PROJECT: HOW TO MAKE A LARGE SILICONE RUBBER MOLD (2-PART) BY CHRIS TAN

The photos below are compliments from Chris Tan, a local customer on his project using Craftiviti Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber. 

Chris started with building a base out of Craftiviti Industrial Styling Clay. This clay contains no sulphur and is therefore safe to use with the Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber. In a nutshell, anything with sulphur will cause the RTV Silicone not to cure.

In the photo above, Chris brilliantly built the clay within a plastic tray hence eliminating the work needed to build 4 walls around the mold. Walls are essential in keeping the liquid silicone in.  

Next, Chris embedded his master objects. In this case, the master was a set of unique dices. Chris was careful to embed only half the dice. You can see how securely the clay grips onto the dice. Chris sprayed a layer of Silicone Release Agent on this master so that the master will not stick to the liqiud silicone rubber.

Next, Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber is mixed with the hardener. This step is crucial.

Mixing Ratio: 2.5%-3% hardener to the weight of the silicone rubber. 

So if you have 100g of  Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber, you only need approximately 3g hardener. A dripper or pipette is the best measuring tool for this and a very sensitive weighing scale too. Once you get more familiar with our Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber, you can roughly gauge 3g as 3ml. 

This mixture needs to be stirred well and poured SLOWLY onto the master to avoid bubbles forming. To encourage more bubbles to be released, just tap the mold. 

Chris left this mold overnight to cure.

The next day, the cured Silicone Rubber peels right off the mold. In the photo below you will see how well the silicone rubber emulates the master. 

Notice how well the Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber captures even the faintest detail including the shallow numeric on each dice. 

This is the first part of the mold. Now onto part 2. 

For part 2, Chris uses the 1st part of the mold with the dice. Again he builds a wall using Craftiviti Industrial Styling Clay. 

In the photo above, you will notice shiny liquid on the surface of this master. The liquid is a silicone-to-silicone brush-on liquid. Just brush on the liquid, allow to dry and repeat 3 to 4 times. You NEED TO DO THIS because silicone and silicone LOVE each other and will stick firmly together. This love is definitely NOT what you want in a 2 part mold.  

Repeat the mixing and pouring of the Moldmaker RTV Silicone Rubber. 

 The end result is a large two part mold slab that is ready to use. 

Thank you Chris for sharing!

Email us if you have any enquiries at enquiry@craftiviti.com or pop by our store at 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

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ESSENTIAL OIL: BERGAMOT OIL BENEFITS

Bergamot is a beautiful oil derived from the rind of the Bergamot citrus fruit. Craftiviti Bergamot Essential Oil is 100% pure from India and certified in the United States as Therapeutic Grade. 

This oil is extracted from the rind of the Bergamot fruit through Cold Press Method. Craftiviti Bergamot Oil is free from bergaptene which causes photosensitivity. 

Traditionally, this oil is believed to rid worms, heal wounds faster, relieve depression and anxiety, eliminate scars and acne marks, relax nerve and muscles, and more. Read article below for more on the benefits of this useful oil. 

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The health benefits of Bergamot Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties as a deodorant, vulnerary, vermifuge, antibiotic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, sedative, analgesic, antidepressant, disinfectant, febrifuge, cicatrisant, and digestive substance.

Bergamot is a citrus fruit whose rind is used for extracting the Bergamot Essential Oil. The scientific name of bergamot is Citrus Aurantium var. or Citrus Bergamia. It is a tropical plant, but thrives in Europe as well. Its powerful aroma makes it a popular component in msany perfumes, and it is often used as the all-important “top note”. It is derived through cold compression, opposed to the steam distillation of many other essential oils. One of the most common applications that you may not be aware of is its use in black tea. The inclusion of bergamot essential oil in regular black tea is then given a different name – Earl Grey!

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REVIEW: SCULPEY MEDIUM BLEND OVEN BAKE CLAY

We have these in our stores and we always get customers asking  what the difference is. So we referred to the trusty internet and found this review on Makezine about the Sculpey Medium Blend.

