[Marie]

The biggest problem I am having is getting the cast piece out of the mold. The silicone is sticking to the cast resin, when I originally made the mold I had trouble getting the clay model out as well. Also I am worried about there being tearing as  I am not sure about how well this particular silicone rubber is going to hold up. Another issue is that the inside piece is about 1/8 of an inch thick and so pouring the resin into that without ending up with a mess of overflow is a problem as well.  I know that is a design problem but not one I can really change much about but I do have a hard time seeing if the bubbles are out too as the mold I have is opaque.

I have seen where some people are able to make plastic or translucent molds from firmer materials and thought maybe that would be a great option to help avoid bubbles in the inner piece from appearing.

[Katherine Swift]

What kind of silicone did you use for the mold?  What kind of resin are you casting into the silicone mold?

[Marie]

I have the pink 2 part rubber silicone molding stuff you get at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Its by Amazing I think.. and the Resin I am using currently is by Annie Howes.

[Katherine Swift]

This question comes through email by Marie:

Hi,
  
I am hoping you can help me. I have accidentally and very recently ended
up with a line of business I am now having to expand.  I made some resin
pendents using a friends bands logo and he and the other members of the
band liked them so much they now have me making other resin things for them as merchandise for their band, dog tags, pendents, key rings and anything else I can come up with. I am designing a cuff bracelet and it is a 2 part bracelet. The inner part is thinner and can be colored once de-molded I will be applying the image to it then that piece will be put into a larger mold
with clear resin poured into it to completely enclose the colored portion
and image.
   
My problem is this. I only have ONE mold and while I am in the prototype
stage and this is just a band project for now I see it being able to be used
for artists and their work as well. Even if it just remains for the bands i
will need a better mold and more then the one at a time mold that I have
just to make production time a LOT faster. Can you recommend how to make a multi-item mold or where I can go to get one made that will be a lot
sturdier and a bit easier to work with then the silicone rubber one I have
made? Do you have any idea of what it MIGHT cost me? I have a very hard time getting the inner piece out of the mold due to how thin it is and how thick
the walls of the mold are in some places. Any help or advice you can give me
would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Marie,

First thing youre going to need is multiple templates of your bracelet in order to make a mold with multiple casting cavities.  Otherwise, you can make multiple molds from the same model, they just wont all be a part of the same mold.

Silicone is a good choice for bracelet molds.  Can I ask what kind of problems you are having that you want to use something else?

[Katherine Swift]

Im not familiar with the mold making material you are using, but I would expect it is silicone.  Are you using a mold release?  Silicone shouldnt normally stick to epoxy unless it isnt mixed well.  The mold release I suggest is our ultra 4 parafilm:  https://www.resinobsession.com/ItemPage/5507/Ultra-4-Polyester-Parfilm-Paintable-Mold-Release-12-oz-UPS-Ground-shipping.html

As for casting in the mold, I would suggest squeezing and opening the mold some while you pour.  You can also use sticks to help you keep the mold open.  You can see what Im talking about in this tutorial:  https://www.resinobsession.com/Resin-Tutorials/144/How-to-create-a-bangle-bracelet-using-transparencies.html

Being able to see the bubbles in a translucent mold may not necessarily make it any easier to get them out.  I would suggest trying our Resin Obsession super clear resin.  It is also an epoxy resin that is made specifically for molds.  It mixes in a thin viscosity, so if youre careful, bubbles are almost never a problem.  https://www.resinobsession.com/ItemPage/5503/ResinObsession-SuperClear-Resin-6-oz—jewelry-quality-resin.html

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