You mixed your resin and you want to make something awesome! Unless you want to freeform something (which we will get into later), you need resin molds!
Resin is exciting!
Do you dream about the beautiful smooth-flowing liquid, sparkling with glitter or iridescent pigment powders, that creates the depth of the ocean…
… or bursts with vibrant colors like the blooms of a spring garden after the rain?
It looks like perfection, how can you resist it?
But where are you going to put all that beautiful resin?
How are you going to tame and contain it?
Why…in a resin mold of course!
Resin molds come in different materials, shapes, sizes, styles, and price ranges.
Gone are the days when you had to try to Macgyver a mold to make a simple coaster!
You can buy molds, or you can make your own.
So let’s talk molds!
Yes! There are molds specifically made to use with resin, but you are NOT limited to using only those molds.
Yay!
Frequently Asked Questions About Resin Molds
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I’m going to answer some frequently asked questions about resin molds. Most of them will probably be answered within the different sections, but if I miss anything, I’ll have a FAQ section at the end.
If you have any resin questions that you would like me to answer in the future, be sure to leave them down in the comments below.
Plastic Molds
Let’s start with plastic molds.
All plastics are not made alike! Resin doesn’t want to stick to some plastics and it refuses to release from others.
The plastic molds specifically made for resin are polyethylene (PE) or HDPE molds.
You can pour your resin, allow it to cure and it will pop out. The polyethylene molds are rigid and when the resin cures, you have to press it pretty hard to pop it out, but it works.
I have been known to put them in the freezer for 10 minutes if for some reason they are not easily popping out.
The polyethylene molds work great but the selection is pretty limited.
Candy Molds
Of course, if you explore plastic molds, you will find a lot of cool molds made for candy making.
Unfortunately, that is the type of plastic mold that resin wants to stick to and stay in FOREVER!
Like…no way…no how are you getting them out.
However, if you use a mold release, you CAN use those plastic molds.
Mold Release
This brings us to our first frequently asked question:
What to use for resin mold release?
Mold release is otherwise known as a release agent.
Among other things you can use, there are two common household items that can be used as a mold release:
- petroleum jelly
- mineral oil
Both can be messy, but they do work.
Mineral Oil
I used mineral oil when making the Shark Pen Craft and it worked.
What I DO like about mineral oil is it easily coats all of the cracks and crevices of a mold.
What I DON’T like is that it’s hard to see if you have missed a spot and it’s really runny.
Petroleum Jelly
I used petroleum jelly when I made the Resin Pigment Heart and on the inner bucket when I made the Colossal Cupcake Lamp.
What I DO like about petroleum jelly is that you can see where you put it.
What I DON’T like about petroleum jelly is that it’s really messy and you need to wash your hands about 10 times before everything stops slipping out of them.
Out of the two, I prefer petroleum jelly. It seems like the pieces release more easily with it than they do with the mineral oil.
Mold Release
There is a specific Mold Release product that I have used. It is made explicitly for resin and it works, but not as well as petroleum jelly.
I had a plastic candy mold that had very thin pieces. I sprayed it with the mold release, poured the resin, let it cure, and then tried to pop it out.
It didn’t want to budge.
I popped it in the freezer….I may have forgotten about it…so it was in there for at least an hour.
I popped it out of the freezer and resin pieces released from the mold relatively easily, but because they were thin pieces and because they were frozen ROCK SOLID, they were consequently brittle.
I broke two of them while aggressively popping them out of the mold.
That’s on me…
Pretty sure they would have been fine had I been more careful.
I have also heard Dawn dish soap is supposed to act as a mold release. I have not tried it.
BUT…
…if it does work… clean-up would be a dream!
Let me know if you have tried it!
Silicone Molds
In my opinion, silicone molds are the easiest to work with and are by far my favorite molds.
So if you are looking for the BEST resin molds, silicone molds are the winners.
They take the complication and fight out of demolding (or as I like to say unmolding) a resin project.
And it doesn’t need any type of mold release to help it pop out!
