This post shares how to make your own silicone mold using EasyMold Silicone Putty. Silicone putty is a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to make your own silicone molds for food crafts, resin crafts, clay crafts, and more. I received the silicone putty used in this tutorial for free; however, my review of the products is 100% unbiased.
EasyMold silicone putty at a glance
- What it is: a two-part, food-grade silicone putty from ETI for making small impression molds.
- Working time: about 3 minutes once the two parts are mixed (mix for about 1 minute until swirl-free).
- Cure time: 25 minutes with the object left in the putty. For resin, epoxy, concrete or plaster castings, ETI’s instructions say to let the mold cure for 24 hours at room temperature, or heat cure it, first.
- What it molds: resin, wax, soap, air-dry clay, plaster, concrete, chocolate, candy, baking and ice cubes, according to ETI.
- Avoid: latex gloves, masking tape, sulfur-containing clays and stearate soaps, which can stop it curing. Use vinyl or nitrile gloves.
- Disclosure: I received the putty for free. The review is my own.
Before you start, read the instructions that come with your putty. ETI’s EasyMold Silicone Putty technical sheet has the full directions and warnings. Note that ETI’s old website now redirects to Alumilite and some retailers list EasyMold putty as discontinued, so check it’s still available before you plan a project.
Hey guys! I’m sharing a product review and tutorial today. It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these reviews, so I’m excited to dig in and try something new: making my own silicone mold. I’m specifically making this mold for use with resin and will be using and reviewing ETI’s EasyMold Silicone Putty.
What EasyMold silicone putty is
ETI’s EasyMold Silicone Putty allows you to create molds of small objects. The easiest way to use it is to create impression-type molds. It’s odorless, non-toxic, FDA compliant, and food grade. This is all very important if you want to use this putty to make a candy mold, for example—or anything that will be ingested.
This silicone putty works great for crafts using resin, wax, baking, candies, ice cubes, soap, air dry clay, concrete, plaster, and even low-melt metals. Once cured, the molds have a high heat range—up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
They will not shrink, are strong and flexible, and are self-releasing—no mold release agent required, which is one less thing to buy! Oh, and they’re reusable, but I haven’t used a mold twice yet. So I can’t speak to how well they hold up and when they begin to deteriorate.
Note: The EasyMold instructions say that molds used repeatedly may build up material from castings. A mold release or conditioner can help restore non-food molds. For food molds, ETI says not to use mold release agents at all.
It really is easy to use, too. The putty comes in two jars: one with purple putty and one with white putty. You just mix the two together and make your mold. But you have to work quickly—it has a 3-minute working time, and you should have the two components totally mixed together in only 1 minute.
Step-by-step: making a mold with silicone putty
(Read all EasyMold official instructions and warnings before getting started.)
(Curing Note: There are some things that the EasyMold instructions say will inhibit the silicone from fully curing: items that contain sulfur (masking tape, clays, and latex gloves) or stearates (soap). Avoid direct contact with craft paints that contain chromium, copper, or black pigment, as well as water, peroxides, and alcohols).
Step 1: Mix the two parts quickly
Quickly mix the two parts of silicone together. You can do this by kneading it on a clean, flat surface. It’s pretty squishy, so you can squeeze it to help mix it together. Remember to work quickly…this stuff has a 3-minute working time! Those are 3 precious minutes.
You should be able to achieve a swirl-free consistency in about 1 minute. I didn’t use gloves, but if you want to use gloves, do NOT use latex gloves. They have sulfur in them, which can interfere with the mold curing after you take your impression. Use vinyl or nitrile gloves.
Step 2: Shape the putty and press in your object
Once both silicone components are completely mixed, roll the silicone into a ball immediately and gently flatten. You can use a rolling pin, but make sure the rolling pin is totally clean. You should flatten the putty based on the depth of the impression you’ll need. Don’t make it too thin—the cured mold could tear.
I’m using a wooden snowflake ornament to make an impression. The instructions for the putty do say that some items may contain sulfur or stearates, which can inhibit curing. Soaps, for example. If the item you’re using to make an impression has one of these, just coat it with acrylic spray to seal it first. The instructions also recommend testing a small piece of putty on the item first, but I skipped that.
I quickly pressed the snowflake down into the silicone until I was happy with the placement. Then I took a knife and cut out around the snowflake just to make the mold look a bit more professional. I left the snowflake in the putty for the entire cure time, which is 25 minutes. Actually I left mine in for a bit longer because I was working on something else.
