Hello all! Today I am expanding a bit on using two part silicone molding putty to make inverse parts for embellishments. In the video I also show you a two part mold that I use to make shells. I wanted to be able to pour resin into the mold and have the inside of the shell to be hollow like a normal shell rather than filled with resin. The demo in the video is a slightly different use case, but it’s the same concept/process.
Two part silicone putty as I have discussed in another video, will stick and bond to itself. I have some molding putty imprints that I made by pressing silicone putty into an impression die from Potter Press. When that piece of molding putty cured, I was left with an imprint of a single flower from the full design. If I was to use this in either polymer or metal clay and pressed into it, I will get an indent into the clay when really I want the relief of that flower.
So I wanted the inverse. However, again if I were to press more molding putty around the flower mold that I already had, the uncured silicone molding putty would cure and stick to the original mold. Vaseline will act as a release agent so I covered the already molded silicone flower, and that will allow the original flower mold to release from the additional molding putty that I am pressing the flower into.
Make sure to wipe the Vaseline off your hands before you mix the two parts of the molding putty to make the inverse of the already cured piece. To make the inverse piece, mix equal parts of the two colors of the putty until the colors become a single solid, lighter version of the color. On a nonstick surface place the mixed putty into a flattened mound and then press the original (covered in vaseline) flower mold into it. You will know when it is cured by sticking your fingernail into the putty and it doesn’t leave a mark.
In the example I am showing in the video, I could just put clay into the die directly, and then cut around it to get the little flowers. But sometimes it’s easier and quicker to have just the piece that you’re looking for. So in this case, I didn’t want the whole drop. I just wanted one flower. After making this second mold I will have a flower to make impressions (indents) into clay and now the inverse where I can press clay into the new mold and get the flower in relief.
Before using the two molds, you really want to wipe all the Vaseline off after it’s cured so it doesn’t contaminate your clay or resin etc.
With the example mold I can now make flowers for embellishments or a post earring etc. I also describe in the video that with the two part shell molds, I would pour resin into the bottom of the shell just a little bit- enough that it would fill the mold when I put the inverse of the shell into the resin, but not completely overflow. After the resin cures I end up with a hollow form rather than the resin filling the entire shell form. With this hollow shell, I can paint it, fill it with more resin, etc. There is an example in the video where I show this use case.
The other thing that I do sometimes- if I have big pieces of the putty surrounding the piece I am molding- I’ll slice excess putty around the shape before it’s cured. Then I’ll make little shapes out of the putty. Even with these pieces, you can make a mold of it for more embellishments by following the process I demonstrated here.
Hope you like this additional information on two piece silicone molding putty shapes. Enjoy!
