silicone molds: bangles

the good, the bad, and the ugly.

a big silicone project is on the horizon, so a practice run was in order. it's been awhile since i've played with the stuff, and what started as a quick refresher, ended with a 33% success rate. let this be a cautionary tale to silicone mold enthusiasts: have all the proper equipment, and mix your components up thoroughly.

the originals:

3 vintage bakelite bangles. 2 the same, 1 slightly wider at 2 ends.

the set up:

what's missing? for starters, disposable measure cups would be a godsend. they've been impossible to locate in a quantity less than 250, and cheaper than $10 a piece. the popsicle sticks that i mixed the silicone with were also less than stellar.

for a recap of how to properly pour a silicone mold, click here. it's not difficult with the right tools.

once the quantity was determined, and the molds were set up, it was time to mix up the silicone- and just like that, the empire crumbled. it was impossible to scrape every drop of parts A and B out of the regular mixing cup, so right off the bat i can't confidently say there were equal amounts of both. on top of that, the amount of silicone was more than anticipated, and the popsicle sticks weren't up to task.

couple both of those things with me being sloppy and not paying attention- i didn't notice until after the molds were poured and started curing, that it wasn't mixed properly. the last one in particular was very swirled in color.

and in the end, one of the molds came out great, one not so great, and one is trash. an expensive lesson to learn, but i'm glad it was just the test run, and not the real deal. i have my heart set on making these bangles, so i'll be pouring them again as soon as i buy some disposable cups.