Q for those of you who use silicone molds

[ilovedoxies]

I recently got a local college football team silicone ice tray. Wasn't cheap.... It's yellow. I tested it out by filling just one well with plain unscented white soap.

When I popped it out the mold had faded onto the soap making it yellow. Gold is one of the team colors that I will be actually using for this soap so some yellow for a while will be ok, but the other team color is blue.

So I'm wondering if it decreases over time to a point where it won't bleed onto the soap anymore or will it bleed each and every time I use it from now to eternity?

many thanks
B

 

[Hazel]

I've heard that some silicone molds will bleed. I wish I could help you but I don't know if it will continue to bleed onto your soap.

Where did you get the mold? Perhaps you could contact this person/company and tell them about the problem. You said the mold wasn't cheap but a good quality silicone mold shouldn't bleed.

 

[Overthemoon]

I only use silicone molds, and I have never had them bleed. Perhaps it is the quality of the mold?

 

[fun_4_me_now]

Silicone is usually made with some sort of filler. You can test this by bending it sharply and if the stressed area "gets white", it uses filler. The white is separation. Some fillers migrate. Some absorb. Either way, it is porous.

It is rare to find 100% silicone and if you do and it will cost more. I have a couple of items I use for food. It's much better stuff. Tolerates VERY high heat, doesn't stain (when cooking food anyway), and doesn't get smelly like filled silicone does.

Sometimes the cheapest silicone doesn't have the heavy color in the first place.

That probably won't help with your team mold though.

Maybe you could transfer the shapes to a fiberglass mold.

Just make a solid form (negative) of each shape with some plaster or whatever you have in hand (drywall compound, concrete, wax, starch, flour), then make a new mold by covering the negatives with epoxy and fiberglass wool. A bit like breading it for the fryer.Let is set and your ready to soap. If you use drywall compound or wax, you can wash/melt it out with hot water. If not, use some sort of release agent. Make sure you choose a resin that will stand up to any heat you might use.

I think there is a liquid silicone you could use instead of fiberglass. Maybe even just silicone caulk in layers.

 

[ilovedoxies]

Just did the stress test and it did not turn white. Creating a new mold sounds like more effort than I want to invest in and way over my skill level, lol!!

Perhaps I'll just make the gold ones in this mold and get me a square tray to make the blues.

Thanks