Make Your Own Custom Molds! (Ice, Chocolate, Clay, and More)

Powering into the new year, I decided that I wanted to learn a new skill: mold making.

The idea first came when I sat on my bed, bored, thinking about how cool it would be to turn myself into an ice cube. So then I got to work and started prototyping.

This Instructable goes through my entire mold making journey – the success and the failures, as well as what I learned – and ultimately teaches how you can make your own custom molds too.

So let's get started!

PS: For the purposes of the contest my name is Parsa Ansari and I am currently attending Leland High School.

The first step is finding an object to mold. I will be using two different objects I designed with Fusion 360. The first is a bust of myself, which you can learn how to create in my previous Instructable here. The second is a plaque of my name.

Before I started looking into silicone molds, I thought to 3D print my own mold and see how that would turn out. I decided to 3D print two halves of a mold that would come together with a hole in the top so that I could pour water from the top and freeze it.

This prototype was unsuccessful because the water kept leaking through the small holes of the 3D print. I learned that I would need a better material for my mold.

After my failed prototype, I realized that I needed a better material to make the mold. I began researching various silicone molds, however none of them seemed to be the type I wanted. I also needed to consider that in order to make my ice cube, I needed it to be food safe.

Then I found exactly what I was looking for: the Amazing Mold Maker.

The Amazing Mold Maker was perfect for me because it's quick (takes only 30 min to dry), easy to use, and food safe!

Now it was time to make the mold box. A good mold box leaves about half an inch of space around all sides of the 3D print so that there is enough room for the mold to form around it. The material of the box should also be something cheap that can be ripped off once the mold has dried.

After some research, I originally decided to use foam core boards to construct my mold box. I sketched rectangles for each side of the box, and cut them out using a utility knife. Then, I used a hot glue gun to glue the sides of the box together.

However, I did not end up using this mold box for my actual mold because I realized that the edges of a rectangular box are wasteful, and I only had 16 ounces of mold to use.

Following my unsuccessful foam core mold box, I tried to find a cylindrical container to use instead. After searching for a few minutes I found the perfect one – a leftover oatmeal package.

My 3D print fit perfectly into the oatmeal cup with just enough room around it. I then used my hot glue gun to glue the print to the base of the cup. I was now ready to pour in the mold.

Each mold material has its own distinct instructions on how to make it, so read your instructions carefully. For the Amazing Mold Maker, I had to mix two different liquids into a cup.

If you need to find the volume of mold you must pour into your box, then I recommend either pouring water into the mold box (this method is great because it also makes sure that your box won't leak) or using geometry formulas and converting to ounces. I have included a picture of basic volume formulas from Khan Academy.

I recommend pouring at least half an inch of mold above your object so that the mold stays secure and durable.

The Amazing Mold Maker takes thirty minutes to dry, but I left it for one hour to be safe. Check the instructions of your mold material for how long it takes to dry.

Once the mold has dried, you can rip the box off from around it. The material should now be rubbery and flexible like in the first image above.

Once you flip it upside down, there may be a thin layer of mold covering your object. This layer has a visible border around it (like in the second image) and can be easily removed by tracing it with a utility knife. Your object should now be fully exposed, like in the third image above.

Now it is time to take the object out of the mold. This is relatively easy, and can be done by flexing the mold and playing around with it.

NOTE: Before filling the mold with any consumable material (ice, chocolate, etc.) make sure your mold material is food safe and that you have washed the inside with soap and water.

The first material I wanted to try with the mold was ice. I poured some water into the mold and left it in the freezer for five hours.

I was impressed with the final result – it was extremely high quality and the details were on point. None of the mold had come out with the ice cube, making it easy to reuse and very reliable.

I decided to pour some food coloring into the water and then freeze it again to see if colored ice would make the details show up any better.

The details are about the same, but the color definitely makes the ice cube look cooler.

This concept can be extended to making ice cubes with various colors and decorating them accordingly.

I wanted to mold something else as well, so I decided to quickly sketch a plaque with my name on it and 3D print it. I then found a container just big enough for the plaque and molded it. After an hour, I took out the mold and this is what it looked like.

I first decided to fill this mold with ice. Then I added some blue food coloring and froze some more.

Then I decided to fill the mold with chocolate. I was surprised at how well it turned out. The chocolate looked really professional and tasted great.

Finally, I thought it would be cool to fill the mold with some clay. I used Model Magic as it was cheap and easy to use. I accidentally took it out too early so the final result looks a little deformed; if you choose to use Model Magic make sure to leave it for at least one day so that it dries fully.

So that's it! Overall I was really pleased with how the mold turned out. The Amazing Mold Maker was convenient and easy to use, and the final products were all high quality. I think this concept is super cool and can be extended to other ideas as well.

Special thanks to Jake for the consistent help and support throughout this journey.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know down below. Thanks!