I was really impressed with how quickly the putty began to solidify. They aren’t kidding when they say it has a 3-minute working time. And between 4 and 25 minutes, it solidifies completely. Pretty amazing.
Want more resin projects? Check out my epoxy resin paint pour for beginners tutorial and my tips on whether to use a shiny or matte silicone mold for resin projects.
Step 3: Remove the object and let the mold finish curing
I removed the snowflake from the mold. After the cure time, the mold is ready to use. However, the instructions say that if you’re using a resin casting product, concrete, or plaster, the mold needs to cure at room temperature for 24 hours first.
If you’re feeling impatient, you can heat cure the mold by putting the mold only (not the item you are making an impression of) in the regular oven (not a toaster oven) on aluminum foil or a cookie sheet. The guidelines say to place in the center of the oven—or at least 6” from the heating elements—and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. I did test out heat curing mine, and it worked just fine.
Check the heat-cure directions on your own package before you try this. The EasyMold technical sheet I found online lists a longer bake (350 to 400°F for 1 hour) than the guideline I followed.
Using the mold with resin
To test out my mold, I used a two-part epoxy resin colored with a light pink mica dye powder. And it worked out great! The mold did develop a bit of a condensation on it, but I didn’t wipe or clean it before using it.
I poured the colored epoxy resin and let it cure according to my resin’s instructions. I also used a heat gun to pop the bubbles and ensure it cured without any imperfections. The next morning, I popped it out easily. It turned out amazing! The mold released it very quickly and easily, and there are no imperfections in the mold after using it once. It’s very strong.
Like resin? Check out my tips for how to make resin jewelry using molds and how to make a gorgeous DIY marble and wood tray!
Tips for a swirl-free, crisp mold
- Get everything ready first. With only 3 minutes of working time, have your object, a clean surface and a knife within reach before you open the jars.
- Mix only one mold’s worth at a time. ETI’s instructions recommend this, and the clock starts as soon as the two colors touch.
- Knead until there are no streaks. One even color (in about a minute) means the two parts are fully mixed. Streaks can mean soft spots.
- Don’t roll it too thin. Keep it thick enough for the depth of your impression, or the cured mold can tear.
- Seal tricky objects. Soap, rubber and other items that may contain sulfur or stearates should get a few coats of clear acrylic spray first. ETI also suggests testing a small piece of putty on the object.
- Remember temperature matters. ETI’s sheet says cooler rooms slow the cure and warmer rooms speed it up.
Using the mold with clay, chocolate and other materials
ETI lists wax, soap, air-dry clay, plaster, concrete, chocolate, candy, baking and ice cubes alongside resin. A few things to know:
- Food molds stay food molds. ETI’s instructions say to mark any mold you use for food, wash and dry it between uses, and never use it for non-food crafts afterward, because it will be contaminated. They also say not to use mold release agents on food molds.
- Crayons and wax: see my guide to melting crayons in silicone molds.
- Resin: for more casting ideas, try resin jewelry for beginners or preserving insects in resin, and read whether to choose a shiny or matte silicone mold.
Putty vs pourable silicone
There’s a second way to make your own silicone mold that I tried out and want to share. While the first version used a silicone putty to make an impression mold, the second used a pourable/brush-able liquid silicone to make a mold.
Much like the putty option, EasyMold liquid pourable/brushable silicone rubber is great for a wide variety of molds: resin, wax, baking, chocolates, ice cubes, soap, plaster, clay, concrete, and low-melt metals. The biggest difference between the putty and the brushable/pourable silicone is that the putty is for impression molds.
That is, pushing something into the putty to make an impression of it. The liquid pourable/brushable silicone rubber is for blanket, glove, or block molds. It is also non-toxic, FDA compliant, and food grade.
Since this silicone is pourable, it has longer working and curing times compared to the putty. Instead of the putty’s 3-minute working time, the liquid has a 45-minute to 1-hour working time. And a 24-hour cure time. (You can cure yours faster using heat, but I didn’t.)
The liquid can get into every nook and cranny of the item you’re making a mold of, meaning it produces great detail. No mold release required for most applications, and it has a high heat range of up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The molds are reusable if they aren’t damaged (mine was damaged, will talk more about that in a bit).
