Silicone Making 101

Starting out with silicone can be a daunting task. It's difficult to know what to buy, what's safe for you as the creator, and what's safe for your customers and the environment. I'm going to get you started with a list of tried-and-true materials that I use every day to create my silicone mermaid tops, bracers, belts, and more. 

Before I get into my list, I want to stress the importance of staying away from silicone caulking (the kind you can buy at Home Depot, or any hardware store). Caulking is tempting because it appears easy to use, and you don't have to worry about mixing the formula yourself, but there are multiple reasons it fell out of fashion in the mermaid industry years ago. Not only is this stuff headache-inducing from nasty fumes, but it's simply not made or tested for skin safety or durability as a clothing item. Even silicone that is "aquarium safe" isn't necessarily safe for skin, and since it's not designed to stretch and warp, it might not hold your tail or top together very well either. You also cannot reliably color these very easily. 

You can review all the safety data for Dragonskin silicone here. 

Now for the list of goodies - this is not exhaustive, as there are many skin safe products out there, but these are the ones I'm most familiar with.

1) Dragonskin 10 Very Fast silicone by Smooth-On

This is an odorless, colorless, two part silicone that you mix yourself, and pour into a mold. It is completely skin safe, and is used across the mermaid and special effects world to create mermaid tails, tops, facial prosthetics... the list goes on! You do have to work quickly with this product, as it cures solid within 30 minutes, so I recommend mixing your pigment in with Part A before combining it with Part B - you'll have more time to adjust your color. Smooth-on recommends using vinyl gloves when working with the uncured mixture. 

2) Silpoxy by Smooth-On

A silicone adhesive designed to adhere your silicone pieces to, well, anything. Silicone only sticks to silicone, which is why using a glue like E6000 will not work. Silpoxy has a slight vinegar smell that dissipates as it cures. 

3) Vaseline or Ease Release 200

One (or both) of these are essential if you are casting silicone into a silicone mold. If you don't use a release agent, you'll bond your mixture with the mold. You only need a thin coat of either of these on your mold. Regardless of which one you choose, make sure to wipe down your piece with odorless mineral spirits to get rid of any residue. 

4) Thivex

If you want to use Dragonskin silicone as your adhesive instead of Silpoxy, Thivex will allow you to thicken the texture so it won't go runny.

5) Pigments

Use code "thelemonademermaid" at checkout for 10% off!

You can create with plain, clear silicone if you really want to... but adding color will bring your project to life. Mica pigments are easy to use as they are, or for mixing custom colors. You can even purchase glow-in-the-dark, UV reactive, and chameleon pigments. 

6) Airbrush and compressor

Not everyone wants or needs to airbrush their silicone, but this is my favorite way to make multicolored pieces. This particular airbrush is easy to use and has lasted me a few years (still going strong)!

Again, this list is not exhaustive - if you find other skin safe brands that work for you, go for it! I will go over the basics of mold making in my next blog, since that's a beast of its own. 

Questions? Comments? Leave them below!