Turn Hot Glue Into Usable Craft Items!
IOD molds are fantastic. The details in the items you are able to make are exquisite and add so much to so many crafts! That said, I am an impatient crafter and the time it takes for clay types to dry slowed me down from playing with IOD and silicone molds. You know what I found out? Hot glue works with the molds. Game. Changer.
I first tried this on a live tutorial and I have to admit...I am still amazed at how well this works!
Here is what I used for this project:
- IOD molds
- Hot glue gun and hot glue
- Floral wire (optional)
- Craft acrylic paint
- Rub n buff
Get your glue gun heated up and start filling the molds with glue!
A few notes:
- Be ready with a good amount of glue depending on how deep your molds are!
- Try not to overflow the mold and/or have excess glue on the edges.
- If you do end up with excess glue, use an box cutter or exacto knife to remove the extra!
I really wanted to use some of these glue forms on wreaths. Since I tend to use wire to attach many things to wreath forms, I tried folding the wire in half and inserting it into the glue while it was drying. It worked!
I suggest waiting around 30-45 seconds before inserting the wire so they stabilize a bit quicker. If you add them immediately (especially when using a high heat glue gun), you'll have to hold them in place until the glue starts to harden.
This is an incredibly satisfying step! Just bend the mold and pop out your glue forms. You may need to clean up some of the edges before moving on to the painting or rub n buff steps!
Once you have your glue forms out of the mold, you can start to transform them. Grab some craft acrylic paint and start painting!
You can also use rub n buff to add some metallic shine! It really picks up the details well and is the perfect amount of extra extra.
Dab a little on your finger (you can wear gloves if you want) and lightly rub the metallic wax over your glue form. Once it is dry, time to buff! The more you buff, the shinier the finish.
The trees and the snowflakes on this project are all made of glue and I am so excited at how versatile they are!
If you want some tips on how to create using a square grapevine wreath form, check out my Whimsical Woodland Wreath video on HTTV!
I hope you are able to give this a try 
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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Didn't know you could do this. Great idea!
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I did this about a year ago just to see if it worked and it worked so good that I was looking for all different kinds of molds to play around with ….had lots of fun doing it …. I got lucky one day when I was out doing garage sales and bought a pretty good size box of glue sticks that are about a foot long … I gave $5.00 for the whole box … I believe there was about 500 sticks of glue in that box so yeah I still have plenty and when I see glue sticks at garage sales I buy them up …. I just got me a Ryobi cordless glue gun and yea it uses the big sticks of glue .. I make little things for my great grandkids to paint and take home with them when they spend time with me … anyway I’m glad other people have found out about using hot glue in molds ….have a great day and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Thank you! I did write to the Withered Barn & asked them about those exact moulds cause there’s always next year!!
I can’t wait to try it out using whatever molds I can find in the meantime! Even for refrigerator magnets.
Hey I contacted Withered Barn place, thanks for info!!
do you prep the mold before adding glue as with paper clay? t you