Silicone
Platinum cure silicone, sometimes incorrectly called platinum grade silicone, is the most common material used in indie adult novelty manufacturing, and is one of two types of silicones that can be found with skin safe certifications available to consumers in a variety of firmnesses and cure times. The second kind is acetoxy silicone, which is used as an adhesive and not for toy manufacturing. Acetoxy silicone can also cause cure inhibition of platinum cure silicones, so it is not recommended for mold repair in adult novelty.
The name platinum cure comes from the use of platinum as the catalyst in the reaction that changes the silicone from a liquid to a solid. These silicones come as two liquids that are mixed together, pigmented, degassed with a vacuum pump and chamber, and poured into a mold, where they cure and harden into their final form.
Amavidi: What is Platinum "Grade" Silicone?
Amavidi: Blending Silicone
The two most popular suppliers of easy-to-use platinum cure silicones with skin safe certified products are Smooth-On and Polytek.
- Smooth-On sells Dragon Skin and EcoFlex silicones through Reynolds Advanced Materials (USA) and Bentley Advanced Materials (UK) as well as a number of other distributors.
- Polytek sells PlatSil through their online portal HERE
A skin safe certification covers only the silicone itself. While silicone is non porous, pigments can still leach out or experience rub out, mold release can be left behind from the mold, or silicone could be mixed improperly or pick up contaminants from the workshop environment. Consider all of these factors in addition to what type of silicone is used.
Future Topics:
Types of cure systems
Additional Vendors
Cure Inhibition