How To: Care for Silicone Moulds

Silicone Moulds are becoming more and more popular to work with, with the advantage being that in most cases, silicone moulds are re-useable. However, it is important to take the correct care of your silicone moulds to ensure you get the most use out of them because unfortunately, they will not last forever.

No matter where you have purchased your moulds or how expensive they are, we would always recommend following the same process to prolong the working life of your silicone. Generally speaking, the more expensive your moulds are, the higher quality silicone they contain and will again last much longer than a $4.00 mould bought from Kmart or eBay, for example.

Where to begin: Your moulds will usually arrive wrapped in plastic. If you can save this plastic and re-use it, that will greatly help. Dust, dirt and everything in between LOVES silicone and will try stick to it any chance it can get. This is why they are pre-wrapped or covered with plastic. If you can, leave the moulds in the plastic until you are ready to use them.

When it’s time to use your moulds, we would highly recommend gently applying 1-2 spray coats of the Ease Release – Silicone Mould Release Spray Whilst this is not directly necessary, this will vastly prolong the life of the silicone.

The more silicone moulds are used, the faster the silicone oil wears out and will eventually lead to your resin sticking to your mould and damaging the surface of both resin and mould. By spraying the release agent, this moistens the silicone and allows you to de-mould your pieces effortlessly.

Top Tip: You don’t want to dampen the mould with release spray. Just apply a thin coat across the entire surface.
If you are too heavy-handed with the spray, it will leave an oily and murky residue on your resin piece when de-moulding. Which then becomes hard to clean and polish to achieve the natural glossy resin finish.

You’ve now poured your silicone mould, and it’s time to de-mould your item/s. Avoid pulling on the silicone in one spot, this will weaken the silicone. Try to create an air pocket surrounding the entire mould. By working your way around and creating an air pocket will help release your piece much easier.

When you aren’t using your moulds, it is very important to keep the moulds clean and flat. Going back to what we originally said, if your mould came in plastic and you can re-use it, then that will be very helpful. If the plastic cant be re-used, wrap the moulds in cling film/wrap. It is mostly just to protect the moulded surface area, rather than the entire mould itself. Keeping the moulds stored on a flat surface will also help keep their shape, especially if working with a tray or coaster.

Cleaning your moulds: If you have pieces of resin, pigment or glitter stuck to the mould from when you were using it, the easiest way to clean them off is with a piece of sticky tape. Pressing the tape against the silicone surface will help pick up the little pieces and leave your surface clean.

Top Tip: Avoid using cleaning agents like Isopropyl Alcohol or Acetone, as this will deteriorate the silicone rubber and become unusable.

Along with solvents, you want to avoid using as much heat as possible. Using a heat gun or butane torch, whilst good for the resin, can lead to the silicone burning and again damaging the surface of both resin and mould.

That’s really all there is to it! The better you look after your moulds, the longer use you will get out of them, making them a very cost-effective item when creating resin pieces.

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U RESIN

We are a 3rd generation of family-owned business specialising in epoxy resin manufacturing and supplies. We are located in Perth, Western Australia, where we manufacture and distribute all of our resin products. We focus on three characteristics: Dependability, Customer Service and Uniqueness.
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