Review and comparison; Mold maker

Review and comparison; Mold maker

 

Time for another quick review/comparison - this time for mold putty. I have 3 different brands, and I'll let you know what I think, pros/cons etc. Hope this will be helpful to some of you.

 

Sculpey mold maker:

It comes in a 'clay form' - 2 Blocks where you have to take however much you need, Push an item into it, bake and you have a mold. It's very soft and quite 'sticky'.

I got this in the beginning of 2011. I tried it out right away and made a couple of molds,. Haven't used it since, and threw out the molds. It claims to make flexible molds.. They really aren't that flexible, and it'll crack if you try to bend them too much. Besides that, you'll also need to apply some type of starch or 'mold release' medium, otherwise the clay will just stick to the mold, exactly as if you'd made the mold from scrap clay.

The only 'pro' I can think of is, that it can act as a clay softener as well. I really wouldn't recommend this for mold making.

 

I got mine from clayaround.com

Amazing mold putty:

This is what I've been using the most - it's a 2-part silicone putty that you mix equal parts of. You then have a couple of minutes to shape it and create your mold. it's easy to Work with and takes approx. 20 minutes to set, but I recommend leaving it for a bit longer, just to make sure it's completely hardened and not sticky anymore.

I've repurchased this product 3 times, I think, and I really like it. The molds are super flexible and pretty durable. The 'texture'/finish of the finished mold is slightly 'rough'. Hard to explain.. It's not really that noticable when working with polymer clay, but if you're using it for liquid clay or resin, you may not get that pretty smooth surface you want.

 

I get this from metalclay.co.uk

Siligum:

My most recent purchase when it comes to mold makers. It works the same way as the amazing mold putty - you mix 2 parts, create the mold and let it set.

The consistency is more on the sticky side and it takes approx. 10 minutes to set. I don't think it's as durable as the amazing mold putty - it can crack if you bend the molds too much and it's easier to cut through (so you can harm the molds when cutting off excess clay). However, it has a smoother texture when cured and seems to Work better for projects with liquid clay or resin.

Last thing I feel like mentioning about this is, and I don't know if  this is just me, but I feel like the unbaked clay releases from the mold as easily as with the AMP? Nothing a bit of starch can't fix, but could cause a problem for certain projects.

 

Got this from metalclay.co.uk as well

 

What do I recommend?

well,. Anything but the sculpey mold maker really. I will probably continue to have both the AMP and siligum on hand, so that I can choose the mold putty I want to use for each clay project. It's a matter of preference and needs.