I love thermoplastics. They are the type of plastic that you can easily melt with hot water and form into anything in your imagination or need for your toolbox. Polly Plastics has taken this a step further by providing the 2 components to form a rapid setting silicone mold. This review will cover making a mold and forming items using the plastic pellets. Part 2 of the next post will cover working with the plastic strips to form items and objects.
Making the mold: This could not be simpler. Take equal parts of the Part A and Part B substances. I used a separate plastic spoon, marked and one for each to avoid cross-contamination. I also used a teflon mat to protect my counter. You could also use a sheet of wax paper or even parchment paper. Then knead the two substances together. It will change from a white and blue striped wad to a light blue wad with no white streaks. I will admit, the first time I did this I didn't knead it long enough and there was a bit of the plain white showing. I was lucky, even this formed the mold properly, but I definitely recommend to knead it fully to blend. I then rolled it into a ball form and placed it on my teflon sheet and pressed my item into the ball to fully cover the item. I used a cabinet knob and a medium sized button as my original form. Both are metal. I would not recommend trying to make a mold out of a plastic part. If you really need to, I would suggest either coating the original part in a small amount of oil or dusting it with powder/cornstarch. I did notice that the fully kneaded ball seemed soft and "slidey", but I just would not trust it to release from a plastic piece once cured. You do not want to see any of the item showing or pushing through the light blue ball. I let the item "cure" for a full 30 minutes. At the end of that time, the blue mold was still slightly damp, so I let it "cure" a few more hours. I live in Louisiana and have very high humidity. I think that is why it took longer. When I removed my item from the mold, the mold was still flexible, but the imprint was firm. I do recommend using an item that will transfer a larger design, rather than a design with many fine lines and details. I also noticed there was a bit of the blue material remaining in one of the items I used to mold. I was able to wipe this off easily from my item. It was in an area with a lot of fine detail, but it didn't affect the appearance of the mold. I was ready to proceed to the making of my plastic piece using the mold. Here are pictures of the "Making the mold" process:
Creating the item: Once I am satisfied with my mold, I take the pellets and pour them into the mold. I level them off roughly with some slightly higher than the top of the mold. This gives me a good idea of how much of the pellets I need. I pour these into my spoon & gently set it in the water. This is a glass spoon, but I would also use a metal spoon. Make sure these items are dedicated solely to crafting and not used for cooking or eating. I have a nice little cooker that I've used for many years to make a variety of things requiring heat. This is perfect to heat up the water to melt the pellets or strips in. I set it on it's lowest setting which is approximately 150 degrees. I place a folded piece of foil in to assist in retriving melted pellets if any spill. Also, I keep a bowl of cold water near my work area to quickly quench fingers or hands if they start getting too hot or burning. Within just a minute or two the pellets turn from white to clear and start sticking together. I remove the spoon and slide the pellets into my mold. I press firmly to push the pellets fully into the mold. Then I take the mold and turn it upside down and press so that the back of the item is flat. Once it is all cooled I remove and dry off the item. I can also sand, trim or drill the item. Then I can paint or color it. Here are pictures of me making my items from the molds:
This is a great product for DIYers, crafters, fishermen/women, modelers or anyone needing to create a mold of "something" and then make a copy of that "something". It comes with full directions, but it is good to test the process out when you have plenty of time and it is not a critical component. As you continue making molds and "somethings" you definitely get better at it, but this is fun even for a beginner. I would strongly recommend that children be supervised when using this product. Heat is involved, small pellets are involved and a compounded chemical is involved (even though it is considered safe, it is not something that should be put in the mouth or swallowed). I definitely recommend this product for work, fun, and necessity.
You can purchase this product on Amazon.com. #PollyPlastics
I ordered this product through a special promotion and this is my honest and unbiased review and only my opinion. This is based on my personally using and experiencing the product. I was in no way compensated for this review. I only recommend products that worked for me and that I think will work for my readers.
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