🚱 😩 🅱️ What is mold and why is it needed? 📣 👉🏿 🐘

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

In order to make the work of craftswomen easier, craftsmen invent more and more diverse devices. It can be special needles for embroidery or for beadwork, machines for weaving baubles from elastic bands, beads or threads, cutters of various shapes for woodcarving or mold.

Today we will consider such a tool as mold: the meaning of a word, why it is needed, and how to make it with your own hands - all this you will learn from the article. We will also find out which molds exist and in which crafts they are used.

Mold: definition, concept

Mold is translated from English as "cast". Therefore, one can already guess from the name that it can be used as a form for obtaining one or another figure or drawing.

Such tools are peculiar little ones, like those of which children make Easter cakes, but often they are smaller and made of other material. This is what mold is.

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

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

Where are molds used?

Silicone molds are used both in needlework and in the food industry . The application of these molds we will now consider in more detail.

Such a tool is needed in working with cold porcelain. It is used to give realism, for example, to porcelain faces of dolls and pups.
Some clay products can only be made using special forms called molds for clay.
Working with polymer clay also requires molds, with their help you can make leaves and flower petals, which will be difficult to distinguish from real ones. Also, making jewelry, you will significantly improve its appearance by applying these casts.
Of particular beauty is jewelry made of epoxy resin. There are special molds for epoxy, most often they take the form of geometric shapes, for example: circle, square, oval, triangle, etc.
It is very fashionable to order cakes decorated with mastic figures for birthday and other holidays . For the manufacture of these figures use molds, of which we are talking.
For the manufacture of hand soap, any molds are not very small.

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

Several ways to replace molds

There are many options for replacing special molds:

Veins on rose petals can be made using corrugated paper. In order to make realistic leaves of polymer clay, use real leaves of flowers and trees.
Using a wire, wind a toothpick on each part on the inside with tweezers. Pinching the edges of the leaves, you will receive bilateral veins.

We have given only a few ideas on how to replace special forms and prints, but understanding what mold is, you can come up with many interesting replacements yourself. Use all your imagination - and ideas will not keep you waiting.

What is silicone sealant mold

In order for the part to be easily removed, the mold must be made of plastic and easily bendable material. If this condition is not met, then when removing the finished product may crack or break.

The cheapest material suitable for making molds with your own hands is 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 hardware store located nearby. An acrylic-based sealant is not worth buying, since when hardening it loses its plasticity and can crumble. A neutral or acid base is what you need. Also pay attention to the heat resistance of the material you have chosen, 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 a few more tools:

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

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

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

Silicone molds "Moment"

Making 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 use such silicone for molds with which you want to make edible figures, since it is quite toxic.

You need to work with Momento silicone in the same way as you would with sealant.

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

Special silicone mold

There is a special, two-component silicone for the manufacture of molds. As you know, it is best suited for this purpose, but it also costs more than all the options presented above.

Molds made from such a material can also be used for food products.

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

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

Polymer Clay Molds

We suggest you familiarize yourself with how to make molds with your own hands! Everyone can cope with such a process.

Before we outline how to make molds from polymer clay, it’s worth noting that this is the most expensive and not justifiable way, because polymer clay is non-plastic, toxic, so you can’t use molds made from it for figures from mastic .

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

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

Mix polymer clay with a small amount of petroleum jelly, after mashing it well. Before making the print you need, moisten the mixture of clay and petroleum jelly crushed into the formation with water. When the mold takes on the form you need, bake it in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees (about 20 minutes).

Making mold from silicone

Now we will describe to you the technique of making molds from silicone material, and it does not matter if it is a sealant, “Moment” or a special silicone - the principle of preparation is the same.

Let's look at creating a rose petal mold.

Ingredients and materials:

Silicone
Sealant gun (if you have sealant).
Rose petal.
Starch (unless you have special silicone).
Flavourless sunflower oil.
Tight package.
A rubber spatula or an unnecessary credit card to level the layer.

We begin to create the mold:

Squeeze 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.
Level the resulting mass with a rubber spatula.
Wash the rose petal under running water and moisten it with oil.
Put the rose petal on the silicone-starch mixture and gently push it to print the entire relief.
Squeeze a portion of silicone on top of the petal.
Carefully remove the tab from the bottom.
Put the petal in a silicone layer on the bag.
Walk on the product with your finger, slightly pressing.
Remove the petal from the second half of the mold.
Leave to dry form for 4 days.
Use scissors to give molds an attractive shape.

Doll face

One of the most common is mold faces for dolls.

It’s very difficult to create a realistic baby face on your own. Articulated doll manufacturers are well aware of this.

Of course, you can buy a ready-made face shape in a store, but not everyone can afford it, since they are by no means cheap, so we offer you a master class on making such a mold.

Materials you need:

Neutral based silicone sealant.
Starch.
Vaseline or vegetable oil.
The doll head is a suitable size.
Polymer clay that does not need to be baked.
Latex gloves.
A container where you will mix the ingredients.
Wooden stick for sushi (to mix the mixture).

The process of making mold doll faces:

First, remove the entire hairline 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 into a mixing container.
Add the same amount of silicone sealant to the starch.
Knead a mixture of these ingredients to make a texture similar to a fresh dough.
Roll the ball from the silicone mass and gently squeeze it.
Lubricate the doll's face with vaseline or odorless sunflower oil.
Press the doll’s face to the silicone cake firmly enough to print all the details well.
Wait 3-4 days until the mold solidifies.
Mash the polymer clay in your hands until soft.
Roll a ball out of it.
Hold this ball firmly against the mold.

You got a doll face made of polymer clay and molds made of silicone sealant and starch.

Molds of various interesting figures

In addition to molds for the manufacture of flowers and dolls, you may need prints of various pleasant trifles. They will be especially useful if you are doing scrapbooking or making jewelry.

It can be various construction tools in miniature, bicycles, prams, tiny glasses, hearts, arrows and many more little things.

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

Tools and materials:

Figures whose molds you want to get (you can buy them at the needlework store).
Silicone sealant.
The gun for sealant.
Starch.
A container where you will mix the ingredients.
Wooden chopstick for sushi.
A pair of rubber gloves.

Mold manufacturing process:

Squeeze out a small amount of silicone sealant.
Add the same amount of starch to it.
Thoroughly knead the resulting mass.
If the substance is too liquid, then starch should be added to it.
We divide the mass into the desired number of parts (depends on how many parts you want to make).
From each part we make a neat round, square or rectangular cake.
Press the selected object into the resulting silicone figure to half.
Pry it with a stick or knife and carefully remove it.
Leave the mold to dry for 4 days.

Molds must be handled carefully and stored in separate boxes so that no debris sticks to them.

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

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

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

Let this article help you in promoting your creativity!

What is mold and why is it needed?