Introduction: Instamorph and Oogoo, Together at Last.

By
About: I live in suburban Pennsylvania with my wife and puppy. I pass the time building robots, photographing microbes and directing live TV. I enjoy learning any new skill that helps me Make! I enjoy even more pas…

In October of 2010, Instructables member mikey77 published How To Make Your Own Sugru Substitute. His creation gave us what he called "Oogoo", a silicone / cornstarch mixture that is cheep, easy to make and handily rivaled it's marketed predecessor Sugru. The last few months have shown us a rising popularity in the use of Instamorph in the maker arsenal. This instructable will introduce you to how well these two media work together, in that they do not work together at all. The result is a quick, easy-release and highly detailed mold making method. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Gather Your Media.

What you'll need:

-Oogoo. Follow mikey77's recipe or your own favorite mixture, if you have one.

-Instamorph. Generically, it's thermoplastic. It also goes by Shapelock or Polymold.

-Heating vessel and silicone rolling pin.

Step 2: Find Something to Recreate.

I chose my thumb. Just because. That's why.

Step 3: Ready the Instamorph Mold.

Heat a generous amount of Instamorph. My favorite way to heat Instamorph is through hot water. Use the rolling pin to roll out a sheet of Instamorph about 1/16-inch thick, big enough to envelope what ever you want to mold.

If you choose to make an imprint mold, form a block thick enough to take the impression of your object.

Reheat the slab of Instamorph to make it pliable. If you are using your hand like me, make sure the Instamorph sheet is not too hot. Luckily, Instamorph becomes very workable at mild temperatures. Tightly pack the plastic around your thumb to pick up all the lines and wrinkles. You can run the mold under cold water to set the outside. Let the inside cool for 20 minutes and carefully extract your thumb so as not to "blur the details".

Step 4: Mix Your Oogoo.

A trick I have learned is to fill your mold with water and empty that water into your mixing vessel. This will give you a sense of how much Oogoo you will need to fill your mold. Empty out the water and mix your Oogoo ingredients.

Use a mixing rod (or barbecue skewer) to push the Oogoo into the spaces inside the mold, making sure to at least coat the walls of the mold.

Side Note: Some recipes call for types of paint thinner or Naphtha solvent in order to thin the unset oogoo and make it more workable. Experiment with these recipes to find what works for you and fulfills your mold making needs. This instructable might be helpful: Fun With Oogoo: Make A Folding Indoor Frisbee

Step 5: Finish.

Allow Oogoo to set for a few hours. Once set, Oogoo releases from Instamorph quite easily. If you are molding something deep, (like a thumb) you may want to run hot water over the mold to soften the Instamorph and peel it away from the Oogoo. You will destroy your mold this way, but with the rework-ability of Instamorph, creating another mold takes very little time.

As you can see in the result, both Instamorph and Oogoo have great detail capturing ability.

Step 6: Going Further.

To learn other fabrication techniques with Instamorph, check out my earlier instructable and the many other great ideas on this site!

Enjoy!