Silicone mold casting for epoxy resin. Beautiful do-it-yourself epoxy products How to make resin molds at home

Designers and needlewomen have learned to preserve entire worlds frozen in glass. In fact, all these shells, tiny buds, leaves and insects are forever frozen not in glass or amber, but in a simple and accessible to everyone epoxy resin. And you do not need to have a laboratory or a separate room to create it yourself. Today we will learn how to create epoxy resin with your own hands, and then make your own masterpiece with it.

Advantages of epoxy resin and its difference from epoxy adhesive

Despite the fact that the word "resin" is present in the name, you will not find natural components in its composition, because it is a completely synthetic product created in laboratories for many areas - from construction to needlework.

Epoxy resin- This is a mixture of two components: a hardener and the resin itself. Depending on the ratio of parts of the hardener and resin included in it, it can be thick, liquid or even dense. Therefore, it is very important to follow the instructions on the labels when mixing epoxy at home.

Epoxy resin properties

Epoxy resin is great for making jewelry, decorative items, and even covering large surfaces. It has the following properties:

• she is very strong
• not subject to abrasive wear,
• transparent
• well waterproofed,
• absolutely non-toxic after curing.

Do not forget that you can also find epoxy glue on store shelves, which is completely unsuitable for us. Let's start with the fact that the glue itself is a derivative of the resin. It includes not only epoxy resin, but also a solvent, plasticizer, hardener and filler. Therefore, it is also durable, not subject to wear and firmly holds the parts to be glued.

Differences between resin and glue

There are significant differences between resin and glue, which reveal disadvantages that are unacceptable for our purposes:

1. The adhesive has a specific curing time that cannot be controlled, while the curing of the resin can be accelerated.
2. The resin retains transparency for a long time, while the glue quickly begins to turn yellow.
3. Epoxy glue is less flexible and cures faster, while resin is more pliable and allows you to work with it more accurately.
4. Glue can only be used to connect parts, while resin is suitable for making beads and other shapes of a given shape.
5. Depending on the proportion used when mixing resin and hardener, we can get the right consistency that suits our needs, while the adhesive is sold as a ready-made mixture.

Resin Safety Rules

In order not to be harmed by the vapors that are formed when mixing the hardener and resin (the polymerization process entails a significant release of heat), some safety rules must be observed.

1. Arm yourself with gloves.
2. Wear a protective mask or respirator to protect yourself.
3. Ventilate the room while working.
4. Warn household members not to enter the premises while you are busy, or be sure to wear a mask.
5. Before starting work, organize your workplace so that there are no distractions afterward.

If you do not have a special surface for work, you can use a film or a simple file so as not to worry about the table and what can happen to it during the work.

How to make DIY epoxy resin

After reading the instructions, having prepared all the materials and the workplace, as well as following the safety precautions, you can begin to create an epoxy resin for your ideas.

So, to create an epoxy resin with our own hands, we need:

• resin and hardener
• disposable syringes or measuring cups,
• stirring stick (toothpick, skewer or other piece of wood of suitable length).

Carefully read the instructions for the components of the epoxy resin

First, mix the components in one small container.

It is necessary to mix the components while observing the temperature regime not higher than + 25 ° C.

It is most convenient to measure the right amount of resin and hardener with disposable syringes, so you will know the exact proportion and will not lose a drop when pouring them into a common vessel. Or use measuring cups, given that from now on they cannot be used for anything else.

Do not try to stock up, as polymerizing, the mixture becomes unsuitable for further use.

Gently mix the resulting composition in a circle to reduce the likelihood of bubbles, because they can ruin the appearance of the epoxy craft.

If the bubbles could not be avoided, then they can be dealt with. To do this, you must first let the mixture settle, and then warm it up. The bubbles will definitely rise to the surface, allowing us to gently remove them. After that, the mixture can be used for your ideas.

Resin processing after curing

Once the resin has cured, it may need to be processed as the compound may appear cloudy or uneven. Due to the elasticity of the composition, we can bring it to mind, and not disappointedly throw it into the trash, believing that we did not succeed.

Resin becomes cloudy after curing

Sandpaper is suitable for grinding the product, or even a milling cutter for polishing nails.

Since there will be a lot of dust during grinding, it is worth putting on a respirator, and it is best to moisten the sandpaper with water.

In this DreamWorkshop tutorial, you will find step by step photos of the resin making process and some great tips on how to make cured resin transparent and smooth using the simplest tools.

