How are sex toys made at Délices Défendus?

Hey everyone! 😊

We know you've been eagerly awaiting this blog, so here it is at last! Sit back and relax, we're going to explain how our sex toys are made, with seriousness, passion… and a bit of good humor of course.

Let's be completely transparent: at first, we were a little hesitant to show you what goes on behind the scenes. Not because we're ashamed, but because our molds aren't the prettiest in the world. 😅 They're not "Instagrammable," as they say, and we wanted to keep a bit of magic around our fantastical creatures.

But honestly, the quality is there , and that's what matters. We've already shown them to several of our most curious customers, and the feedback has always been positive. 💜

Initially, it was mainly a question of brand image : we thought it was nicer for you to keep our fairy-tale and mysterious designs in mind, rather than revealing the more technical and raw aspect of the manufacturing process.

But since many of you have asked , we've decided to explain everything to you, step by step. 🎬

Starting at the beginning , with hygiene rules!

We are all equipped to make toys!

We have:

- Nitrile gloves, to avoid contamination of the silicone (latex interacts with silicone)

- A white cotton coat, which never leaves the area where the toys are made and is stored in a wardrobe when not worn (to make people think we are surgeons)

- FFP2 masks (we've had tons of them since the C-word, we have to find a use for them)

- Hairnets, to keep our hair from falling into the molds

We strictly adhere to all of the following rules:

- We don't eat or drink in the room where we play with toys, nor do we smoke.

- The room is kept closed at all times when no one is present, except for 15 minutes, 3 times a day, under supervision, to ventilate. No pouring is carried out or in progress during this time, to prevent external contamination.

We're working on a stainless steel surface, which is easy to clean with isopropyl alcohol and is non-porous (unlike wood, which retains moisture and bacteria). You'll see that we're not big fans of porous materials around here.

We spend our time washing our hands, for at least a minute, in a different room than the one where we play with toys.

AND ALSO...

You'll see what our molds look like! (for those who aren't on Discord)


And you'll immediately notice that they are neither made of silicone nor 3D printed .
Ours are made of copper . But be careful: not raw copper , which would not be safe for the body .

All our molds are treated with a professional technique called chemical nickel plating .


It sounds very technical when put like that, but in reality, it simply means that a thin layer of nickel is applied to the surface of the mold.

This treatment prevents any chemical reaction between the copper and the silicone, ensuring that every sex toy that comes out of our molds is perfectly safe for your body ❤️


Silicone does not degrade; it remains stable, pure, and true to its original composition.

Why are our mussels like this?


We just buy them like that, aha, that's all.

But it has many advantages! First of all, it's more durable (thankfully), so it allows you to use sex toys in succession (after thoroughly cleaning the molds, of course).

They are ultra-smooth, non-porous and hard; this surface naturally reduces the adhesion of silicone, which means we don't need to use a release agent (unlike 3D printed molds, for example, which are porous). In addition, nickel is naturally non-stick; it's really the best for demolding!

They also withstand higher temperatures (up to 300°C), which is far higher than the post-cure temperature of platinum silicone!

They are easier to clean. In fact, their only real drawback is that they are a bit ugly. They are also more expensive, but this is offset by their durability.

Okay, enough talking, let's show you how we do things! 😄

What is happening in this video?

You can see that in this video, we are weighing two liquids… but what are these viscous liquids?

Well, that's simply the basis of our toys :D


Platinum silicone is composed of two components:

The clear white liquid : that's simply silicone! It's translucent, which is its base color, and that's great because its lack of color allows us to create beautiful shades when mixed with the pigment in the second liquid. It doesn't harden on its own, which is why we need to add a second liquid to our mixture.

The pink liquid : that's the platinum catalyst! (platinum cured)
Here, it's already tinted the right color: a candy pink that we love so much!
Putting the pigment in the catalyst has several advantages: it avoids accidental contamination of the silicone by the pigments, and it also allows us to store "pure" silicone in large quantities rather than having several small reserves of colored silicone.

For your information , the beakers we use are made of polypropylene (PP) .
PP offers several advantages:

- It is heat resistant up to 120°C

- It does not react with silicone, the catalyst, isopropyl alcohol, or the pigments used to color the catalyst

- Silicone does not stick to polypropylene

- It is very resistant and light (and believe me, when you put 10 of them on a tray to put in the oven, and they fall on you, you're very glad they're light 😅)

And most importantly… it's cheap ! 😄

Next comes the mixture

Mixing is a crucial step in creating a toy; it's where the magic happens! ✨

It is IMPERATIVE to obtain a perfectly homogeneous mixture at this stage. The catalyst must be evenly distributed throughout the silicone to ensure proper polymerization (the chemical reaction that transforms small molecules into long, solid chains called polymers; in the sex toy industry, this polymerization is called cross-linking. Unfortunately, this isn't to summon the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon).
Otherwise, the texture of the final toy will not be homogeneous, and you may end up with harder parts, soft parts, and areas where the silicone has not adhered at all.

