Years ago, I made a resin casting mold out of an HPDE cutting board. The process to making this was more similar to making a box out of wood pieces. Fast forward to now, the age of at-home silicone mold making has come. Further, the age of commercialized molds have hit the market. It may be too early for me to make a call, but I may be switching over to these flexible silicone resin molds for knife handles.

For full details on the process, start to finish, you can check out my write up on how to make a resin knife handle including pictures, steps, and materials.

As for these silicone molds… how will these silicone resin casting molds last? 10-casts? 100-casts? While I don’t have the time or patience to find out, I can say that they seem to be worth the few dollars I’ve paid for them.

Resin Molds for Knife Handles and Gun Scales

Scouring the jungle, it seems the best flexible silicone mold for resin casting knife handles or gun scales is this one from Pen Kit Mall. The dimensions of the mold chambers measure at 2″ x 2″ x 5″ giving you enough width and length and girth for oversized knife or gun scales.

Knife scales I’d buy on ebay or amazon are usually 3/8″ x 1/2″ x 5″. For me, I’d cast a block of at least 1-1/2″ so that you can trim it from oversized and then split it for an end result of 3/8″ thickness.

One recommendation that is made in the comments is to fill all the slots when making your knife or gun scales. This makes removing the end products a bit easier and reduces the chance that the mold will tear.

Resin Casting Mold for Pen Turning Blanks

While I was searching for the resin molds for knife handles, I had stumbled upon a similar mold for pen blanks for pen turning.

Similar to the story on the resin mold for knife handles, this silicone mold is also oversized. 1″ x 1″ is pretty fat, but oversized is always preferred.

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Jon Hoan

Writer and personality exploring the natural world by means of survival, bushcraft, hunting, fishing, and general outdoor adventures.

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