DIY Epoxy Resin Crafts

So, we learned how to get epoxy resin on our own, talked about precautions and organization of the workplace. It's time to try your hand further. After all, creating crafts from epoxy resin with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

To begin with, it is worth noting that a material such as epoxy resin is quite versatile and can be used in needlework in different ways. It is used to create both separate decorations and accessories, which are complemented by works made in other techniques. It is great for figurines, cabochons and even stained glass.

Creating crafts using molds

The most common use of resin is to fill silicone molds with it. The resulting blanks can later be used as pendants, beads, pendants on or, key rings, etc. A variety of molds allows you to create even rings and bracelets from epoxy resin.

Such molds should be made of high-quality platinum silicone, which will be resistant to the poured solution and make it easy to remove the frozen product from it.

Benefits of molds

The advantages of such casting molds are that:

• You can buy them at any craft store these days.
• they are plastic
• do not react with resin
• don't stick to it

What decor to use when creating crafts

Molds are great for pouring dried flowers, foliage, moss or shells into them - any volumetric element. To do this, you only need epoxy resin, a suitable silicone mold, as well as pre-prepared decorative elements.

Be sure to pay attention to preparation! Leaves, flowers and buds must be thoroughly dried so that they do not turn black over time, spoiling the finished product with their appearance. Shells, crystals and stones are best degreased with alcohol or solvent, and then dried too.

Not only dense decorative elements can be added to the resin, but also potal, gloss and even stained glass paint, but not much (so as not to spoil the ratio of the main components and not disturb the desired consistency).

Epoxy resin crafts can be decorated with plants…

... sequins ...

With this method of pouring, decorative elements are most often unevenly distributed over the shape of the product. This is clearly seen in the bracelet example:

In the case when the decorative elements are small, heavy and / or you just want to place them in the center of the mold, it is first recommended to fill the mold with resin, and then dip the necessary decor into it - leaves, small shells, dried berries - whatever your heart desires!

Method 2. When the resin settles, pour it into the mold in a thin stream, evenly distribute it over the entire form, and then immerse the selected decorative elements in it, helping yourself with a toothpick.

If you are limited in time or are afraid of the appearance of bubbles, you can send the form to the oven, preheated to 80 ° C (turned off and ventilated) for 15-20 minutes. After that, let the workpiece stand in the mold for at least a day, so as not to damage the surface of the resin. Carefully remove the bracelet, sand it from the top side and varnish it for better preservation.

First, prepare the clay - roll or twist the strips of the desired length using a pasta machine, rolling pin or extruder. After that, wrap the form you like with the resulting blank to make a frame, and send it to the oven, following the instructions indicated on the clay pack.

When the frame for your future jewelry has cooled down, free it from the mold and you can start pouring epoxy.

More details about the technology of making polymer clay frames can be found in the master class by the author Rusalina.

Method 2: wire frame

If you are familiar with the basics of the Wire Wrap technique, then a wire will come to your aid, which can be twisted into any frame or base to surprise those around you with your author's vision of jewelry.

Method 3: working with wood

Working with home-made molds allows you to go beyond the limits invented by the hardware manufacturers. But still, such a combination of techniques requires more perseverance, accuracy and time, because now you create frames and frames yourself, which is a laborious, but at the same time very interesting process.

Natural wood is naturalness ...

…the beauty…

…and style

However, such products are not so easy to make, besides, they require a whole arsenal of special tools, because the tree itself needs to be fully processed and cleaned so that the result does not disappoint.

But if difficulties and painstaking work are your passion, and there are already tools for woodworking in the house, then be sure to try yourself in a unique technique for creating crafts from epoxy resin of various sizes and purposes.

Jewelery is all that epoxy can do?

And yet, despite the fact that these days we most often meet epoxy only as decorations, it continues to be popular in other directions. So it is used to fill the handles of knives, to decorate flash drives, key rings and even pens.

And experienced craftsmen went even further, using epoxy to fill large surfaces. Tables with an incredible imitation of water in the middle or a simple and even surface, from under which the original image protrudes, no longer subject to fading - this is a reality created by those who love to challenge their talent.

Wooden top with transparent epoxy resin insert

The tabletop is completely filled with epoxy resin.

Those who remain faithful to small forms have also found their own style: pocket mirrors and even articulated dolls! It turns out that resin can realize any of our ideas.

As you can see, epoxy resin is capable of a lot and is limited only by the imagination of those who are seriously interested in working with it. Try it and you will go from your first cabochons and beads to masterpieces worthy of world museums of epoxy crafts!