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All About Sculpey

Sculpey is a family of polymer clays produced by Polyform. Sculpey has been around in some form since the 60s and has been produced in a wide range of varieties. You may have worked with the colored Sculpey III or Premo! clays in crafting projects. Super Sculpey and Sculpey Firm are two favorites in the sculpting community.

Many sculptors create their own homemade mixtures of Super Sculpey and Sculpey Firm. By mixing these two clays together in a 50/50 mix, you get the workability of Super Sculpey combined with the ability to hold texture that is inherent to Sculpey Firm. Of course, this means having to spend extra time mixing clay, taking valuable work time away from your projects.

Well, the fine folks over at Polyform have been keeping an eye on polymer sculptors and have heard our woes. They have just added Sculpey Medium Blend to their product line. This is the perfect blend of Super Sculpey and Sculpey Firm. Mix your clay no longer! Not only do I now get to save precious time in my work day, I can also spare my hands the stress that comes with manually mixing clay.

Continue reading here>

HOW TO MAKE GEL CANDLES

Honestly this is super easy.

Our Craftiviti gel wax comes in sachets of 100ml packs.
These packs are quick squeeze packaging - just uncap and squeeze the gel out.
You can choose between the many colors available such as red, yellow, purple, blue, green and white.

First, pick a really awesome-looking glass container.
You can recycle a used jar or get a tiny cup like we did.
Next, glue a wick to the bottom of the jar. You can do so with blue tag, super glue or a hot glue gun.

With a little finger muscle, squeeze the gel out of the packet into the jar. It comes out in clumps but don't you worry, it'll smoothen out with a little bit of fire. 

The best thing about gel wax is that it is see through which means you can embed just about anything into your candles. Here we embedded some tiny shells into the candle. We could put more but we only had three shells. So if you have more, go wild!

You could also embed clay miniature objects, legos, dried leafs or flowers, pebbles or marbles. 

Also, get more than one color of gel wax and layer them up. Gorgeous!

Next, LIGHT IT UP. Unlike other candles such as paraffin wax or beeswax, there is no waiting or cooling time. Just light it up immediately!
You'll notice that gel wax burns very strong and long.
And gradually the wax surface tends to melt into a nice shiny top.

Just a note to self, gel wax is paraffin based and is not a natural wax like soy wax or palm wax. Gel wax tends to last longer, retains scents well and is not so picky with the wicks. It also creates beautiful transparent liquid candles.

 For further enquiries, write to us at enquiry@craftiviti.com or visit our outlet to have a look. 

Visit our website: www.craftiviti.com

AIR DRY CLAY BY CRAFTIVITI

Craftiviti Ultra Light Air Dry Clay comes in 24 brilliant colors to choose from. 

Each pack weight 20g and retails for only RM3. 

With its size, choice of colors and not to mention its affordable price, it's a great beginners clay especially for those who have never tried working with clay. 

We find learning to work the basics with this clay allows you to grow your skill before moving on to more expensive and technically complicated clays like polymer clays. 

Our Ultra Light Air Dry Clay is a lot like paper clay except it is feather light and unlike paperclay which dries hard, the Air Dry Clay has a slight bounce and flexibility when dry. 

Here are some of its characteristics:

• Very light
• Easy to mold and sculpt
• Odour-free
• Non-toxic
• Does not leave residue on fingers
• No baking required
• Dries with minimum shrinkage
• Dries with no cracks
• Great for amateurs, kids and beginner sculptors
• Comes in 24 brilliant colors 
• Comes in a zip lock bag for easy storage 

Available in 24 amazing colours:

• White
• Black
• Brown
• Flesh
• Mud Grey
• Primary Blue
• Dark Blue
• Light Blue
• Leaf Green
• Green Apple
• Lemon Green
• Light Green
• Purple
• Lavender
• Bright Orange
• Neon Yellow
• Yogurt Yellow
• Yellow Gold
• Bright Yellow
• Red Hot Red
• Soft Red
• Hot Pink
• Baby Pink
• Bubblegum Pink

See photos below for some tests we did on it.