When I started working with resin, they were just starting to come out with silicone molds…for baking. There were NONE…ZERO…ZIP silicone molds for resin.
NOW…they come in just about anything you can dream of from jars to bowls, to bookmarks, to various shaped coasters WITH coaster holders…
It almost makes me want to restart Another Coaster Friday!
If you peruse my website, you will find all kinds of projects I have made using silicone molds.
Keep in mind that most were made for baking.
On a side note, but important to mention, if you use your silicone molds with resin DO NOT use them for food.
Keep your baking pans and your resin molds separate.
Granted, since I found resin, I don’t do much baking anymore..so it tends not to be an issue in our house.
Life Span of Silicone Molds
As wonderful as they are, silicone molds will not last forever. The epoxy resin is corrosive and will eventually start to wear away and degrade the mold.
This is normal and to be expected.
Some resins also seem to wear it away faster than others.
There is a whole science and chemical reaction thing going on that I can’t even begin to explain.
I have heard that mold release will help condition them and extend the lives of your resin molds. I cannot confirm or deny that claim.
Some of My Favorite Resin Molds
Let’s talk about a few of my favorite resin molds.
Like I said before, most of my silicone molds are made for baking, but that has never stopped me from using them with resin.
Coaster Mold
Obviously, the mold I have used the most is my coaster mold.
I used to make at least 50 coasters a year using that mold.
So, I have bought many of them over the years.
Even though I call them coasters and they can function as coasters, they really are just little works of art.
Think of them as your canvas.
Colossal Cupcake Mold
The other two that are my favorites are the giant cupcake mold and the gingerbread house mold.
This is what I made with it!
I used the giant cupcake mold to create the Colossal Cupcake Lamp that I mentioned earlier. I’ve only made that project once, but I think I will probably do it again in the future.
The gingerbread house mold is one I have used three times so far. The first time, I made a Christmas Gingerbread House, which seemed like a pretty obvious choice.
FYI: It looks like they have added some stuff to mold, since I bought it.
It had the traditional trimmings.
I loved using the gingerbread house mold but thought it was a shame only to use it once, so I thought about it.
When Halloween rolled around, I wondered if I could pull off a scary and creepy version that no one would associate with a gingerbread house. So, I made a Haunted Zombie House.
Still convinced I could use the mold for different themes, I then made an Easter House, for spring.
I have at least one more in me (hopefully more) and that needs to be a summer beach house.
Cleaning Silicone Molds
This brings us to another Frequently Asked Question:
How do you clean silicone molds?
Well, I do very little to clean mine because once you remove your piece, it is generally pretty clean.
Sometimes if you paint on the mold, you might have some paint left over. It easily scrapes off with your fingernail.
They do get dusty and you might get glitter on them, or maybe a stray strand of pet fur or your hair.
Those items might cling to the mold and can be a bit of a pain to try and wipe off.
The best solution for that is to use packing tape. Take the sticky side of the tape, and press it down into the mold. The dust, glitter, and hair come right up with it. Do that a couple of times and your mold is nice and clean!
Make Your Own Resin Mold…and What about Freeform?
You might be wondering:
Can I make my own resin molds?
Can I freeform a shape of a resin mold?
If you want to make your own molds or freeform a shape for your resin…
No problem!
Mold-making Materials
There are silicone mold-making materials available to do just that!
The products I have used are a putty form and a liquid form.
They are similar in that they are silicone and require being mixed in equal parts, Part A and Part B.
Once mixed together a magical chemical reaction takes place and transforms it into a solid silicone.
Putty Mold-Making Material
The putty type is a firmer product and once mixed you can either press something into it and let it cure, or you can press it onto something and let it cure.
Once cured, the object can either be pulled out, or the putty can be peeled off.
As always, follow the directions on the mold-making material you are using.
Then, use the mold (if food safe) for baking, or candy making.
Or use it with polymer clay, plaster, cement, or resin.
