Dread Bead Molding Issue

XilianX2010

New Member
So this was my first try at molding a dread bead (and also my first time working with silicone). I just made one to experiment and see how it would go.

I constructed a cardboard box, sealed shut with hot glue. I place a piece of clay in the bottom to keep the bead from sliding or moving.

I mixed up the OOMOO 30 and poured it (I should mention I didn;t have enough on the first pour so I quickly stirred up some more.

When the mold cured, I removed the box and removed the piece of clay. My first issue was when I tried to wiggle out the clay bead, the middle piece started to come with it. It was hard to get it out without ripping the middle part. As I pulled enough the whole bottom then just ripped out.

I was just wondering if there's an easier way to remove the bead, or what to do if the bead is in really tight. I did use a release agent on the clay so it wouldn't stick.

I have a hunch to I didn't put enough on the top so silicone there was fairly weak and tearable when I tried to remove it.

Any thoughts? Much appreciated!

-Abby

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Firstly, you used way too much silicone.
Secondly, your mold wall wasn't high enough.
(Be sure your silicone is strong enough...)
Blue one side of the bead to the surface. Pour silicone over it until you no longer see your bead. Once it's done curing push out with both your thumbs. If it's circular then you can pull back the silicone and tada the bead will come out.
Only do a square mold if you're planning on making a gang mold.

Hope this helped. If you go onto my bead thread you can see how my molds look like. They've lasted me a year now without being torn.
 
Firstly, you used way too much silicone.
Secondly, your mold wall wasn't high enough.
(Be sure your silicone is strong enough...)
Blue one side of the bead to the surface. Pour silicone over it until you no longer see your bead. Once it's done curing push out with both your thumbs. If it's circular then you can pull back the silicone and tada the bead will come out.
Only do a square mold if you're planning on making a gang mold.

Hope this helped. If you go onto my bead thread you can see how my molds look like. They've lasted me a year now without being torn.

Thanks a lot for the advice! I'll be sure to use a smaller mold, a plastic cup should work.

Thanks!
 
You really shouldnt need release agent for silicone. Nothing but nothing sticks to silicone apart from silicone. It sound like it hadn't cured if it was sticking and tearing or your mixture was not correct. But in my view you've gone about it in the wrong way. A bead should be a two part mold in two halves and just plug the hole.
 
Depends on the clay that was used. Alphatech warned me about sealing oil based clay before molding it in silicone (although it did cure on monster makers clay ... perhaps it has something to do with sulfur in oil based clay, as monster makers advertises to be sulfur free)
 
Depends on the clay that was used. Alphatech warned me about sealing oil based clay before molding it in silicone (although it did cure on monster makers clay ... perhaps it has something to do with sulfur in oil based clay, as monster makers advertises to be sulfur free)

I did make the bead with Monster Makers clay. I'll be sure not to use release agent on the clay on the next mold to be safe. I'm pretty sure it had more to do with the lack of enough silicone on top so when I tried to remove it, it was to thin and ripped.
 
So I went in for another go and it turned out much better this time! I used a plastic cup this time instead of a box (I admit it still took a lot more silicone than expected, but I learned from this lol). Removing the bead was difficult, so I had to make a slight slit down the side to wiggle it out. When it came to pouring the resin, it never leaked, thanks to tieing a ribbon around it to keep it tight. It cured fast, the resin bead came out in a snap (or a lot of wiggling is a more accurate description).

There are a few air bubbles, and I know that's due to me pouring too fast when it came to the silicone mold. The bead's bottom requires sanding and trimming, but overall I'm glad that I know now how to properly mold beads. Though it's not perfect, I only did this more as an experiment to try out silicone molding and resin casting. I know next time to use a small cup for the bead to reduce the overuse of silicone.

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Thanks again everyone for your help and pointers. Much appreciated! (y)
 
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