My next form, this time from just such a building silicone. , but it was mainly intended as a one-time use, since only one clone was needed. If desired, of course, you can squeeze a couple of copies out of it, protecting the gypsum with all sorts of impregnations and using a variety of separating lubricants. But even with these measures, after the first use, it began to collapse with me.

This time you need to get about 70 copies of shells, again for this Tiger tank, so I had to abandon the plaster mold and try using building silicone. On the Internet they write that building silicone can withstand about 5-8 castings from Epoxy resin (EDP), then it begins to collapse. Therefore, it is advised to use aspic, which is capable of producing several times more copies. But something confuses the price of filling silicones, so for the test I decided to buy the cheapest coating silicone and, as it were, to probe the very process of creating molds from silicone, and there it will already be clear which way to dig further.

To begin with, I made a bed for the silicone itself, so that the silicone holds the desired shape when pouring epoxy into it. I acted almost according to the same scheme as when creating the form for this radiator. An ordinary lighter fit perfectly under the size of the shells, so I built a plastic formwork around it.

I sculpted in a hurry, so when pouring, a lot of leaks were revealed.

Actually one half is already done. I poured a little gypsum, because of this, the radii of the form go into the "minus" and do not let go of the lighter, so I had to disassemble the formwork and grind off everything superfluous to remove the lighter.

I dug out the grooves for the locks, reassembled everything again, generously smeared it with solid oil so that I didn’t have to hammer anything out like the first time, and besides, the quality of the print is not required here.

Poured alabaster.

This time, the halves of the mold came apart like clockwork, it was not even necessary to knock on them.

He grinded off the burrs, smeared the halves with PVA glue and sent them to dry on the battery.

Then, to be sure, covered them with paraffin.

As a separating lubricant, ordinary shoe polish showed the best results, apparently due to the fact that it contains the same wax.

I lightly smeared prototype shells with this shoe polish so that the silicone itself would not stick to the shells.

I thoroughly coated the shells with silicone so that there were no air bubbles on them. I also filled both halves of the stock with silicone, then put the shells into the half and closed the lid, squeezing out the excess silicone. I did all this with dry hands, they write on the Internet that it is better to moisten my hands, but I did not do this, because I did not want to get rid of water droplets later. By the way, the smell at the same time is indescribable because silicone is acidic, it feels like she spilled a bottle of vinegar. So it's better to make silicone molds with an open window or even on the street.

I pulled the block with rubber bands and left it to dry for a couple of days.

Two days later I decided to disassemble the form and see what happened. At first glance, everything seems to be normal, only the sharp acidic smell was embarrassing when removing the silicone mold from gypsum.

I was impatient to make an autopsy, so I armed myself with piercing and cutting tools and set about the operation. As it turned out, the stench of the form was not without reason, somewhere in the depths the knife began to get dirty on the silicone that had not dried. Therefore, the operation had to be postponed for another couple of days. But this time he put the form into the bed, but did not close the lid, so that it would be better weathered and dry faster. So if you make a very thick shape, then feel free to dry it for a week.

Two days later, the shells were already cut out. I decided to cut not in the middle, but closer to the edge, so that it would form a kind of bowl with a lid, through which then fill the mold with resin. It's hard to see here in the photo, but the silicone adhered very well to the shells in several places. Therefore, when removing the silicone, it was torn and remained on the shells in small spools.

So you need to look for a separating lubricant or smear more shoe polish. But here is a double-edged sword, you will smear a lot of lubricant, you will lose the detail of the part, besides, it will be difficult to apply silicone itself to the lubricant, since it is thick and will stick anywhere, but not on the part.

Lubricated the bed and at the same time the form, mixed resins, prepared a couple of nails for a more solid weight of shells at the exit. In theory, a bed of gypsum can be completely abandoned because it is an extra hemorrhoid. Unless, of course, initially create a silicone mold on something even, so as not to get bananas at the exit. However, there is a chance that without a snug fit, the epoxy will leak out through the cut in the silicone mold.

I laid the mold at a slight angle so that the resin would fill the mold by gravity, put in the nails and gradually filled the mold with epoxy. As filling with resin, the form was closed, but so that no air bubbles remained inside.

After filling, closed the lid and threw it on the battery. After 2-3 hours, the resin has already solidified. Then he pulled the shells out of the form, at first glance everything turned out great. A little sandpaper and you can paint.

As it turned out, I rejoiced early, with each subsequent casting, the shells were more and more difficult to remove from the mold. The epoxy stuck more and more strongly, to the point that the form began to tear when the projectile was removed. It was just as difficult to clean the mold itself from resin drips every time. In general, closer to the seventh approach, the form ceased to close tightly, due to which the marriage on the details became more and more. So if you need several copies of something, then this method can be used, otherwise, look for a separator or pour something less aggressive (Gypsum).