With the putty, I molded an Oreo cookie, a mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cup, and a Goldfish Cracker.
Liquid Silicone Mold Making Material
The liquid pourable silicone allows you to make different types of molds.
There is a wealth of knowledge specifically for mold making, so if you are trying to figure out how to mold something, be sure to check it out.
I enjoy making an occasional mold but I am definitely not a mold-making expert.
I have made a Bowl Mold using the liquid silicone molding material and I have also made a Wine Coaster Mold using it.
It works great and I have used both of those molds multiple times.
People make molds using silicone caulk and I tried it once.
It was pretty messy and didn’t go well for me. I know it works but I didn’t feel the need to try it again.
You can learn more about making silicone molds with cault by doing a Google search.
There is a wealth of information out there! I don’t want to judge the technique, it just didn’t work that well for me.
Mold Making Kits
I thought it was worth mentioning that they also sell mold making kits like this one:
Freeform Resin Mold
In conversation with one of my subscribers (Kate) on my YouTube channel, she told me about Silly Putty as a mold.
I was a little dumbfounded, but HAD to try it! I had to hunt around Walmart to find the Silly Putty and eventually just asked.
Turns out, it works great! If you want to freeform something, it will do the trick! It will work as a mold around your piece or as a dam if you need one.
You just need to make sure you are making it on something that will release the resin. You can find some more of that information and other resin tips HERE.
I used it around the wings of the Dragonfly Wall Art to dam the resin so that it wouldn’t get away. I also used it to free form my Egg Coasters.
Worked like a charm!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
On to the Frequently Asked Questions!
What can I use as a resin mold?
Well, obviously, the molds I mentioned earlier. However, you can use other items as well. There are other things you can use as resin molds where the resin would stay in them. They would not be removed from those items like:
- Jar lid
- Wire frame/bezel (Example: Paris Coaster)
Does resin stick to aluminum foil?
Yes. If you think you want to use it as a base…don’t. Opt for parchment paper instead.
Can you use Tupperware as a resin mold?
Yes. According to my research, resin won’t stick to Tupperware. Great to know! Supposedly, it does not need a release agent either.
Even though resin will not stick to Tupperware, if you use resin in your Tupperware, do not use it for food storage in the future.
*Disclosure: Pour resin into Tupperware at your own risk. I have not personally tried it.
What are the most popular resin molds?
Based on my experience, silicone molds are the most popular. Also based on the influx of resin molds in the resin market, it is clear silicone molds are the resin mold of choice for resin crafters.
I’m not sure how many of the other types of molds are still available but when you go shopping, choose the silicone molds.
Get ready because I’m going to show you some at the end!
What can I use instead of molds for resin?
Interesting question. You don’t have to have a mold for resin. A mold just gives you parameters or boundaries in which the resin is contained. It will stop the flow.
You can let resin flow freely in resin art projects, where it will flow right off the canvas.
Here are a few examples:
Or I have made a couple of resin coasters that were free-form – the most popular being my Honeycomb Bee Coaster.
Here are a couple of others:
Resin Tape
There is a product out there that I have not used but it’s called resin tape and it looks pretty interesting. I might have to get some to attach to the edges of my resin art.
I hope I answered most of your questions regarding resin molds. Please let me know if you have any additional questions that I can answer in a future post and video.
Amazing Resin Molds
Alright, so we’ve talked all about resin molds. I’ve left all my knowledge out there.
Now, here are some fun silicone molds. You are going to have a hard time figuring out what to make!
Remember: NONE of this stuff was available when I first started and this is just scratching the surface of what is available!
I’m so excited there are so many options available!
Watch the video as I explain it all!
It’s time!
Go make some beautiful stuff!
I can’t wait to see it!
If you want to share your creations and I would love it if you do, I have a FREE Facebook group! It’s full of kind, supportive, creative people just like you!
Join it here: DIY & Crafts Facebook Group!
Remember: Life’s too short not to shimmer, so grab your glue gun and your glitter!
Mona
Be sure to PIN IT for later!
