Moldmaking with Polymer Clay

Making molds to use with your polymer clay projects is an easy way to reduce production time. Plus, it's really fun!

When I was sketching out designs for a recent project, I knew I wanted a picture frame to be part of it but I also knew 2 other things:

I wanted the frames in each set of jewelry to be consistent and detailed
I did not want to sculpt the same detailed frame over and over
I did not want to use a pre-fabricated frame mold or cutter

That left me with a pretty obvious solution: mold putty! My first encounter with mold putty was at a metal clay workshop and I already knew that Amazing Mold Putty brand worked great with plastics and polymer clays, so that's the material I started with. This is a two-part putty that you combine in equal parts (shown in video/images below) and it sets fairly quickly. This is nice because you can unmold pieces in hours (or less) and see whether your mold has turned out well. The quick setting time is also a reason I really like working with this material, as I can remold somethign multiple times in the same afternoon until I get one I am happy with.

The putty doesn't require any additional surface prep before pressing your original into the mold and, when it's time to demold, everything has always slipped right out with no issues.

So, what are the downsides? When I made this sample batch of molds, I wasn't working very quickly and it showed on the final product; the putty stiffened quickly and did not hold all the fine details of some of the originals. Between that and the chance of air bubbles, those are the two biggest challenges I've had! But, like anything else, I'll continue to practice and improve the ways I use this method.

I am actually very pleased with how the little pebble came out and I see some fun beads in my future!

A hand holding a silicone mold of a picture frame. — The difference in detail is really obvious between the purple and red frames - this is a reason to work quickly before the putty stiffens.

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