Intro to Mold Making

This is my most popular topic, but also one of my most complex. It’s tough to explain how I make molds because it’s not a single process... it’s many. In this post, I'll be going over one tried and true method - clay molding! It’s a simple, personal favorite of mine that I use all the time.

For other mold making methods, including making silicone molds and casting silicone into silicone, visit my "Buy Me a Coffee" page. 

I highly recommend using Monster Clay for this. It’s a wax-based clay that won’t chemically bond to your silicone. It doesn’t smell bad or give off fumes. In fact, it smells like a plain candle. It comes in three different textures - soft, medium, and hard. I usually use hard, but I’ve had great luck with medium too. Soft is too soft, it won’t work as well for what we’re doing here.

The best part - you can press something into the clay (like a large seashell), and you instantly have a silicone-compatible mold! Just heat it in the oven according to the Monster Clay instructions, and scoop out the amount you need. Spread a medium-thick layer onto some tin foil, and press your seashell (or whatever you’re trying to copy) into the clay. Wait until the clay is completely cooled before removing the object. Sticking it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes will speed this up.

If you find that your objects are getting stuck in the clay, it could be because of two things:

1. You’re forming your clay around the edges of your object, trapping it. If this is happening, warm the clay a bit with your hands and pick off the parts that are holding your object in place.
2. The texture of your object is grabbing onto the clay. If this is happening, coat your object with a thin layer of Vaseline to make it easier to remove.

If you’re making a copy of something large, you can form the clay around the object instead of pressing it in. Just wait for it to cool down a bit before doing so, because you’ll obviously be using your hands! I highly recommend the Vaseline trick to make this easier. I’ve used this method to create some of my most-loved molds, like my small leaves for my Lemonade Mermaid Originals tops, and they’ve lasted for years.

Remember, you’ll be doing a lot of trial and error, same as anything else. You’ll need to experiment and find what works best for you. Thankfully, Monster Clay is reusable, so if you accidentally mess up a mold or if it gets damaged, all you need to do is re-melt it and try again!

Have you tried clay molding before? Let us know in the comments if it worked for you!