Tips For Using Push Molds

Today’s helpful hints are all about using push molds.  I’ve been thinking about push molds quite a bit lately, mostly because I’ve been busy making a lot of them. 🙂  So thank you to everyone who has ordered a set of my newly introduced molds, this posting is for you.

It is possible to make push molds from any polymer clay, although some clays are better suited to it than others.  Push molds can also be made from various other mold making materials such as rubber and plaster, however these are much more difficult and time-consuming, so we will be ignoring these other methods today (and possibly in the future as well 🙂 ).

My current favorite clay for making molds is Sculpey Super Elasticlay MoldMaker and Polymer Clay Conditioner.  Eight ounces of this clay sells for around $10 – $11.  I generally try to buy it on sale.

If you have a Joann Fabrics near you, they carry it.  So get your name on their mailing list and they will send you flyers with coupons of 40 – 50 % off of one non-sale item every month, which you can use to buy Sculpey Moldmaker.  Those coupons are also great when you need to buy batting.  A single cut of fabric, or in this case batting, counts as one item, that means you get the discount on however many yards of batting you buy.  I usually buy ten yards at a time, so the savings really adds up.

Now back to push molds.

Sculpey Moldmaker claims to remain flexible after baking, which it is for a limited period of time.  I have noticed that after a year or two the molds do stiffen.   This makes getting molded clay out of the molds more difficult, but it does not make the molds unusable.

The instructions on the back of the Moldmaker package tell you to mist your mold with water, then mold the clay and release.  They are suggesting the use of water as a mold release.  The only problem with this is that water will cause Sculpey to have little white marks in it after it is baked.  If this happens to you, you can salvage your molded face by priming it with gesso and then painting it with either acrylic or oil paints.  Obviously this is a lot more work!

A better mold release is powder.  Sculpey suggests that you dust your originals with cornstarch or talcum powder before using them to make molds.  I find that if you brush the insides of your push molds with a bit of face powder (that’s right, I’m talking about make-up) before you push in the clay it makes it easier to unmold.  The reason for using make-up is the color.  If a bit of the powder should remain on your finished face mask it will be unnoticeable.

Now that we’ve talked about how to get the clay out of the molds, let’s discuss the clay itself.  I prefer using Super Sculpey for Caucasian face masks.  If I am making  Black face masks, I use Sculpey II.  In either case I find that a dryer, firmer clay works better than one that is too fresh and soft.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that the consistency of Sculpey varies quite a bit.   If your clay is too soft it will be difficult to unmold without stretching the face out of shape.  You can over come this problem to a certain degree (pun intended) by refrigerating the clay before and after you push it into the mold.  You will need to work quickly so that the clay doesn’t warm and soften in your hands.  It will still be more difficult to remove the chilled clay from the mold, but it will be better than if the soft, fresh clay was at room temperature.

The best way to bake your polymer clay is in a polymer clay oven, which is something that looks a whole lot like a toaster oven.  The reason for using a special oven is not because your regular oven won’t work.  It is to keep harmful fumes and residue out of the oven that you use for cooking.   If you do use your cooking oven for baking Sculpey, scrub the inside of the oven down thoroughly with a mixture of baking soda and water, then wipe clean with additional water before you use the oven for food.  Sounds like a whole lot of work and bother, doesn’t it?

If you just can’t get excited about scrubbing your oven, then you can place your polymer clay inside one of those special oven bags that are made for cooking chicken, turkeys and roasts.  The bags are kind of expensive, but they will save you cleaning time.  This is a tip that will come in especially handy if you need to bake a large Sculpey  item that just will not fit inside of a tiny polymer clay oven.

Another safety precaution is that you should never use any baking dishes that you use with polymer clay for cooking food.  This applies to pasta machines too.  If you use a pasta machine to condition your clay, don’t use it to make lasagna noodles for dinner!

The general rule of thumb for baking polymer clay is 275 degrees for 15 minutes for every 1/4 inch of thickness.  This translates to 1/2 hour for a 1/2 inch thick piece of clay, etc.  Face molds should be thin to keep from weighing down your ornaments, so they will usually take only 10 or 15 minutes to bake.

Using push molds is fun and easy!  If your clay doesn’t unmold well the first time, just squish it together and try again.