It seems that another separating lubricant is needed, without having one, the process of cloning the ammunition load in this way was suspended. After some time, I made just such a composite mold of epoxy resin and, with its help, cast plaster copies of shells.

Afterword 1

Recently I came across an interesting way to make pseudo-silicone from improvised means (gelatin, glycerin). So, if you need to quickly take a mold from some small part and cast a copy of it from epoxy. That's it. It is dumb to pour massive parts into it, since the form is afraid of heating (if an excessive reaction in the epoxy resin suddenly occurs), but casting small things is just right.

When working with epoxy resin, it is very important what forms (moldings) the master uses. Of course, you can buy them, but what to do in a situation where you need to get the form quickly, but there is no time to search and wait for delivery?

There is only one way out. Namely - to make a mold with your own hands. Today's collection of lessons will help you learn how to make molds for filling with your own hands.

Those who are seriously engaged in the manufacture of costume jewelry and women's jewelry also treat the search for the best tools, fixtures and materials very responsibly. After all, quality is the guarantee of success.

And it often happens that at the stage from the birth of an idea to the birth of a result, too much time passes. Or even an interesting and original project gets on the back burner. And the only reason is that the necessary and ideally suited materials and accessories cannot be obtained in any way or they are too expensive.

In such a situation, one master will literally "dig the ground with his nose" in order to find a more or less adequate replacement for what is needed, and maybe even take on the manufacture of everything necessary himself. And this is right, because even though "your" instrument appears "in pain", it always turns out to be the most convenient.

It's not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is to understand what exactly needs to be done. For example, you can simply use the knowledge of those who have already gained experience in this matter.

The craftswoman under the nickname Lida Floral Beauty offers you a master class on making molds for pouring epoxy resin. With it, you can make spherical and hemispherical parts for jewelry.

For work you will need: special silicone for making molds (molds), a hardener for it, plastic cups and jars of the right sizes - clean and dry, glass beads of different diameters, moment-crystal glue. A description of the entire process can be found at the link below:

In addition to the photo master class, we offer you a selection of lessons in video format.

How to make molds with your own hands. Video master classes

How to make molds for epoxy resin:

Do-it-yourself molds for epoxy resin:

Molds for epoxy resin at the lowest cost with your own hands:

DIY silicone molds:

Silicone and starch molds for epoxy resin:

Discussion of the article

I composed such a long name for viners, which consist of two parts:
The 1st part of silicone is the texture of the lower surface of the sheet.
The 2nd part of epoxy resin is the texture of the upper surface of the sheet.
The combination of a soft silicone mold and a transparent epoxy resin mold makes it very easy to make double-sided textures of leaves and petals, to control visually and you can tell by touch the uniform thickness of casts.

To make the silicone part of the weiner, we need: leaves and petals of the plants we need, cling film, any starch, silicone sealant (KRASS is very good), preferably a disposable plate (if you need vaseline oil for hand lubrication).

The recipe for silicone mass came up with romangt 1 part starch and 1 part silicone sealant knead well in a disposable plate until it sticks to your hands, if it sticks a little, then you need to lubricate your hands with petroleum jelly.

You do not need to knead a large amount of mass at once, it sets quickly and you will not have time to use it all, you will understand this after the first kneading.

Before starting the preparation of the batch, lay out pieces of cling film of a much larger leaf size on the table, spread the leaves on the film with the bottom surface up.
Quickly spread the prepared mass of silicone in portions into leaves (the silicone mass should no longer stick to your hands), cover it with another piece of film on top and gently roll it out with a rolling pin so that the pancake is larger than the size of the leaf, and the thickness of the pancake was not thicker than 5 mm. Turning the pancake over, you need to remove the film from above and quickly bend-pinch the edges so that the leaf is in the boat.

The mold dries pretty quickly, but do not rush to remove the leaf, only when the leaves dry well can be easily removed, and the prints will be clean and very accurate.

Check the finished molds for holes, pour the epoxy glue prepared according to the instructions into them no more than 5 mm and leave to dry for a day.

When the epoxy has hardened, it is advisable to cut off the excessively protruding edges of the silicone boat with scissors.

The soft silicone mold is easy to remove from the hard epoxy mold, and it is also easy to lay down exactly in place and provides a natural two-sided texture of the leaf.

If necessary, on a silicone mold, you can make a small cut with scissors for the handle of a wire leaf.

Such leaves are obtained with the help of my viners.

