milkmaid42 Wrote:I am so delighted to find you on CC now! I, like Maddie, want to make leaf veiners, actually double sided leaf molds. You patiently described the process to me over the telephone, but I am one of the last people in the world to have a slow dial-up, way out here in the boonies. A video course is nearly impossible for me. Is there any possibility of a photo series I can print out? (I haven't made the molds yet, primarily because the leaves I intended to use are now mush on the ground and I can't really decipher the hasty notes I took when you described the process to me.) Good to know the expiration time limit. Hope spring and new leaves come soon before it loses its ooomph.

Dominic Wrote: Milkmaid 42, Because it may take some time to complete the photography and layout necessary for a photo series, I want to give you a written step by step on how to make a two sided leaf veiner (mold).

1. Find a leaf you want to make a mold of. It can be a real leaf or a good quality silk version. If the leaf is dry, apply Seal-Dit to both sides and then wipe it off just so the leaf is shiny. Apply Seal-Dit to silk leaves also. Fresh green leaves do not need seal dit unless it has slot of little hairs as some leaves do.

2. Roll out Safe-D-Clay about 1/8 inch thick. Place the leaf on the Safe-D-Clay so that the bottom of the leaf is facing up and the top side of the leaf is facing down and in contact with the clay. The back side of a leaf has the best venation and will make a better impression in the silicone and that is why we want it to face up.

3. Take a needle tool or shish kabob skewer and, using the leaf as a template, trace around the leaf through the clay. This can be done with several passes so that eventually you have cut through the clay all the way around the leaf. Lift and remove the clay on the outside of the leaf.

4. You now have a leaf that has been thickened with safety clay. Apply Silicone Plastique to the top and sides of your thickened leaf and allow to cure for about an hour to an hour and a half.

5. When your mold is fully cured, remove the clay and leaf from the inside of your mold. You now have the first half of your two sided mold.

6. Take Release-Dit and apply with a natural bristle brush lightly but thoroughly on the inside of your new mold. Make sure you do not leave a guncky slick of Release-Dit on the inside of your mold. It should just have a nice shine to it.

7. Take more Silicone Plastique and apply to the inside of your mold until it is filled level. Always make sure you work the Silicone Plastique into the details first and then add more until the mold is filled level. Don't worry about time, Slilicone Plastique gives you time to perform this delicate work and does not cure in a few minutes like the materials bought in craft stores.

8. Allow the Silicone Plastique to cure once again for about an hour to an hour and a half.

9. Once cured, you will be able to remove the second side of your leaf mold from the first because the Release-Dit prevents the silicone from bonding with itself. The beautiful detail that you copied from the back side of the leaf will be captured in both sides of the mold you just made. If you want to make the first side a veiner and not a mold, simply cut the sides off with a scissors and now you will have a two sided veiner.

Hope this helps! If you have questions, please post them. I will be watching for them and will try to answer without delay. Although, I must say I am working many hours preparing to shoot my second video - "How To Make A Mold of a Brooch." I am also performing exhaustive experiments in order to understand the very best way to cook and use Isomalt. I have discovered some really interesting properties about Isomalt and I think I have the answers that will enable all of you to cook crystal clear isomalt and store your creations for months. It will all be explained in video #3.

Very Happy To Be Here,
Dominic

Dominic, thank you so much for your detailed instructions. It amazes me that you have any time at all for assisting us. I really appreciate it and am filled with enthusiasm to begin. Who says I have to start with leaves? I am feeling so gung ho now that I am looking for that perfect lace to begin. A whole new world is opening up. Once again, thanks.

Be careful - mold making can be addicting. Soon you may find yourself being drawn to flea markets, swap meets and rummage sales looking for items to mold. A trip to the toy store just to pick up a little something for your nephew turns into a three hour exploration of all the possibilities of turning cheap plastic whatnots into sugar masterpieces. Don't say I didn't warn you

thanks so much for sharing this

Thanks for the written tutorial.

Could the same process be used for flower petals? Or can only silk flowers be used?

Chef Dominic - fantastic tutorial - thanks so much!

Maybe I need to give this a try. I cannot find a decent poinsettia veiner anywhere and a two sided veiner is unheard of. I read the above post about the flower petals being to fragile - so I guess I should start looking for a silk one that meets my expectations. If these molds/veiners can be made so easily and at low cost it would be ideal to have several sized veiners for poinsettias. This could be very interesting......

Thank you Dominic for joining us on CC. I have had MakeYourOwnMolds.com on my list of favs for a while now and appreciate all of the info that has been given . I look forward to reading your future posts .

wow..thank you for this fabulous tutorial...

Save ~

Yes, the red, white or pink parts of the poinsettia are considered leaves as well as the green ones. THe problem being is that the colored parts (not the green) are various sizes as you get towards the center. The green leaves are as delicate and thin as the red, pink or white ones. I can give the real ones a try and see what happens.

Thank you...just order Release Dit