Author Topic: Casting of the Twins - wip  (Read 14969 times)

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #45 on: April 18, 2006, 09:49 AM »
I finally got the twins casted last night!  It turned out better than I though. No major bubbles and the face came out perfect. Unfortunately, my wife took the camera with her to her grandma's house for the week so I can't take a picture. I'll get some pictures up next week when she returns.

The hardest part of this experiment is not making too much silcone rubber or plastic for the project. I've wasted way too much for the small results I've gotten. Does anyone have a good way to pour and mix just a small amount of casting plastic without leaving two thirds of it unused?
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Offline BrentS

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #46 on: April 18, 2006, 10:32 AM »
Looking forward to seeing the results. 

As far as mixing & pouring - I use little medicine cups.  You can usually pick them up by the gross pretty cheap.  I use two or three of them to measure out the two parts and mix together.  They are pliable enough that its pretty easy to pour them out.  I still waste a little but not too much!  I waste more if I get over-ambitious trying to fill more than one mold with resin during the pot life.

Hope that helps!

Offline Glassman6

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #47 on: April 18, 2006, 10:45 AM »
Thats just something you pick up over time Phruby, For something that small, I usully just
pour each part into a plastic spoon, and mix that in a cup.

Generally (since i've been making so many helmet molds)  1-spoon(each) per helmet. That's enough to get a good flange and a few good coats.

So use that as a gage. For a whole body (torso, 2 legs and 2 arms) I would use 3 full spoons each part.

Once you get used to it, you get a gage for how much to use. Aslo, i always keep a standby piece that i want to make a mold of.
Just in case i mix too much. I use it on that other piece.

As for the plastic, thats worse. I used to use medicine droppers and wasted very little. Now i just eyeball it and ususally waste about 1 or 2 helmts worth. Again, i always keep an extra mold ready to cast the extra plastic so i dont waste too much.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2006, 10:48 AM by Glassman6 »

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #48 on: April 20, 2006, 05:39 AM »
I do similar things to Glassman...  It is a learned art really.

I will say, you should get in the habit of making disposeable mixing cups yourself that have very small measured lines.  What you do is find clear plastic cups, measure one with a series of accurate measured lines.  Your choice then is to measure cups with the FIRST cup you lined (your "master" if you will) inside the others and then use the ones you just measured and toss them...  Or...

put the cup you want to use inside the cup you measured off.  Pour your materials in the cup, using the lines on the cup on the outside (if this makes sense...  it's better if you can picture it).  This is a little technique I use, and all I waste are plastic cups.

I like to pour a lot of casts at once if I can...  Like Glassman said, keeping molds handy that you can use a lot of isn't a bad idea.  If you have like, say, the POTJ Imp. Officer head cast, keep it handy...  It's generic, it fits a couple torso's, it can have the neckpeg shaped to fit a couple others...  Good one to have extra casts of is what I'm getting at.

Or, if you want accessories, do a mold for a random small box or something...  keep it handy, and if you have resin leavin's around, pour it into that mold.  Voila, extra box for your displays.  Can never have too many of those...  Or I suppose you could but at least it's something. :)  Plain boxes usually don't give you de-airing problems either, so you don't have to tend that mold while whatever you are wanting casted in the first place may require your attention more focused.
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Offline BrentS

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #49 on: April 20, 2006, 08:06 AM »


Or, if you want accessories, do a mold for a random small box or something...  keep it handy, and if you have resin leavin's around, pour it into that mold.  Voila, extra box for your displays.  Can never have too many of those...  Or I suppose you could but at least it's something. :)  Plain boxes usually don't give you de-airing problems either, so you don't have to tend that mold while whatever you are wanting casted in the first place may require your attention more focused.

That is a very good idea!

Offline Kit Fisto

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #50 on: April 20, 2006, 09:35 AM »
I've ordered the needed materials today, and I've been reading this topic very carefullly these past few weeks. I'm finally going to try casting myself and I'm very gratefull for this thread. Thanx guys!
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Offline Glassman6

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #51 on: April 20, 2006, 10:03 AM »
Thats a great idea with the measureed cup JJ, i just eyeball it, but i'm gonna make a couple measure ones tonight.
The beauty of your idea is you can label it how you want. "first line" - 2 or 3 heads, "second line" arms and legs, "third line" - torso...etc.

That way it would cut out the guess work and alot of wasted resin.

Great idea.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #52 on: April 21, 2006, 03:26 AM »
N/P.

I measure it in like liquid measurement, then I have a scale of liquid needed to do general sizes/shapes so I cut down as much as possible, however I'm off at times.  I usually make a little extra for that, but it's noticeably less than I have done in the past.

I actually started doing that when I used other resins that measured unequal...  The technique stuck with me then was all.
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #53 on: April 22, 2006, 04:53 PM »
Here is a picture of the casted twins. (from left to right) The yellow one is a cast made by glassman. The middle one is my first attempt. The last one is my second attempt. It's funny how well my first attempt came out when I had no idea what I was doing. The second one suffers from an improper mix of A and B parts. It's still kind of sticky. Anyway, I need to make three more. PM me if you want a cast. $3 shipped should do it.

« Last Edit: April 24, 2006, 12:13 PM by Master_Phruby »
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Offline Glassman6

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #54 on: April 24, 2006, 03:41 PM »
The middle one looks great Phruby. Like a perfect clone. The last one looks like he made a "boom boom"  and it ate through his blanky!

You should get some pigments and play with adding them
to the mix.  Test some from Home Depot. They are in the pain section, or visit the thread Kit fisto made casue i think tyk, posted a suggetion of store bought pigments. You can also order them online.

When you get into casting more, you will see that it helps you find the details when painting.
Secondly once you master adding pigment, you can cast pieces in the color plastic you want and just paint accent colors.

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #55 on: April 24, 2006, 06:35 PM »
Can I use a regular primer on this plastic?
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Offline Glassman6

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #56 on: April 25, 2006, 09:57 AM »
yep.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Casting of the Twins - wip
« Reply #57 on: April 26, 2006, 05:01 AM »
You can use just about anything on resins Paul...  They take oil-based paints well (or so far with every brand and type I've used, haha...  There's always that one time it ain't gonna work though, or so I tell myself in the back of my mind).

Anyway, it's more versatile in that regard... 

I gotta get off my pooper and do more casting but it's been on my backburner for a while now.  I've got mold rubber here I can only hope is still useable.  Ugh.
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