How To Make Mold Of Plastic, 3D Cake Topper, Then Use The Mold To Make Edible Version? (With Marzipan Fondant/gumpaste, Maybe)
Decorating By SweetCakesByAZ Updated 28 Jan 2015 , 3:37pm by craftybanana
Maybe I'm just making this way too hard on myself, but here's the deal: I found a plastic (I assume cake topper, b/c it was in a cake supply store) figure of Ariel (mermaid), and not attached but has the option of fitting onto a rock (which I don't care about re-producing). From end-to end she's about 5 inches, by about 2-3". (I looked online to find the exact one to post a pic, but no luck).
I'd really like to make some kind of mold that captures ALL (3-d) of the figure, and it would be totally fine if it produced two halves I'd have to seal together. I'll be using marzipan or a fondant/gumpaste combo, and hope/plan to squish some into the mold(s), ultimately producing a totally edible Ariel with all the origina; detail, which I'd then paint.
A couple more things:
-As far as I've been able to tell, using something like Sculpey would work best as the material for the mold, since it's food safe and has been recommended.
-One Idea: I could make a 1 piece mold, then cut the mold in half so I'd have one top side, and one bottom side, or left/right, or back/front. The problem is, when should I cut it? Too early, the plastic figure inside would distort the impression because the clay wouldn't have set;, but too late and I won't be able to cut the mold in half because it will be too hard, and I could end up cracking it, or not being able to cut at all.
-Another mold style option is a 'split' mold: it has to be done using some kind of flexible molding material which, after casting the image, you cut open along the longest length, (the height side, usually); then continue that cut to the halfway point in the middle of the next sides, on the top and bottom. You can open the mold up to get the new piece out, and then it springs back together. When it comes time to re-cast, you end up putting a few heavy duty rubber bands around it to ensure none of liquid does out. Sorry for the long description, here's a link to videos on how to do that way (really just watch Video 9, about 1 minute in). I don't need anything this complex, reusable or professional--it's just one of the ideas I've seen out there: http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/how-to-sugar-bottle-mold
All of this seems so COMPLICATED! Am I just TOTALLY MISSING SOMETHING?
Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or comments, I'd appreciate any feedback.
Thanks,
SweetCakesByAZ
PS:
My back up plan is to use a 'woman' mold I got (the clear plastic kind made for chocolate, with separate left/right front/back cavities) and create a fishtail rather than legs, so it's not like I have NO other options--I'm just so terrible at sculpting that I'd prefer not to.
Thanks again everyone!
Hi SweetcakesbyAz you should check out this thread to make your own food grade mould, I haven't tried it myself yet but the lady who made it is very helpful and she has used it to make a mould of a belle figure on page 9. HTH
check out www.composiMold.com. Found them at a cake show. They have a heat and mold product that is food safe, microwavable & reusable. You can reheat/melt the mold after wards if you won't be making another piece and reuse compound to make a new mold.
I bought some but have not yet had time to use it. The demo at the cake show was really great however. You can mold anything that will with stand the heated product. It will make 3D items too. They demoed using plastic figures, metal jewelry like rings, sea shells, etc. to make the molds. Sets up pretty quickly too. The mold ends up being kind of rubbery so no chance of it cracking before you put your fondant in it. And it peels off very easily after cooled.
You can use the molds to add in melted choc. or fondant or gum paste. Good Luck
Ariel (and Belle) are Disney characters and you are not allowed to reproduce them because of their copyright/trademark. That's why they license someone to make the figurines to put on cakes. Can you not use the one you bought and buy more as needed? That is exactly why companies license their protected work! You could get sued, or at least a cease-and-desist letter, especially if someone alerts Disney to what you're doing. I'm not saying I would, but someone might.
Please think about what would happen if you created something (a logo? a painting? a photograph) and then it was reproduced numerous times without your permission.
AWhat Shanter said. Personally, I'd put energy into learning to sculpt, there's plenty of great instructional videos out there, and classes you can attend with teachers. There's so many dang molds out there now, pretty soon the majority of what you see on cakes will be all "lick and stick" stuff.
Learn to paint, and sculpt, and avoid the trendy character stuff, be unique!
Thanks so much to everyone who replied!
The thread Roxylee123 mentioned is a great resource, by a member who experimented and eventually created a food-safe recipe that doesn't use very esoteric ingredients and looks like it has worked for others. Especially for short notice or low-cost projects, I think it might be ideal. Link: http://www.cakecentral.com/t/765361/food-grade-mold-recipe
Based on the pics, it looks a bit like the composiMold material SLevesque pointed me toward--which also seems like a great option that's not only significantly cheaper than other sites, but you can also easily re-use the material to create a new mold. That site: http://composimold.com
Btw, I'm brand new to the site, so I assume it's ok to post links, as long as they're topical? If not, so sorry, I have no affiliation w/either of the above
Also, thanks to those of you who mentioned the copyright infringement issues--always a good reminder. Fortunately, in this case, I'm making the cake for my niece and not earning any money, so there are no damages that Disney could seek. I wasn't planning on posting any photos of it either, so there's no monetary (tangible or otherwise) gain either.
Also, since I bought the figure, as long as I only replicate it once, technically I've paid for what I now own, and can use it for private purposes. But it was a good reminder of an issue that we all need to be aware, so thank you AZ Couter, shanter, and carmjock for all chiming in.
Hope everyone has a good week!
Anyone know if either of the molds posted here are good for doing cookies with? Not baking them with the mold, but something like springerles where you leave the cookie in it to dry, then take it out of the mold and bake it? I've seem some nice jewelry pieces that would make pretty cookies. Also, if anyone sells molds that can be used for that purpose let me know as well. I know a few of you have molds in your etsy shops :). I kinds of want to buy and make my own.
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