Furthermore, the mixing process reduces the amount of air trapped in the mixture, thus reducing bubbles! It's worth noting that bubbles in a toy render it practically unusable: they create weak points, making the toy more fragile and prone to tearing. It's also, of course, an aesthetic flaw… a lumpy toy isn't very appealing, is it? 😬

But the main problem is related to hygiene. Indeed, if a bubble is on or near the surface, it can create an irregularity in the surface, making the toy porous and more prone to retaining fluids or dirt, encouraging the growth of mold 🦠

Basically, you paid for a silicone toy, and you end up with a toy that retains just as much dirt as TPE… which would be a shame 😅

As you've probably guessed, mixing is super important. Some people use a wooden spatula, but we're a bit more Rock & Roll 🤘

The whisk is made of stainless steel, an inert metal (with zero chemical reactivity) that does not inhibit polymerization and does not rust. It is used solely for mixing silicone and is washed with isopropyl alcohol after each use!

This is Thomas's favorite step, aha 😄 But anyway, you get the idea, here the goal is to mix well to get a homogeneous mixture and let as many bubbles as possible escape!

But to be absolutely sure there are no more bubbles in the mixture, we then move on to another crucial step: degassing ! 💨

Degassing

I'm going to emphasize this again, but it's extremely important that there are absolutely no bubbles left in the mixture. So even if you mix with all your might 💪, it's essential to use a vacuum chamber to degas it!

Well, unfortunately, ours doesn't allow us to film the degassing process, which is quite impressive (it's not transparent), so it's probably better to show you what it looks like! 👀

Source: YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbSvzD8g_S0

What happens when you empty a room?

Basically, the atmospheric pressure is dropped very rapidly in an enclosed space. The bubbles therefore expand very quickly, inflating rapidly, which causes them to suddenly rise to the surface , where they burst one after another. This is what makes the mixture resemble an effervescent tablet in Coca-Cola : the silicone is purging itself of all its bubbles.

Once atmospheric pressure returns to normal, the mixture becomes dense, homogeneous and perfectly smooth again ✨

And ONLY at this stage do we know that there is no longer a single bubble in the mixture!

👉 At the risk of repeating myself , I would like to reiterate the importance of eliminating bubbles in the mixture:

- Avoid toy defects : a bubble that bursts during unmolding, and your toy is only good for the trash

- Ensuring solidity : a hidden bubble is like a crack in a house. It might not be a problem at first, but overnight, everything can collapse.

- Ensuring hygiene and safety : bubbles near the surface create porous areas that can retain fluids, bacteria, dirt… Result: a toy that becomes a breeding ground for microbes and mold (those who have already had TPE toys know how quickly they get moldy 🤢)

- Preserve the details and textures of the mold : if a bubble gets trapped in a corner of the mold, the silicone won't spread properly, and you'll end up with a toy with poorly formed details, or with less stimulating internal cavities 😕

The pouring

This is the stage where we bring the magic to life ✨

There are a few things you need to know, but it's not very complicated !

There are just a few little tips I'm going to give you, the goal is TO AVOID BUBBLES (yes, again 😅)

To begin, position yourself 10 to 20 cm from the mold , so that any potential microbubbles break as they fall. Then pour in a thin stream, SLOWLY, and ALWAYS in the same spot . Why?

FOR THE BUBBLES!!!! Yes, it's super important, really. You wouldn't believe how many toys we've had to throw away because of this… And it still happens to us occasionally (very rarely, but it's super important to be very vigilant at this stage , because a failed toy is just a waste of time and materials and therefore money, and we do like money after all :3).

The goal here is to let the silicone fill the mold on its own , so that it expels the air by bringing it to the surface. For larger toys or highly detailed molds, you can put the mold back into the degassing chamber immediately after this step. However, this makes the vacuum chamber dirty (as you saw in the previous video, the silicone rises and the bubbles spray it around), and besides, it's best to avoid moving the mold too much once the silicone has been poured , to prevent creating vibrations…

THIS COULD RE-CREATE AIR BUBBLES 😤


And as you've probably guessed… here, we hate air bubbles.

The end?

Not quite, but we've done the hardest part! 💪

If you have followed all the steps, then it's almost over.

Now comes the final stage in the toy's creation: cross-linking , the transformation of liquid silicone into a solid sex toy

In reality, the curing process begins as soon as the silicone and catalyst are mixed. But for professional toys, a silicone that takes several hours to cure is used, unlike the silicone you can buy online, such as in DIY sex toy kits, which takes an average of 15-20 minutes !