Crack free during molding and very pliable

When spread, pressed, rubbed and pulled, it does not leave any residue on this skin.

Wonderfully stretchable and slightly flexible when dry.

Rolls and shapes easily. Here we tried to make our version of some sort of berry. 

Tadaaaa! The options and opportunities are endless with what you can do with this clay!

Craftiviti Ultra Light Air Dry Clay also comes in 500g packs available in 6 colors for only RM35. 

 For further enquiries, write to us at enquiry@craftiviti.com or visit our outlet to have a look. 

Visit our website: www.craftiviti.com

HELLO GESSO - WHAT IT IS AND WHY WE USE IT

Confused of what gesso is all about? You don't need to wreck your brains out to know what it is. Let me break it down for you.

What is gesso?

Pronounced as 'Jesso', Gesso is a thinner version of acrylic paint. It is used as a primer, to make your painting surface slightly textured so that it can accept your acrylic paint.

Gesso is also useful to protect the fibers of your canvas so that it won’t crack if rolled.

Originally it only comes in white but nowadays gesso comes in a wide variety of colours. You can also colour them using watercolour or acrylic paint or even using KoolAid!

There are different grades of gesso, artist grade and student grade. Artist grade is more expensive, thicker and has more pigment to it compared to student grade.

Student grade is cheaper and has more filler than pigment.

How to use gesso?

In applying gesso, you will need a wide, flat brush. The size of your brush depends on how big your surface is.

You can follow these steps to gesso a canvas for acrylic painting

1.  Stir your gesso tub or shake it before using it.

2.  Dilute it with water for the first coat. Some suggest that you add a little bit of acrylic medium to prevent cracking but it’s optional.

3. Wait for it to dry to apply the second coat. For the second coat, apply it thinly and you don’t need to add water to it. Add another layer if you want a more absorbent surface.

4. In order to get an even coverage, make sure you turn the canvas 90 degrees between each coat while you gesso it.

5.  For the final coat, use the pure undiluted gesso.

6.  You can use a decorator’s brush to gesso your canvas for the final coating. Try to work from top to bottom, in parallel strokes.

7. Wash your brush using water and brush cleaner to get the gesso out from your brush.

Tip: You can sand your gesso using sandpaper (240 grit) in between coats in order to get a super-smooth finish.

 For further enquiries, write to us at enquiry@craftiviti.com or visit our outlet to have a look. 

Visit our website: www.craftiviti.com

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ROLL YOUR OWN CANDLES WITH BEESWAX SHEETS

Beeswax sheets are so easy to roll into candles. And they make pretty long lasting ones too. 

Just grab a sheet of beeswax (ours is the size of 41.5cm x 19.5cm)

It's a pretty big sheet so you can choose to half it or quarter it depending on the size of candle you want to make. 

Next, prepare your wick. Cut to the length of the candle you are making. Make sure you cut a little longer to make way for the burning tip. 

Here we use Wedo wick which works well with natural waxes.

Roll the edge of the beeswax sheet tightly around the wick. Squeeze the wax sheet tightly.

Once you get the wax sheet edges wrapped snugly around the wick, it's super easy from then on. Add pressure and just roll...

And roll...

 and roll somemore until you get the thickness that you want. 

Remember to roll according to the size that your wick can take. 

Roll too little wax sheet and the wick will burn through the wax pretty quick. 

Roll too big, and the wax may drown out the fire.

Keep pressure on while rolling to close the gaps between the sheet. 

Once you are happy with the size, cut the excess sheet away with a pair of scissors. The wax is soft and will cut easy. 

And there you have your finish handrolled beeswax candle. For half a sheet, this candle burned 4 hours long!

For further enquiries on DIY candle making or candle moulds, write to us at enquiry@craftiviti.com

Or visit our outlet to have a look or purchase online here.