How to Make a Taba Squishy
Measure and mix two-part soft silicone, tint with pigment, pour into a silicone mold, and demold a super-squishy, tactile Taba toy with a soft protective coating.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Digital kitchen scale
- ✓ Silicone mixing cups
- ✓ Silicone stir sticks
- ✓ Silicone squishy mold
- ✓ Soft makeup powder brush
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Shore 00-20 or 00-30 platinum silicone (Part A & Part B)
- ✓ Liquid silicone pigment or mica powder
- ✓ Talcum or baby powder
- ✓ Clear plastic OPP squishy bag
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Wear nitrile gloves instead of latex gloves, as latex contains sulfur that prevents platinum silicone from curing.
- • Work in a well-ventilated area and cover your work surface with a silicone mat or wax paper.
- • Avoid touching uncured liquid silicone with bare hands; wash immediately with soap and water if exposed.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Prepare Mold and Work Area
Clean the silicone mold thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol or water and ensure it is bone dry. Place the mold on a completely flat, level surface covered with a protective mat. Put on clean nitrile gloves before handling any silicone components.
- • Interior of the mold is completely dry, dust-free, and resting flat on the table.
- • User is wearing nitrile gloves.
- • Using latex gloves which cause silicone cure inhibition.
- • Leaving moisture or lint inside the mold cavities.
Weigh Silicone Parts A and B
Place a silicone cup on the digital scale and tare it to zero. Pour equal weights of Part A and Part B according to the manufacturer's exact 1:1 ratio. Double-check that the scale does not turn off mid-pour to ensure an accurate mix.
- • Scale readout shows identical weights for Part A and Part B.
- • Both liquid components are clearly layered in the mixing cup.
- • Estimating by eye or volume instead of measuring by weight.
- • Forgetting to zero the scale before adding Part B.
Tint and Mix Thoroughly
Add 1 to 2 drops of silicone dye or a pinch of mica powder to the mixture. Stir slowly and methodically with a silicone stick for a full 2 to 3 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the cup continuously. Mix gently to minimize introducing trapped air bubbles.
- • Mixture has a solid, streak-free uniform color.
- • Cup walls and bottom show no unmixed clear streaks.
- • Whipping the mixture too quickly, which creates excessive micro-bubbles.
- • Using water-based acrylic paint or oil paint, which stops silicone from curing.
Pour into Mold with High Stream
Hold the mixing cup 8 to 12 inches above the mold and pour the silicone in a very thin, steady stream into the lowest point of the mold cavity. Allow the silicone to self-level and rise naturally around any fine details. Fill to the top edge without overflowing.
- • Liquid fills mold cavity flush with the top rim.
- • Thin stream has popped air bubbles during the descent.
- • Dumping the cup quickly in one spot, trapping air pockets in mold crevices.
- • Overfilling past the rim, creating thick flash edges.
Cure Undisturbed
Leave the filled mold on a flat surface at room temperature (70°F to 75°F / 21°C to 24°C) for 2 to 4 hours, or according to your silicone's cure time. Place an upside-down box or plastic tub over the mold to protect it from airborne dust and hair while it sets. Do not move or tilt the mold while it is curing.
- • Mold is fully covered and sitting flat.
- • Silicone surface has leveled into a smooth, glossy plane.
- • Touching the curing silicone early, leaving fingerprints or dent marks.
- • Curing in a cold room (under 65°F / 18°C), which drastically delays or halts curing.
Demold, Dust, and Package
Gently peel the silicone mold edges away from the squishy and roll it out carefully. Dust the entire sticky surface lightly with baby powder using a soft brush, or slide the squishy directly into a clear OPP plastic bag to keep it clean and ultra-squishy.
- • Squishy is completely free from the mold with no tears.
- • Surface is either silky matte from powder or sealed inside a clear display bag.
- • Yanking the squishy abruptly, tearing delicate thin parts.
- • Letting an unpowdered squishy touch dusty tables or fabric.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Chillin' with Rachel 💛 — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Silicone pigment? Cosmetic-grade mica powder or eyeshadow powder
- No Soft makeup powder brush? Clean cotton round or soft microfiber cloth
- No Silicone squishy mold? Baking silicone chocolate or ice cube mold