Create Stunning Bowls From “Unturnable” Wood — With Ease
Turn scraps, cracked blanks, “found” wood, pinecones, colored pencils, leftover plywood and other impossible-to-turn pieces into one-of-a-kind bowl blanks with our 7.75" Silicone Bowl Mold. Instead of tossing leftover or imperfect wood into the firewood pile, transform it into something truly unique.
This durable silicone mold is 7.75" in outside diameter, 3" tall, and features a ½" wall thickness for long-lasting, repeatable use. Just drop in your wood pieces, pour your resin, let it cure under pressure in a pressure pot, and you’re on your way to a custom hybrid blank ready for the lathe.
Why You’ll Love It
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Perfect for recycling wood scraps, cracked pieces, and unusual materials
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Works great with pine cones, colored pencils, dried botanicals, and more
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Creates round, ready-to-turn bowl blanks with minimal prep
Dimensions:
- Outside Diameter: 7.75"
- Outside Height: 3"
- Inside Diameter: 6.75"
- Inside Height: 2.45"
- Wall Thickness: 0.50"
Recommendations:
- Only use epoxy resins (we like Total Boat tabletop epoxy resin)
- Use a pressure pot to remove air bubbles from the resin (4 hours minimum or overnight based on what resin you use and it's cure time)
- Use a soft tip air gun to make demolding simple. Shoot a little air between the mold wall and the cured piece, and the piece should slide right out. Double check your air gun tip to be sure it's not sharp so it doesn't damage the silicone mold.
- Dried wood scraps are ideal for best results, (if you have punky wood, we suggest turning using the SSCF Mini)
- We've had good results using Mica powders to tint our resin
- Turning with tailstock support is always a best practice
- Finish: we like to use a clear coat of epoxy, waterlox or similar. We find a thin coat of resins covers any imperfections and lasts forever, and is food safe if that's important for your project.
- Wipe mold clean using Simple Green and a clean rag.
- Check out this link for an instructional download: How to Use Your Silicone Mold
NOT tested on urethane resin. We only use and only recommend epoxy resins.
Using a Pressure Pot with Our Silicone Molds
We strongly recommend using a pressure pot every time you pour a mold. The pressure pot compresses the air bubbles in your resin, making them so small you can’t see them. This helps you get a solid blank with little to no voids—saving time and frustration later when you’re turning.
At our shop, we use the California Air Tools 365CW Pressure Pot, which is a 5-gallon model and works great for most projects. California Air Tools also makes a 2.5-gallon and a 10-gallon version, so you can choose the size that best fits your molds and workspace. This pot can be pressurized using an air compressor with a hose that has a 1/4" quick connect fitting.
If you choose not to use a pressure pot, you may end up with bubbles or voids in your casting. These can be tricky to repair and may cause issues while turning. Using a pressure pot is the best way to ensure a clean, solid blank every time.
