Resin Casting Odd Shaped Parts

I dunno, but why not try designing you own using sculpey? thats what me and my friend do if we want custom weapons or headgear....

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"And although i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil... Because I AM the baddest mutha in the valley!!

-spaceman motto-

"the good drill instructor is the one who holds up a laser rifle and says,

Ask Recluce she'll know what to do.

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I am so bored...

Ok, here is it quick and dirty:

Build a box:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351162

Prepare the piece (use sculpey to create a base, going inside the helmet): http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351168

Place the prepared piece into the box:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351165

Pour in silicon molding compound:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351207

pour until compound covers piece, with at least 1/2 inch extra:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351210

4 hours later, unbox it:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351214

clean up this:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351216 and make it look like this:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351215

Remove the sculpey/head part from the mold (leave the helmet inside!:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351202

Apply mold release to all of the inside of the silicon mold:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351205

Perform second pour of silicon:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351211

4 hours later, if mold release was properly applied:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351213

Remove the helmet and the second part of the mold:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351201

Your two pieces of the mold:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351200

Carefully cut matching grooves to allow resin to flow, try to eliminate dead space, and cut a path for resin to flow in (to the lowest spot on the mold) and a place for the air to escape.  THis is the crucial part.  Try not to cut to much, and ensure that you do not cut away any of the imprinted parts of the mold:  http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351198     http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351197

Cut out an area for the resin to pool and flow into the mold.  Do many test fits to ensure there is an open pathway in and out.   http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=351199

Do some test casts.  If you pour in one hole it needs to flow fully to the other one and out the top.   http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=247073

 

You're done!  Here is the whole tutorial gallery with a few extra pictures:   http://www.maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=103132

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Emily J. Brownlow

MCN Supervisor Moderator

Leader of the Sneaky Forum Ninja Assasination Squad

~Custom Cast Helmets and Hairpieces~

Excellent tutorial - many thanks for sharing.  It's quite a complicated process to understand fully without pictures, so yours were very much appreciated.  I feel I can now confidently have a bash at casting some custom Scottish headgear!  Looking forward to posting the results in due course....

One newbie question arising: In what way (if any) does doing  "test casts" differ from doing a "final casts" ?  Do you use a different resin or something?

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Great Tutorial!!!  I really like the simple way you have walked through this issue.

 

Kam

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Kaminoan
Kaminoan's Fine Clonier
www.FineClonier.com
FineClonier@gmail.com

thanks recluce, i'm sure this will be a huge help to alot, especially me! I'm going to try this out tonight

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Brickshelf

That tutorial helps me a lot. I just need to know all of the things that you need to buy for this.

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Just one breath... incase that's all that is left...

One question Recluce, should the Sculpey/ Clay be cured if you use it as your base?

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Brickshelf

I asked this before and she told me no.

edit: Recluce, I am confused on the last couple parts. Do you stick the 2nd part in at the end? And are the rivets for letting out the resin incase you poured to much in? (The extra resin) When do you pour in the resin? After you put the second part of the mold in or before?

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Just one breath... incase that's all that is left...

at my school in the metal room we used to have a resin casting machine, the way this one worked was it forced a liquid resin into stainless steel moulds held together with screws, once the resin sets the screws could be taken out, and the hardened resin can be removed.

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Humankind can not gain anything without first giving something in return, to obtain something of equal value must be lost. This is alchemys first law of equivalent exchange.

Wow! Really comprehensive tutorial Recluce. Thanks!

You make it look easy, altho it seems pretty time consuming if it's just one piece. 

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~MCN Brick Talk Moderator~

Nick's MOC Page.

where do you buy silicone?

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I am so bored...

One question Recluce, should the Sculpey/ Clay be cured if you use it as your base?  No, it's just there to hold the helmet in place during your first pour of the silicone.

Do you stick the 2nd part in at the end?  You create the second part of the mold after removing the chunk of sculpey, but leaving the helmet inside.  You just pour some more silicone in after first applying mold release to all of the exposed areas of silicone.

