Several members of the Glowforge for Crafters group have asked about making silicone molds with their Glowforge. While I hadn’t ever made silicone molds, I was up for the challenge and spent several days working it all out – so you don’t have to.
How I Made Silicone Molds with My Glowforge
I started with doing a bunch of brainstorming on the settings I might use to engrave silicone on my Glowforge. This shouldn’t have been difficult, as I’ve done a good number of Apple Watch bands. Then, I was looking at different mold products and molding tutorials on YouTube. I noticed that all the insides of the molds were perfectly smooth. I realized that I wouldn’t be able to get this kind of smoothness using a laser to engrave. So, how is the Glowforge involved? What I did was first cut custom shapes from acrylic – then used them to make custom molds.
Cutting Acrylic Shapes for Molding
I used 1/8″ acrylic to make shapes for the molds because that is what I had on hand. I designed them in Silhouette Studio and cut them on the Glowforge. After cutting them, I decided that 1/8″ wasn’t going to be thick enough – so I doubled them together with spray on adhesive. In the future, I’ll likely use 1/4″ acrylic.
Note: I think you’d also be able to use a product like Glowforge’s Draftboard or Plywoods. I’d probably leave the masking on to prevent the wood grain from showing in the silicone mold.
Mixing the Molding Material
- I used Smooth On Mold Star Slow and followed the included directions. Pour equal parts of each bottle into containers. I used paper snack cups (Target brand) for mixing and molding. I stirred both containers well with a craft stick.
- Pour the containers together and mix well with another craft stick. It should be a uniform color with no streaks.
- The pot life of the material is 50 minutes, and the cure time is four hours. I tried two different ways to pour the Smooth On Mold Star Slow.
Method One: Pouring Over the Acrylic to Make a Mold
- The first method I tried was what the instructions for the molding material suggested. I placed the acrylic shapes in the bottom of the container.
- I poured the Smooth On Mold Star Slow over the acrylic pieces and waited four hours for it to set.
- After four hours, I tore the paper snack cup away from the mold, and removed the acrylic pieces.
- Success! The mold looked good. However, there was a small amount of Smooth On Mold Star Slow that leached between the acrylic pieces and the bottom of the paper snack cup. It did this on all the molds I made. The mold was fine and functional, you just couldn’t fill it all the way to the brim. I picked at it, it made it look worse. I am sure this is a ‘new mold maker issue’ – and likely entirely my fault.
Method Two: Putting the Acrylic Shape on Top of the Poured Mold Material
- To prevent the messy edges on the molds, I tried something else. First, I poured the mold material into the paper snack cup and let it sit for about five minutes. Then, I placed the acrylic pieces on top of mold material and let them sink. They didn’t sink below the surface of the mold material, and the edges turned out much better. After four hours, I removed the snack cup and demolded the acrylic pieces.
- Perfectly clean edges!
Do the Molds Actually Work?
Yes, they work perfectly! I tested them with some resin I had, but feel free to use them with clay, candy, bath and beauty product creating, scented wax for melts, making handmade soaps, and more.
Good to Know: Smooth On has many different types of molding material, including a similar product with a shorter cure time.
I know this is just the beginning of making molds for me. I’m excited to try out detailed molds, molds with text, and multiple layer designs in the molds. Do you think you’ll try making silicone molds with your Glowforge? Have you already made some? Let me know your experiences in the comments.
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