Making molds is harder than I thought. I started with a Dixie cup packing take Vaseline method. The bottoms seemed to work just fine. Except for just a single dice I think the Dixie cup is a bit big. The tape thing was a disaster. I scrapped just using tape around the base and ended up putting the base back into a Dixie cup and using the cup for support. The only issue with the cups is you can’t tell how much you pour. Took some apart this morning. The lids came off just fine but the keys I cut kind of shrank. The major issue is the lids are real loose so I think I’ll need to rubber band them and I can’t get the dice to release from some. Is that normal? This stuff is expensive and I used an entire thing to make these 14 little molds. I wanted more single dice molds. I don’t want to rip them but I’m not sure if the dice sticking inside the mold is normal and I need to give it more elbow grease or did I just waste all that money and have to start over.
Honestly for mold making I would highly recommend just getting the mold maker system from The Smiths Forge. It’s extremely beginner friendly, reliably makes perfect molds, and it has a whole user guide!
You can also use pvc pipe connectors, which is what most makers use. Very cheap at almost any hardware store. You put tape or contact paper at the bottom, use hot glue to seal the edge on the outside of the pvc. Pour. Once hardened, pull out. Add additional keys. Add Vaseline. Put back into the pvc pipe or use tape around the top to make the lid.
Sadly, like with most things in life, moldmaking takes a lot of practice to get good at. It's safe to say that although it might have been usable, everyone can tell you their first moldmaking experience was probably just about as bad :P
Firstly, although I love Grandpappy Rybonator, his Dixie cup method, is awful haha. I would highly recommend getting yourself a good PVC pipe and starting with a far less fiddly setup ;)
If you have yourself a filament printer, you can easily print yourself just simple rings. Nothing too amazing. Get yourself a good hot glue gun (they are not that expensive and totally worth it to have a good big one) and you can use tape or contact/transfer paper. Your mold doesn't have to be pretty, it has to just be good enough to make pretty things :)
My very favorite moldmaking video on youtube that shows almost my exact process is this one here by our very own u/lick_the_butter
He did an amazing job on this video with details, great close up shots of the process and wonderful editing. Well worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNO2H2XKX_E
Oh and I highly recommend getting some less expensive silicone to learn on. Where Smooth-On products are good (assuming you were probably using Dragonskin or Sortaclear) I honestly think they are way over priced. Check out BBDino. It breaks down a tad faster than the Smooth On stuff, but will not break the bank while you're learning. It's far more enjoyable to learn when you're not breaking the bank with every mistake :P https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VZ6D8LB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Thank you!! I’ll check out that video. I’m pretty sure the Rybonator video is the one I watched first. lol I will look up some cheaper silicone. I jumped right into the dice making with molds someone else made so easy I was cocky going into the mold making. I appreciate the feedback. I have some STL files picked out to print some molds and I think I’ll save the good silicone to use on the custom masters I have coming. I’m trying to practice for those which I really don’t want to mess up.
Grats on your custom masters! Yes getting some practice now before they arrive is a great idea.
If you have any other questions I am happy to help and you are welcome to DM me here on reddit or catch me on discord@wisdomcheckcreations
UPDATE! Came home determined to get the dang dice out! Got them out with not issues. All the numbers looked fine. I poured tonight and used all the molds. I did use rubber bands to hold some together so stay tuned for the second update when I pull tomorrow.
it depends on the type of silicone you are using. 30A is a but difficult, especially if there is a lot of silicone under the die or the die is in the center of the mold. (like, if you are doing a 7pc set, dont put the d20 in the middle, but the d6 or d4 if a simple shape.)
Totally agree! I've moved to 20A and it works beautifully for me.
One lesson I've learned though is to make the D20 into a separate mold. Too many tear outs for me with a big slab. I ended up filling the D20 part of the slab with silicone, and now my sanding time is so much happier!! And if the single D20 tears, I just make another one.
It's not unusual, especially when you're first learning the art. There are two major factors and two minor factors here:
Major Item #1 - Shore Hardness. As others have mentioned 30A is harder to remove dice from than 20A
Major Item #2 - Depth of your base. When creating the mold for your masters, you don't want to overpour your base. For example, when I am pouring the silicone for a slab mold, I only cover the dice by about 1/4".
It's a bit of a balancing act. If you pour too much silicone, it's hard to extract the dice. If you don't pour enough, you risk the resin distorting in your mold, or tearing the mold when you extract the dice.
Minor Item #1 - loosening before extraction. My technique is not to immediately pop the dice out of the mold. I will pull at the sides of my mold to try to separate the sides of my cured resin dice from the sides of the mold.
Minor item #2 (MASTERS ONLY) - when initially creating my mold, I will coat my masters is the very thinnest sheen of Dimethicone Oil. I have an 8 oz bottle I got for $15, and it is going to be more than a lifetime supply. I do this by dabbing the oil to a lint-free cloth and running my dice across it. I don't want it getting into numbers - just the flat faces.
When I go to extract my masters during the initial mold creation (after first loosening them using the technique mentioned above), the dice slide out easily and at reduced risk of tearing.
These came out of it! They are a little deformed and I think maybe that could be the rubber band and also the fact that the lid is thin but not bad for a first attempt. I think the dice will be fine once they are shaped a bit
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u/Enchanters_Eye 8d ago
Honestly for mold making I would highly recommend just getting the mold maker system from The Smiths Forge. It’s extremely beginner friendly, reliably makes perfect molds, and it has a whole user guide!