Making Resin Molds

tutorialseva foamsiliconemold makingresinhela
Written By Beverly Downen

Learn how to make molds using resin instead of silicone! This method is useful for your silicone casting projects. You might be asking yourself “why are you using resin instead of silicone to make a mold?” The answer to that is: I need the resin mold to cast Silicone! I could use silicone to make this mold, but I would have to use a mold release before casting my silicone into it. That mold release would need to be cleaned off of every inch of that silicone before I can use Psycho paint. These parts are small and there’s a lot of them, so I am eliminating the need to clean a million silicone pieces by using resin as the mold. For this mold I used Dragon Skin Fast silicone as a release agent instead of release spray or vaseline.

Materials Used:
Master: Adhesive Backed EVA Foam

  • Foam Core

  • Hot Glue / Glue Gun

  • Silicone Release Layer

  • *Dragon Skin® 10 FAST

  • *Silicone Thinner®

  • *Silc Pig® pigment Resin Mold

  • *Smooth‑Cast® 300

  • Misc. Clean Plastic Mixing Cups

  • Latex-Free Gloves

  • Paper Towels

  • Disposable Brushes

  • Stirring Sticks

  • Gram Scale (Optional)

*These items are available at www.Smooth-On.com

Tips:

Smooth-On materials calculator can help you estimate how much resin you’ll need for your mold. https://www.smooth-on.com/support/cal...

*Please keep in mind that this method of using silicone as a release agent is great for my project but should not be used if you’re casting very small details. Some of the detail will be lost with pouring silicone over the mold. For my project this will be useful to help round out the edges of the Eva foam, and to fill tiny holes. Be sure to test this method for your project before making your final mold.

(This video was created several years ago for an old company of mine called Epoch Echo Cosworx)

Beverly Downen

Beverly of Downen Creative Studios is an internationally published professional author, award-winning cosplayer and creator, crafting high-quality costumes based on pop culture characters as well as elaborate original designs. She travels across the country to host workshops and lectures at events, and has a passion for writing extensive tutorials. In 2018 she founded SheProp, a maker forum for female, non-binary and transgender cosplayers, and is the executive producer of all programming and events. She’s worked with many industry companies including Marvel, Worbla, Smooth-On, PlaidFX and MicroMark and has been featured on Tested, Be Amazed, and NW Nerd Podcast. Her 240-page how-to book Cosplayer's Ultimate Guide to EVA Foam was published in 2022 and is available on bookshelves everywhere.

https://DownenCreativeStudios.com
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How To Attach Silicone to Fabric with Sil-Poxy