DIY Silicone Mold

Okay, so making rupee soap and Han-in-carbonite soap is fun and all, but Penga-Sis and I were ready to take the next step - custom soap molds!

Armed with a basin of soap, a tube of silicone caulk, and some Pokemon action figures, we were ready to go. We used this tutorial.

(source)

We filled the soap basin with warm water, and hacked off the end of the caulk tube with a large, rusty saw. Gotta throw in a little danger to keep things lively.  We pulled the caulk out of the tube and submerged it in the basin, massaging it into a usable dough.

It smells SO bad.  Like dumping a bottle of vinegar all over yourself. Fun times.

Whenever you're ready, cover your action figures with a thick layer of caulk, making sure to leave some part of the figure exposed so you can pull it out later.

Threw in a baby blaster for good measure.

And that's it! Let it dry for a while, and leave it in a ventilated area, unless you want a garage that permanently smells of vinegar.  Says the one speaking from experience.

Once dry (we waited overnight), pull the figures out and give them a good wash to de-vinegarize. Let the finished molds "cure" or dry out a bit more (we waited until Penga-Sis came back the next weekend, but probably just another day is fine).

Cool huh? And cheap! Caulk is certainly cheaper than the mold putties they sell at craftstores.  But the real question - does it make soap?!

First spray the molds down with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alchy) to prevent any bubbles from forming in the soap.  Then pour away with your scented soap!

Ash's mold wasn't so good though, soap started dripping out of his feet! Make sure you cover everything well when you make your mold..

Another problem with our molds was that they didn't come out cleanly. See all the overflow?

All (except for psyduck) required trimming with a knife.

I'm pleased with how well the details were captured though!

The blaster soaps are too small to do anything with, so I might put them in a bigger (clear) soap later.

Psyduck came out really well though!

You can see the little pucker on the side though where I didn't cover him well enough with the caulk.

Ash and Misty, however, weren't looking as great.  They are just too thin to be practical soaps. And they require a lot of excess soap trimming.

We'll definitely be trying mold-making again, but so far our lessons learned - cover your object as MUCH as feasible.  The more it is covered, the less overflow problems you should have.  Obviously, bulkier "soap" shaped objects will make better soap.  Not twiggy action figures (unless you mount them inside a clear bar soap or something). And keep your workspace ventilated.  I'm serious about the vinegar smell, yo!

And uh, I doubt these are food safe molds, so only use them for soap or resin!