REVIEW: Silicone Pastry & Fondant Pad as an RC Work Mat

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I have chosen to use a silicone baking mat in place of an RC-specific magnetic pit mat. It may sound a bit strange, but in practice it works great! See my review below this picture to see why…






I love working on my RC’s as much as driving them. I also love tools of every type. Like many of you, I’ve used my RC addiction to further justify my tool addiction. Or maybe it’s the other way around.

I don’t have a workshop or even a dedicated workbench at home, so I work on my RC’s on the dining room table. So far, my wife has been quite tolerant as long as I clean up each time. For my job, I often travel a week at and time and stay in a hotel. I usually take some RC’s and tools with me. My hotel room ends up being an impromptu RC work station.






When I first got into the RC Hobby, I read about the Cow RC magnetic mats and decided that I needed one of those. I love it, except for one thing – it’s hard to store. Since I don’t have a dedicated work space, I have to put the mat away each time. It is too thick to roll up, so I either have to lay it out or stand it up behind something in a closet. Traveling with it is impossible.






I finally found what I think is a perfect solution: A silicone baking mat. It can be folded or rolled without any “memory”. It goes back to perfectly flat every time. Being silicone, it has the benefit of being a non-slip surface, yet nearly impervious to oily fluids. The only down side is that it’s not magnetic.









It took me a while to find the exact pad that I wanted. Most are smaller than I’d like. Others are just too “girly” with pictures of flowers or cooking utensils or boring concentric circles for rolling out dough. The one I finally settled on is an Ateko brand 24 x 24-inch light blue Silicone work mat. This mat has no markings on it, so it’s not gaudy and doesn’t feel too unmanly. I purchased mine through Amazon using “Prime” shipping:

Amazon.com: Ateco 24 x 24 Inch Silicone Work Mat: Kitchen & Dining


When I work at home on the dining room table using this mat, I don’t have to worry about damaging the table – something which WOULD get me banned to the dog house for a while. I solder over the Silicone pad without problem. Silicone can handle very high heat, so drops of solder don’t faze it. I have rebuilt differentials over it and dribbled oil on it. Once, I accidentally knocked over a bottle of shock oil. Thanks to the silicone work mat, no harm, no foul. It wipes right off. It can be washed off with warm soap and water. I’ve also used “Windex” and other similar household cleaners on it.






When I travel, the silicone mat goes with me. I can roll it, fold it or even stuff it. The mat is light and takes up very little room. I love the fact that it lays nicely flat and never curls up on the edges no matter how tightly it has been rolled or folded. In a hotel room, I lay it over the computer desk to work. Sometimes, as shown in my pictures, I don’t bother to move the computer. I just close the lid and toss the mat over it.









I’m sure that some of you have thought of this and use a silicone mat, too. However, I’ve never read about anyone doing it, so I decided to pass along my positive experience.