
• Rubber trowel or an unnecessary credit card for leveling the layer.

We proceed to create a mold:

• Extrude a small amount of silicone onto a bag spread on a flat surface. If you use "Moment" or silicone sealant, mix it with starch in equal proportions.
• Smooth out the resulting mass with a rubber spatula.
• Wash the rose petal under running water and moisten it with oil.
• Place the rose petal on a mixture of silicone with starch and gently push it to print the entire terrain.
• On top of the petal, squeeze out a portion of silicone.
• Gently remove the petal from the bottom.
• Place the petal with a silicone layer on the bag.
• Walk on the product with your finger, lightly pressing.
• Remove the petal from the second half of the mold.
• Leave to dry the mold for 4 days.
• Using scissors, give molds an attractive shape.

Puppet's face

One of the most common - mold faces for dolls.

It is very difficult to mold a realistic child's face independently. Manufacturers of pivot dolls understand this perfectly.

Of course, you can buy a ready-made form for a person in the store, but not everyone can afford it, because they are not cheap at all, so we offer you a master class for making such a mold. Materials that you will need:

• Silicone sealant on a neutral basis.
• Starch.
• Vaseline or vegetable oil.
• Puppet head of suitable size.
• Polymer clay, which does not need to be baked.
• Latex gloves.
• Capacity where you will mix the ingredients.
• A wooden stick for sushi (to mix the mixture).

The process of making a doll's face:

• To begin with, remove all the hair covering from the doll's head (this is necessary so that the doll's hair does not stick to the silicone mass and does not spoil the future shape).
• Pour half of the starch packing into the mixing container.
• Add the same amount of silicone sealant to the starch.
• Knead a mixture of these ingredients to make a mass, similar in texture to the fresh dough.
• Roll a ball of silicone and lightly squeeze it.
• Lubricate the puppet face with petroleum jelly or sunflower oil without a smell.
• Press the face of the doll to the silicone cake quite strongly, in order to properly print all the details.
• Wait 3-4 days until mold is frozen.
• Chop the polymeric clay in your hands until soft.
• Roll the ball out of it.
• Well, squeeze this ball to the mold.

You have a puppet face made of polymer clay and molds made of silicone sealant and starch.

Molds of various interesting figures

In addition to molds for making flowers and dolls, you can come in handy impressions of various pleasant trifles. They will be especially useful if you are engaged in scrapbooking or making jewelry.

It can be various construction tools in miniature, bicycles, wheelchairs, tiny glasses, hearts, arrows and many other trifles.

Let's look at how you can make such molds at home.

Tools and materials:

• Figures, the molds of which you want to get (they can be bought at the needlework store).
• Silicone sealant.
• Pistol for sealant.
• Starch.
• Capacity where you will mix the ingredients.
• Wooden stick for sushi.
• A pair of rubber gloves.

Mold making process:

• Extrude a small amount of silicone sealant.
• Add to it the same amount of starch
• Thoroughly mix the resulting mass.
• If the substance is too liquid, then it should be added more starch.
• We divide the mass into the required number of parts (depending on how many parts you want to do).
• From each part we make an accurate round, square or rectangular cake.
• Push the selected object into the resulting silicone figure to half.
• We stick it with a stick or knife and carefully remove it.
• Leave the mold to dry for 4 days.

Molds should be handled neatly and stored in separate boxes so that they do not stick to debris.

To make it easier to remove the polymer clay from the mold, place the mold with clay for 25 minutes in the freezer.

In this article you learned what a mold is, why it is needed and how to use it, figured out what these forms of handicrafts are made of.

We hope that not a single question related to this topic has remained unanswered.

Let this article help you in promoting your creativity!