And for those who already have purchased molds, you can easily make the mirror side of the leaf. It is necessary to stick a silicone dough cake on the mold and depict the shape of the boat so that the print is accurately fixed. You can also stick molds for drying the petals.

I can't help but brag about another molded rose from unboiled HF, where my SILICONE EPOXY WEINERS were used. Annushka's advice http://stranamasterov.ru/user/53500 on tinting the bud was very useful, for which special thanks to her.

Add three tablespoons of potato or cornstarch and the same amount of inexpensive silicone sealant to a yogurt cup.

We mix for 7-10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, the silicone sealant practically does not stain the fingers and we begin to knead the mass.

After 5-6 minutes of kneading, the mass becomes completely homogeneous and elastic.

Let's start making prints.

We roll out a small piece of silicone mass according to the size of the sheet and press the sheet from above.

For good detailing of the relief, I roll out the silicone with a rolling pin.

Molds are almost ready. Silicone will dry completely in 8-12 hours.

After drying, the molds become flexible, elastic and can be used for making prints repeatedly!

It is better, after drying, to carefully cut the molds along the edge of the relief.

Panel "Autumn" in the making.

Author MK: Tanyushsha

So, first, we find suitable leaves. I chose a hydrangea leaf, a foxglove leaf, a girlish grape leaf, a regular grape leaf (I don’t know the variety), a rose leaf. I warmed up the plasticine a little in the microwave, rolled out the pancakes with a rolling pin (through parchment), made prints, raised the sides. I smeared it with a Vaseline-based massage cream with a brush. Next, I prepared the glue according to the instructions (I bought 120 ml glue). But before mixing with the hardener, I put a jar of resin in warm water to thin it for a couple of minutes. I poured glue into the molds. The layer thickness must be at least 3 mm.

I left the molds with epoxy for 5-6 days. And now the hardest part is to remove the molds from the plasticine molds. Despite the vaseline, plasticine is reluctant to leave. At first, she simply cleaned off the plasticine, then lowered it into hot water and removed the heated plasticine from the mold with a dry cloth, then she scraped the back side of the mold with a knife, and then wiped the mold with alcohol. Fuss, in short, a lot. But the result is satisfied. In future works I will show the use of molds in practice.
Here they are ready! From left to right, hydrangea, grapes, parthenocissus and foxglove. The dye from plasticine migrated to epoxy.

These are molds ready to be filled. Below is a leaf of girlish grapes and ordinary grapes, on top is digitalis (left) and hydrangea.

And this is a mold of a leaf of girlish grapes that textures a leaf of a new rose :)) It turned out so big, I really like it. At least I got leaf molds.

And this is a climbing rose leaf mold. I poured the remnants of epoxy, in some places the thickness of the mold turned out to be very small, and when removed from the mold, a piece broke off. But I tried to texture on this one (glued it), it’s really nothing, just don’t press on the break point. And the texture is good!

And finally, I would like to offer you some amazing works of the above authors :)

If the number of castings is important to you and you understand in advance that this form should normally transfer a sufficiently large number of fillings, use silicones on a platinum catalyst, for example, Platinum 25, MoldStar. Silicones with neutral platinum catalysts are in most cases more resistant to aggressive media. than silicones on a tin catalyst. It means. that the form will transmit its original gloss and appearance longer. If you are just starting out, look for more fluid mold silicones, check with the manufacturer or seller. In this case, it will be more convenient for you to work with them.

Silicones convey matte and gloss well. That is, if you have a matte master model, the shape will be the same and the resin pour will come out with a cloudy surface. In this case, it is imperative to use varnish or master models with an initially smooth, varnished surface. The photo shows an example of how silicone is simply poured onto a glossy mirror with a matte pattern. You can clearly see the transfer of matte and gloss silicones.

3. Accurately observe the amount of base and catalyst in the silicone when mixing. Mix thoroughly for at least 3 minutes. Although the mold looks ready in a few hours, let the mold cure for at least 24 hours.
4. Wet and/or fresh molds must not be used to pour resins. Resins do not like moisture, this can lead to a violation of their properties (turbidity, discoloration). The same applies to pouring in a damp room.
5. Wash molds - both after polymerization and after pouring - using warm soapy water.
6. The form wears out the faster, the more often it is loaded - resin is an aggressive environment. Let's form "rest".
7. For a perfect top of the form, firmly attach the master model to the bottom of the formwork along the perimeter.
8. Store molds in food grade plastic wrap. not allowing moisture to evaporate, in a cool room, away from direct sunlight, so the shape is better preserved.
Successful creativity!