A question that I get fairly often on my Dildo Talk Live Streams is: Do I need a vacuum chamber to make sex toys (aka dildos)?
The short answer is: YES!
But let’s talk about it a bit.
Why do I need a vacuum chamber?
At the most basic level, you need a vacuum chamber to remove all of the air from the silicone before you do your pour. You see, whenever we are mixing the silicone we are whipping air into – kind of like a meringue on a pie. And when the silicone cures, each of those bubbles compromises the silicone and creates a dangerous toy.
Dangerous sex toys?! What do you mean?
Silicone is a great material for sex toys for a lot of reasons. But a silicone toy with bubbles is dangerous. Each one of those bubbles is a place for the wee beasties to grow and thrive. What are the “wee beasties”? That’s going to be bacteria, mold, and mildew. Each one of those little beasties is dangerous to our bodies so we can’t give them a place to hide!
But what do you mean by “compromises the silicone”?
The most resilient silicone toys are going to be solid and without any bubbles or voids in the toy. Each bubble in the silicone is a place where the silicone can fatigue and start to breakdown. And as it breaks down, again that’s a place for the wee beasties to grow. Also, as the breakdown continues, it can start to tear. And really, if it starts to tear, you should retire that toy.
But the breakdown process can be microscopic. You might not ever see it. But bacteria and mold WILL find it.
How does the vacuum chamber make sex toys safer?
So the vacuum works by reducing the air pressure around the silicone and as the pressure is reduced, the air will move out of the silicone as bubbles. As the vacuum continues to work, you will see the silicone rise, collapse and then stop bubbling. At that point, the silicone is gas-free and we’ve removed all the air.
Once we have a silicone that is free from bubbles or air pockets, then we can pour it GENTLY into our molds. We don’t want to trap any bubbles in the pouring process, so go slowly and gently.
If you are looking for vacuum chambers to get started check out this link
Or, if you are more of a visual learner, I have a video about vacuum chambers which you can check out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAEhf5OgM3I
And with that, I’m out… Until next time… Byeeeee!