Tin-cure vs platinum-cure silicone: pick wrong and your mold never cures

@moldmaker_mina · Oct 17, 2026 · 1.1k views
Difficultyeasy

Tin-cure (condensation cure): cheaper, more forgiving of contamination, shrinks slightly as it cures, shorter library life (molds go brittle in a few years), never food safe.

Platinum-cure (addition cure): no shrink, longer life, food-safe grades exist, higher detail. But it is inhibited by sulfur (oil-based clay, latex gloves), tin silicone residue, some 3D printing resins and fresh FDM prints. Inhibition = a sticky, uncured layer against your master forever.

Always do a test patch on a scrap of whatever your master is made of. Seal porous masters (wood, plaster, printed parts) with a few coats of acrylic spray or shellac and let it dry a full day before pouring platinum silicone.

#silicone#platinum-cure#tin-cure#inhibition#mold-making

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@moldmaker_mina OP 4d ago

Great find. Did not know this channel existed.

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@torque_tina 3d ago

Tried this over the weekend and it worked first time. Thanks for writing it up properly.

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@moldmaker_mina OP 3d ago

Yep, same here. The second time is always faster.

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@torque_tina 3d ago

Tried this over the weekend and it worked first time. Thanks for writing it up properly.

10

The embedded video is clearer than the official service manual, which is a little embarrassing for the manufacturer.

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@moldmaker_mina OP 3d ago

Yep, same here. The second time is always faster.

1

Can confirm, the cheap part is the one that fails. Replaced mine twice before reading this.

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