And are the rivets for letting out the resin incase you poured to much in? (The extra resin) When do you pour in the resin? After you put the second part of the mold in or before?  I'm not sure what you mean by rivets.... if you mean the little groves you have to cut into the pieces of the mold, then yes.  You will need a hole cut to pour the resin in, and one hole to let the trapped air escape.  You should have both parts of the mold together when pouring in the resin.  DO NOT try to pour a bunch of resin in to the first part of the mold and then insert the second part.

at my school in the metal room we used to have a resin casting machine, the way this one worked was it forced a liquid resin into stainless steel moulds held together with screws, once the resin sets the screws could be taken out, and the hardened resin can be removed.  Yes, that's a more professional way of doing what I do, and generally gets better results. However.... those metal molds cost thousands of dollars.  My silicone is $30 for a tub that will make me 10 molds.  Red Bean Studios and Little Armory have these types of metal molds.

You make it look easy, altho it seems pretty time consuming if it's just one piece.   Once you get the hang of making molds, its pretty easy.  I made 10 of them all at once the last time I did a silicone pour.  And I've got another small pile of stuff I want to mold.  Its best to pour several at once, since it is so messy to mix the stuff up.

where do you buy silicone?  All of my casting materials are Alumilite brand that I buy at a small hobby shop here.  www.alumilite.com  The silicone I use is the #3(III) type, as it is the most flexible type, you can make these 2 part molds and really pull at it to pop out a fully cast piece.  Without this flexibility, you have to cut up the mold into more pieces (Tothiro does this) in order to facilitate the removal of the finished piece.  That can lead to misaligned pieces, or there will be a small line around the piece indicating where the mold pieces met (you can see this on lego pieces).  However, as the type 3 is the most flexible, it will also have a bit more wear and tear than the sturdier silicone types.  It's a trade off.

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Emily J. Brownlow

MCN Supervisor Moderator

Leader of the Sneaky Forum Ninja Assasination Squad

~Custom Cast Helmets and Hairpieces~

Last question: Do you apply the mold rubber to rubber mold release with a paintbrush?

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Just one breath... incase that's all that is left...

Yes I do.  I paint it onto every rubber area inside the mold.  But not on the helmet/piece you are molding.

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Emily J. Brownlow

MCN Supervisor Moderator

Leader of the Sneaky Forum Ninja Assasination Squad

~Custom Cast Helmets and Hairpieces~

I am slighly confused about the last 3 steps, could you walk through them again recluce? that would be very much appreciated

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Ok, look.  You have to have a place to pour the resin into the mold, right?  Well... you will have to cut grooves into the mold to let the resin in, and the air out.  It's that simple.

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Emily J. Brownlow

MCN Supervisor Moderator

Leader of the Sneaky Forum Ninja Assasination Squad

~Custom Cast Helmets and Hairpieces~

Sorry for bringing this topic back up,but I only have a very simple question..

It says in my resin instructions that it can demold in 15 minutes,but it is very soft and floppy when I do this,should I leave it in the mold for longer(if so about how long?) so it fully cures?

Thank you.

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MCN Brick Talk MOD
My B-Shelf (Under Construction)

Where can I purchase Silicon Molding Compound?

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Did you even read this topic before posting?

Recluce clearly stated this in the above..

where do you buy silicone?  All of my casting materials are Alumilite brand that I buy at a small hobby shop here.  www.alumilite.com  The silicone I use is the #3(III) type, as it is the most flexible type, you can make these 2 part molds and really pull at it to pop out a fully cast piece.  Without this flexibility, you have to cut up the mold into more pieces (Tothiro does this) in order to facilitate the removal of the finished piece.  That can lead to misaligned pieces, or there will be a small line around the piece indicating where the mold pieces met (you can see this on lego pieces).  However, as the type 3 is the most flexible, it will also have a bit more wear and tear than the sturdier silicone types.  It's a trade off.

In the future, please actually read the topic before posting.

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MCN Brick Talk MOD
My B-Shelf (Under Construction)