To ensure your mold cures properly, take the same precautions required for the putty. Don’t use anything with sulfur: masking tape, certain clays, latex gloves (use vinyl or nitrile gloves instead), or soap that contains stearates. Avoid craft paints that contain chromium, copper, or black pigment. Avoid contact with water, peroxide, or alcohol.
| EasyMold silicone putty | EasyMold pourable/brushable silicone | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Impression molds of small objects | Glove, blanket and block molds |
| Working time | About 3 minutes | About 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Cure time | 25 minutes (24 hours before resin, concrete or plaster) | 24 hours (faster with heat) |
| Detail | Good for flat-backed objects | Gets into every nook, so better for complex shapes |
Times are from the product instructions as described in this post. Always follow the directions on your own package.
Trying pourable silicone: a block mold of a succulent
I wanted to choose something a bit more difficult to make a mold of because I’m a glutton for punishment. So I chose a small faux succulent…I didn’t mind if it got destroyed in the trial-and-error process. 🙂
(Read all EasyMold official instructions and warnings before getting started.)
Decide what kind of mold you’d like to make: a glove mold, a blanket mold, or a block mold.
- Glove Mold: A glove mold is one of the easiest molds to make. You can make a glove mold by brushing the EasyMold Silicone Rubber onto your item. A few coats are required for full coverage, excellent detail, and strength.
- Blanket Mold: A blanket mold is generally best for flat, two-dimensional pieces.
- Block Mold: A block mold uses a container to hold the object you’re making a mold of and the silicone rubber while it cures. It’s generally best for reproducing an entire object.
I decided to make a block mold. But I probably should have chosen a glove mold. More on that in a bit. So I mixed up my two-part silicone first. If you’re doing a block mold, ETI recommends estimating how much silicone you’ll need using uncooked rice.
To do this, put the item in the container you’ll use, then add rice. Once the item is sufficiently covered, pour the rice back out and measure how much you needed. That’s how much silicone you’ll need.
To make my block mold, I poured a bit of the silicone into the base of a small container. (Remember, this silicone is food safe, so no worries there.) I then put my succulent figure upside down into the container, making sure it didn’t hit the very bottom of the container.
I used a clothespin and a reusable straw to position the succulent in place while I poured the rubber. This was necessary so the succulent wouldn’t fall to the bottom.
If you were making a glove or blanket mold, you’d apply 3 or 4 layers of the silicone with a small brush. Let each layer cure for about 1 hour before applying another layer. Speed up the curing time with a heat source (hair dryer, heat lamp, heat gun, etc.).
After my mold was done curing, I used a popsicle stick and a spoon to pry it out of the container. The good news is that this silicone cures really well. It was very tough and strong. The bad news is that that meant I couldn’t easily get my succulent out of the silicone. I didn’t leave enough of an opening at the top.
Here’s what I did. First I cut off the corners to hopefully give me more leverage to pop the succulent out. No dice. So I decided to pry the succulent out. It’s a good thing I wasn’t keen on keeping the succulent, because I ended up pulling some leaves off in the process. Oops! Definitely leave a bigger opening than I did!!
I wanted it to be a bit easier to get my resin succulent out of the mold, so I used a pair of small scissors to strategically cut the opening out a bit more and then used a small syringe to fill the mold with green-colored resin. After that cured, it was time to get it out.
Long story short—I had to cut the mold up pretty badly to get the resin succulent out. Kind of defeats the purpose of springing for silicone that makes reusable molds, right? But it was a trial and error process. I now know that for an item like this, it would probably be best to do a glove mold or a multipart mold. Nonetheless, you can see that I actually was able to replicate the succulent! Pretty cool.
My verdict
This was definitely a fun process, and I enjoyed working on a new skill. Hopefully some of my mistakes help you if you’re Googling around wondering how to make your own silicone mold. I highly recommend both of the products I tried out! Good luck!
EasyMold FAQ
How long does EasyMold take to cure?
ETI’s instructions give the putty a 3-minute working time and a 25-minute cure with the object left in place. If you’re casting resin, epoxy, concrete or plaster, they say the mold needs 24 hours at room temperature, or a heat cure, first. The pourable silicone takes 24 hours.
Can you use EasyMold for resin?
Yes. ETI lists clear casting resin and epoxy among its uses, and my pink epoxy snowflake released cleanly. Just let the mold cure fully first.
Is putty better than pourable silicone?
For small, flat-backed objects, putty is faster and easier. For detailed or 3D objects, pourable silicone captures more detail, but plan the mold type carefully. My succulent taught me that a glove or multipart mold would have been the better choice.
Are EasyMold molds reusable?
ETI says the molds are reusable. ETI’s instructions note that molds used repeatedly can build up material from castings. My putty mold came through its first use with no imperfections. My pourable block mold didn’t survive, but that was down to my mold design.
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