Two methods to reduce the hardness of liquid silicone

The hardness of liquid silicone is generally adjusted according to the usage requirements, but some users find that the hardness of the silicone mold they make is relatively high, which often happens to inexperienced new users. So, if this problem is encountered, how can it be solved? Below, HANAST silicone manufacturer provides two methods to reduce hardness.
Experienced liquid silicone users will know that there is a certain range of error between the actual hardness of the purchased silicone and the data you provide to the manufacturer, which is generally around ± 2 Shore A. Especially for beginners who are uncertain about the hardness they need, this can lead to greater hardness errors.

The first method: We can use silicone oil to reduce the hardness of silicone gel. Generally, adding 1% silicone oil will reduce the hardness of silicone gel by about 0.9-1.1 degrees; Adding 10% silicone oil will reduce the hardness of the silicone by about 5 degrees. However, in practical operation, if the proportion of silicone oil added is too high, it will damage the molecular weight of the silicone, and the tear resistance and tensile strength will correspondingly decrease, thereby affecting the service life of the silicone mold. In addition, if the proportion of silicone oil added is too large, it will also cause the silicone rubber mold to easily deform. So, we suggest that the ratio of silicone to silicone oil should not exceed 5%, and it is advisable to add silicone oil with higher viscosity. If more than 5% silicone oil is added, please try a small amount first to determine whether the mold made can be used.

The second method: use a mixture of high-hardness silicone and low-hardness silicone. The prerequisite for using this method is that you have purchased two types of hardness silicone, such as 20 hardness silicone and 10-hardness silicone. After mixing, the hardness of the silicone is around 15 Shore A. When using this mixing method, it should be noted that the condensed type cannot be mixed with the added type, otherwise it will cause the phenomenon of noncuring.