A long curing process allows us to take our time with degassing and pouring! The more time we take, the fewer... bubbles there are!

We accelerate it in the oven, heating the mold to 80°C for two to three hours : this is what we call post-curing .

The advantages of using an oven:

- Silicone hardens faster , and since we only have one mold per toy, it saves us from having to wait 12 to 24 hours without being able to work on a new toy.

- Heat pushes the chemical reaction to its conclusion : the silicone is better cross-linked and more chemically stable, the texture is more homogeneous and more durable

- Some by-products of polymerization are removed more efficiently and more quickly

There aren't really any disadvantages, except for the financial or environmental aspects (energy consumption), but that's the cost of having a perfectly finished toy. We have the advantage of using sturdy molds, so there's no risk of deformation at this stage!

⚠️ Important note: it is ESSENTIAL to use a stable and precise oven to control the temperature. If it is too hot, the silicone can degrade .
Furthermore, to avoid any contamination , it is necessary to have an oven that is used solely for the production of silicone toys . So forget about using a kitchen oven !

The demolding

Once the mold has cooled (once, I touched one straight from the oven, I got a huge blister for 2 weeks 😵), you unmold it.

Here, our copper molds present a slight problem: to unmold our toys, we need two people, one to hold the mold from below, and one to pull from above. And filming that would mean showing our faces… and for now, we're perfectly happy remaining anonymous 😄

So here's a reproduction of what it would look like if we had superhuman strength!

If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed that it's a Pinkie Pie , even though the toy we were working on was an Amy Rose . Good catch if you noticed! 😄

But for now, AMY is "baking": this video is just to show you what a toy looks like fresh out of the mold! As you can see, sometimes the toy needs a little tweaking. In that case, it's simple: just cut off the excess! And there you have it, you've now finished making your silicone toy!

All we have to do now is wash it, wash all the utensils and also the toy itself!

For the mussels, it's in four steps:

- Once the mold is cold, use a lint-free cloth (microfiber) to roughly clean any remaining silicone visible on the mold.

Next comes 99% isopropyl alcohol : soak a microfiber cloth and thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the mold, paying particular attention to the area. For small details, use a cotton swab also soaked in isopropyl alcohol. This product is used because it leaves no chemical residue, dissolves silicone residue, dust, or fingerprints very well, and evaporates completely. It therefore leaves no trace, is safe for the mold, and is a powerful antibacterial and disinfectant agent.

- Dry air is used to remove even the smallest invisible particles.

- Then we let it air dry for 10 minutes and store it in a clean place.

Regarding utensils:

- Let the silicone harden in the beakers before removing it. Trying to clean it while it's still soft is just the best way to spread silicone all over the beaker 😅

Once dry, after curing, it peels off in one piece because it doesn't adhere to the PP, the material the beaker is made of. To speed up curing, they can be placed in the oven.

And the mold is already reusable ! But to be sure to remove all remaining residue, we use our best friend: isopropyl alcohol 🧪! We rub gently with a microfiber cloth, and once it's done, we let it air dry!

Regarding toys:

- Let the toy "breathe" for 15 minutes after unmolding . Take this opportunity to remove your gloves and wash your hands!

- Then rinse it with lukewarm water to remove dust, any lint and larger residues.

- Next, use a mild, pH-neutral soap without additives. Scrub thoroughly everywhere, inside and out, in all the nooks and crannies, for at least 10 minutes . Once you're sure the toy is clean, rinse it again thoroughly with warm water and then dry it completely with a fresh microfiber cloth.

For those who were disappointed not to see an AMY being unmolded, we put a little video for you! If you have an eye, you will have seen that the part of the mold that makes the internal channels of the toys is not present in the unmolding videos, this is normal, we can remove them to clean them more easily! and as said previously, this is a "fake" unmolding video, we removed this part so as not to damage the toy by simulating the unmolding!

It's the next day... and look at this 😍! AMY is finally ready , so beautiful, so soft, so shiny!


Honestly, I love this toy. That deep, almost sugary pink , combined with that ultra-smooth texture… it's a real pleasure to handle. We're always so proud when a toy comes out of the mold so well; it's our little reward after all that meticulous work.

Okay, let's be honest… we're not perfect . We do our best, we learn every day, we improve our processes, our equipment, our hygiene, our precision… but we still sometimes make mistakes, have a little waste, or discover that we could have done better. We do this with passion, with dedication, but also with a lot of humility.

So if any silicone pros or experienced people happen to be reading this: honestly, don't hesitate to write to us, give us advice, or offer constructive feedback . We're curious, open-minded, and always ready to learn! 🙏

And now, after creation comes the final step: packaging and delivery 📦


If you want to see how we carefully pack each toy , how we prepare your orders, and what exactly the package you will receive looks like...

👉 Click here to discover more!

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