Author Topic: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!  (Read 5631 times)

Offline Ruprecht

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First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« on: November 6, 2006, 05:40 PM »
Snagged a Mace Windu Squad pack from Target the other day, and just finished making my first casts of the airborne helmet.  These are actually my first really decent helmet casts ever, so I'm a tad excited.


Offline BrentS

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #1 on: November 6, 2006, 07:28 PM »
Rupercht - that one looks great.  What sort of mold did you use?  2 Piece??
« Last Edit: November 6, 2006, 07:29 PM by BrentS »

Offline jedistyle

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #2 on: November 6, 2006, 10:05 PM »
wow man, great job! very clean looking..... what trooper are you planning on making with those?
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Offline Clone Commander

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #3 on: November 6, 2006, 10:35 PM »
Very nice clean casts!  :)
Clone Commander Appo.

Offline Ruprecht

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #4 on: November 6, 2006, 11:05 PM »
Thanks gents.

Brent, I used a variation on Glassman's 1-part mold process.  Rather than attempt to describe it, there's a pic below.  I used a pressure pot for both the molds and castings, which I am very pleased with so far.  There are also pics of that below.

Jedistyle, I'm going to do a Commander Keller, and maybe some variations on the theme - helmet, head swaps, etc.

CC, thanks again!





Offline BrentS

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #5 on: November 6, 2006, 11:23 PM »
Wow, that pressure pot thing looks like a great idea.  I've heard of people using something like that but never knew what they meant. 

Offline Ruprecht

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #6 on: November 7, 2006, 12:33 AM »
Hehe, even after I was told what parts to use to build a pot, I was stumped, because I wasn't told HOW to build it, the process, etc.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't normally go very far experimentation-wise (a wuss some would say), because I'm afraid of screwing things up, wasting product, and therefore money;  But after a week or so of deliberating, I decided to order the pot, buy the parts and give it a shot.  What amazes me is how easy it was to put together. 

Until now all my head and helmet casts were bubble-ridden and useless, so you can imagine my excitement today at getting decent return on my investment.

Offline Happy Noodle Boy

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #7 on: November 7, 2006, 01:02 AM »
Excellent work, there. Now I know what I want for Christmas!

Any chance of trading/buying some of those? My customizing/casting/sculpting skills are Padawan style at the moment, so this would help in making an Airborne Trooper.

I have Republic credits.

"Credits will do fine." (waving hand around like some kind of Jedi).

Offline BrentS

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #8 on: November 7, 2006, 09:31 AM »
Hehe, even after I was told what parts to use to build a pot, I was stumped, because I wasn't told HOW to build it, the process, etc.

I'm the kind of person who doesn't normally go very far experimentation-wise (a wuss some would say), because I'm afraid of screwing things up, wasting product, and therefore money;  But after a week or so of deliberating, I decided to order the pot, buy the parts and give it a shot.  What amazes me is how easy it was to put together. 

Until now all my head and helmet casts were bubble-ridden and useless, so you can imagine my excitement today at getting decent return on my investment.

Can you provide a link to where you learned how to put the pot together.  I'd like to do some more research.

Offline Ruprecht

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #9 on: November 7, 2006, 10:49 AM »
I put the pot together sans instructions.  It was easy. 

Materials
Presto 4-quart pot
Tire valve
Clear silicone caulk

1.  The pot's lid has a plastic nub covering the hole where the tire valve goes --- remove it, and put the valve in the hole

2.  Seal around the valve with the clear silicone caulk

3.  Seal around the metal thing in the middle of the lid with the caulk as well

4.  You're ready to go!  Check the pot pics above to see what it looks like.

Offline BrentS

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #10 on: November 7, 2006, 02:53 PM »
Thanks man... so silly question.  Do you use the pressure pot to make the silicon mold or to fill the mold to make the casts.  Also, how long do you keep the pot pressurized?

Offline Ruprecht

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #11 on: November 7, 2006, 03:32 PM »
I use the pot for both the molds and for the casts.  That way the mold doesn't have any air bubbles, and produces better castings. 

I keep the pot pressurized for about 30 minutes.  I don't really time it.  I just put the mold box or mold in, pressurize it to 40 psi, and walk away.  For the plastic and rubber that I use, 30 minutes is more than enough time.  Once it's started curing solid, there's no point in keeping it pressurized, because the air bubbles can no longer move.

Offline MetalJedi

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #12 on: November 8, 2006, 12:57 AM »
Awesome looking cast! You could use that one with the hole as a clone who got the top of his head blown off by a SBD.  ;D
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Offline Glassman6

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #13 on: November 8, 2006, 11:20 AM »
Great stuff Ruprecht.

Glad to see all the progress you've made.

I just got the battle packs yesterday, but was too tired to make molds last night.
Hopefully soon.

Great work.

Offline starkid500

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Re: First successful helmet casts! Yay me!
« Reply #14 on: November 8, 2006, 05:13 PM »
Wow thats cool and I also see that
you scored an Mace Windu Bp troop.
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