A two-component silicone paste is something that many craftswomen today are difficult to do without. Handwork in recent years has been appreciated quite highly, so the hand-made freelancers are not getting smaller. On the contrary, their number is only growing, and the market is trying to adapt, offering products that facilitate the task of creators.
What is silicone paste?
This is a material based on food - grade silicone, consisting, as a rule, of two components. It quickly hardens (30-60 minutes), so the process of obtaining forms from it does not require much time. In addition, the finished mold will have such properties as strength, elasticity and a pleasant appearance.
Nowadays, the products of Sillicreations company, which has been promoting its products in Russia for several years, are popular on the market. Among the characteristics of this auxiliary material is resistance to high temperatures. This makes him an indispensable assistant in creating things from baked clay, because the part can be subjected to heat treatment with paste.
Application area
Thanks to the development of technology, it has become possible to independently produce reusable forms. Silicone paste for molds is designed to help in this process and greatly simplify it. It gives the opportunity to create smooth products according to the cast of the desired object. And this means that you no longer have to spend time searching for the desired mold, because you can make it yourself.
It is suitable for home and professional use in many areas: cooking, making jewelry, soaps, toys, parts for clothes. In addition, the mass is easy to use, so if you want, you can connect children to the process.
Silicone paste allows you to make molds not only from casts of objects. It also makes excellent texture sheets with original ornaments according to the sketches of the master himself. In short, with the help of this material products of any complexity are created.
How to work with pasta?
As an example, the instruction from SILLI will be used, since many prefer it:
- Choose a sample of the future product. Since the material is non-toxic, anything can be used as a blank: from a bead to chocolate candy.
- Mix the paste components in equal proportions, knead the resulting mass in the fingers for 60 seconds to a homogeneous dense state. The desired consistency will be maintained for 10 minutes, so it is advisable to have everything at hand. In addition, manufacturers strongly recommend that you do not knead too much silicone at a time. If it is necessary to make several molds, the remaining mass is cleaned in the refrigerator - there it will not begin to harden.
- Before creating a mold of the substance, give the desired shape. Then imprint a sample into it, gently pushing it inward. Be sure to make sure that the silicone paste covers the object completely, and the layer taken is quite thick.
- Leave the mold with the workpiece to solidify at room temperature. The exposure time depends on the brand and type of material used. Usually this is 30-60 minutes, but there are exceptions. For example, one of the outdated Sillicreations products required up to three hours. It is advisable to place the future mold where small children and animals cannot reach it.
- Remove the sample from the mold and leave it to solidify for another two days. If there is no such amount of time in stock, the mold is placed in the oven, heated to 100 degrees. Estimated exposure time is 10 minutes. However, making sure that the silicone paste has hardened is still worth it.
- Before use, hold the mold under running hot water.
Advice
Like any other material, the paste has its own nuances and recommendations for use, compliance with which will greatly simplify the task. For instance:
- To avoid contamination of the work surface, it is worth using a modeling mat.
- Work with silicone with clean and dry hands. And better with gloves - this will protect him from fingerprints.
- Before using the form, you need to make sure of its strength.
Silicone paste for making molds is stored in any dark place, most importantly, away from children and animals. Despite the absence of toxic substances in the composition, they are not advised to swallow the mass, and if this happens, gastric lavage will be required.