The production of paving slabs, souvenir soap, jewelry and bijouterie, cooking and cosmetology, the food industry and construction - and this is an incomplete list of the possible uses of silicone rubber. Before proceeding to recipes for self-production of analogue produced by manufacturers of elastic polymers, we recall their quality.
Molding Polymers
A 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. Ready-made, it has elasticity, impact resistance, water resistance and unlimited service life. It is very easy to look after products from it, they are simple to store.
By purpose, two-component compounds consisting of paste and hardener are divided into casting, coating, and also silicone for the manufacture of molds. With your own hands you can make from these mixtures not only blanks for souvenir soap, but also sturdy patterns for pouring paving slabs, decorative stones and gypsum stucco 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 dullness;
- tear or tear strength;
- dimensional preservation and heat resistance;
- hardness;
- time of final solidification;
- durability and circulation stability.
For example, mixtures with tin catalysts are used in industry and construction. The production of artificial stone or strong plastic products requires the most durable materials. Food-grade silicone for the manufacture of molds in which chocolate and caramel are poured is produced on the basis of platinum hardeners. The softness and elasticity of these compounds are more suitable for “sweet” production and baking.
Where is homemade polymer used
Despite the variety of compounds on sale, some craftsmen prefer to do everything on their own. This is usually justified by cost savings and a creative approach to business.
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 not always these differences are positive. If branded liquid silicone for making molds is used to create large and small products, then homemade rubber is made only for home creativity.
How to create a die for casting: some tips
Starting the manufacture of 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 integral. From the first, it is easier to release the frozen workpiece. There should be no gaps between the parts of the container, since all types of elastic have fluidity.
Before you put the "model" in the container, it is covered with a separator. This grease should be wax, grease or soap. To get a matrix for a vertical souvenir, it is mounted on a stand to the bottom of the container on a piece of plasticine so that it does not pop up. Then, a pre-mixed compound is poured around the model with a thin stream. Tank filling starts from the corners, completely covering the figure installed inside.
Recipe number 1: preliminary preparation
If you need a small amount of elastic rubber for a small product, you can use one of the options below. The manufacture of silicone for molds at home begins with the preparation of a dish, stirring spatula, constituent components, a main pot for pouring and a small souvenir, the so-called master figure, an impression of which is planned to be obtained for “cloning”.
For the first method, glycerin and gelatin are taken in equal amounts and placed in a small container. The composition is melted in a water bath with constant stirring, avoiding boiling. Heating lasts 10-12 minutes.
Details of the recipe number 1
The bottom of the prepared tray made of cardboard or wood is evenly coated with the resulting mixture. Then the souvenir is dipped in homemade silicone and quickly placed in this box. The sticky figure is immediately poured with a hot composition, filling the tray to the brim.
Liquid silicone for the manufacture of molds, obtained in such a simple way, hardens in a few minutes, almost before our eyes. After the mass has completely cooled down, the obtained bar is removed from the box, a cut is made from the bottom side and the souvenir is carefully taken out.
The resulting figured 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 you can not use it to obtain gypsum castings;
- the mass melts when you try to fill it with hot substance, so it is not suitable for creating designer soaps.
- after several uses, the inner surface of the mold deteriorates, loses gloss and quality.
A plus is the ability to remelting multiple used stamps.
Recipe number 2: preparation
Making silicone for molds with your own hands requires some effort. Masters working with plastic clay make templates and molds in this way to realize their ideas. 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 setting of the sealant takes place within 10 minutes, it is necessary to put in advance the object next to which the impression will be prepared: a shell, a figure flat on one side, something else. The cookie cutter will turn out to be solid, with a concave recess, therefore it is suitable for the production of only one-sided souvenirs.
Recipe number 2: details
- A little talcum powder or starch is poured onto the table surface (so as not to stick).
- 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, so as not to stick to your hands and to the table.
- From the mass make a thick cake, corresponding to the size of the future souvenir.
- Quickly and accurately, forcefully press the selected sample into this workpiece.
- Silicone for making molds is left to dry for a day.
- After extracting the figures, the cavity of the template is smeared with talcum powder using a brush and tightly filled with plastic clay.
- Such a base can be placed in the oven for drying along with a filler, it is not afraid of high temperature.
What good is this way
The first of the advantages is the reusability of using the resulting template. The material retains all its qualities. In molds made of starch and building sealant, you can pour a hot soap base, after sprinkling alcohol with a spray. Silicone for the manufacture of molds, self-made, withstands temperature loads on a par with industrial compounds.
Among the minuses are the sharp vinegar smell of sealants and the quick solidification of the “test”. But the master can prepare such an amount of substance that is necessary at a given moment in time for a specific work.