|
|
Post by yekoms on May 11, 2015 9:19:28 GMT -5
I was going to PM Starryeyes with this but I'll post here so we all can maybe learn a little from this. I just started resin casting parts. What are you guys that cast parts usin'? I'm using Smooth-On products...Mold Star 15 Slow for molds, the resins are Smooth Cast 320 Fast (ivory), Smooth Cast Onyx Slow (black). I'm makin' the mold boxes out of foam board hot glued together and that's workin' out good for me. My first pour was with the 320 fast and I took to much time mixin' it so it set up on me to quick. The smooth On tech guys also confirmed that when I called them to ask about a slower set time resin. They said that the longer the resin is in liquid form in the mold the more it will affect the mold. You want to use the fastest setting resin that you can deal with. I'm good with that now. I just did my first pour with the Onyx Slow for some slicks. So far I like the fast setting stuff better.
Thanks, Smokey
|
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 13:52:30 GMT -5
Biggest thing I've found over the years, as far as avoiding problems with any brand or type of casting resin, is to use FRESH materials!
I use Smooth-On's products, and I really like them. I buy my stuff either direct from them, or from an authorized dealer -- avoiding "third parties".
I mainly use their "Smooth Cast 300" resin product, along with their OOMOO rubber.
Both are available in "trial sizes" which last me - (usually; depends on what I'm using it for, and how often, etc.) -- at least a month; usually considerably longer. (Three months on up.) For what I'm using it for, buying casting resin in larger quantities, all at once, is usually asking / begging for "short shelf-life" related problems. Because I buy it super-fresh to begin with, if I find that I'm still using up the last of it a few months later, it's not causing me any major problems.
It took me some time to begin to identify the symptoms of age-related problems with casting resins, but whenever I've picked up stuff from a third-party seller, it's always exhibited at least a few signs of having sat for far too long, on a shelf; before I got it. Not to pick on them too much, but in my experience, Micro-Mark was really bad that way. After I bought one batch from them years ago that was exhibiting "throw this crap out" symptoms -- (air bubbles everywhere, in the final casting's surfaces; chunkiness when pouring; takes longer to cure than it should, etc.) -- within days of arrival, I quit buying casting resin from them. These days, I get my resin as "direct from the manufacturer" as I can, and I've found that it makes a HUGE difference in how much I enjoy using those products. And thus, how often I put the stuff to use for various projects. And once I figured out how important freshness was, I've begun using casting resins for a lot more things.
One thing I do now, that I didn't used to do, is using the stuff for making what I call "intermediate masters" -- that is, I get to a certain point with a scratch-built item, or a heavily modified kit item, and I sort of make a mold and a casting, almost as a "backup" of that work-to-date ... and then, I modify the casting (rather than the original which came before it) to proceed forward with a given project. I should mention -- (for that to make sense?) -- that sometimes this is because I used a product, in earlier stages of the project, which got me into the ballpark, fast ... but which would hold me back, later, in the "fine details" stages of things. (For instance, using a mixture of Plaster-and-Vermiculite to master a shape quickly. The P&V mix, as described in the great "Spritz by Fritz" DVD's, is great for quickly getting 80% of the way ... but then, resin is better for the 20% of the work left: for smoothing surfaces, scribing panel lines, adding any textures, etc.)
More later ...
|
|
|
|
Post by yekoms on May 11, 2015 16:05:51 GMT -5
Hey Wardster, Thanks for the input. This is just what I was lookin' for. The Smooth On Company just moved and is only a 35 minute drive from my place. Their new retail shop will be open in about a month. They were out of the Onyx fast in small sizes so he sent me slow and just said try it. It poured lumpy and is taking hours to set. it sounds old. Their tech guys have been great so far and I'll call them tomorrow. They said that the 300 has whiteners and the 320 is natural but they are the same other than the whiteners. I think that I'm goin' to try the oomoo25 next. The Mold Star 15 is pretty soft. I want to see the difference between them.
Cheers,Smokey
|
|
|
|
Post by Starryeyes on May 11, 2015 16:48:35 GMT -5
I like the Smooth Cast 320... I like wardsers idea of making a mold of an original part - then making his modifications to the cast part... I got in a BAD HABIT of buying rare kits that were missing parts (kits that I already had that were complete ) ... So instead of building my "good" kit I would remove the missing parts from my good kit and cast duplicates for the partial kit I bought for much less ... This allows me to build my "builder" kit and keep the mint one for another day ...  |
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 18:09:02 GMT -5
Good idea, StarryEyes! That's not why I do what I do ... BUT ... I can absolutely see what you're doing, and why, with that idea; and I like that idea a lot! (I guess it would have never occurred to me: since I almost never have one rare kit; let alone, 1.5 of them!)
I can see this thread is gonna snowball, in a hurry, with great tips ... so, before I (and others) get TOO ballistic in typing in other tips ...
Might I suggest that someone start a "Tips and Tricks" section of these message boards?
Maybe starting a sub-section for casting tips and/or tricks, within that larger "Tips and Tricks" heading or area?
I'm thinking such things are gonna "get lost" over time, if we don't do something like that ... and since I'm a tip-a-holic and/or love seeing other's tips and tricks, I personally would love having a board section just for tips and tricks of various kinds.
While I'm thinking of it: any chance of also moving the paint "tips and tricks" sub-section or area over to the new "Tips and Tricks" section? That way, we'd have two blank "Tips and Tricks" sub-sections where we readers could start adding our favorite tips and tricks.
|
|
|
|
Post by Starryeyes on May 11, 2015 18:16:30 GMT -5
There's already a sub-board just above "general" .. Open "General" and look to the top !!
|
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 18:35:55 GMT -5
Hey Wardster, Thanks for the input. This is just what I was lookin' for. Good deal! They were out of the Onyx fast in small sizes so he sent me slow and just said try it. It poured lumpy and is taking hours to set. it sounds old. It's probably way past it's "use by" date. At least they admitted it, though; and it sounds like you didn't pay full price for it, etc. One tip I'll throw out there, for getting at least SOME use out of casting resin (that's not as bad as what you're saying, above) is to just mix it and pour it into "ingot" form, to make solid blocks you can use later, to cut up and make "solid" parts out of. Use whatever ready-to-go containers are at hand, to pour the "almost but not quite bad" resin into: for instance, blister packs or vacu-formed product containers of various sizes. Same basic idea goes for casting rubber that's about to go bad ... but I'll discuss that, later. To me, based on what you've said so far in this thread, Smokey, you sound like the Willing Experimenter Type -- (takes one to know one, right?!) -- and I'd say that makes that "bad" batch almost ideal, in a way. I'll re-write these tips, and add photos, later ... but for now ... Here's several goofy ideas, for experimenters who want to play with a batch of resin that's about to go bad: If the resin (usually "part A") is coming out notice-ably chunky or lumpy, as it pours, you might want to try straining out the chunks. Get most of them out, before mixing. It helps. It's by no means ideal -- (fresh resin being MUCH preferred!) -- but it's "nice to know" in emergencies. Worst case, you may be able to get out enough of the "really bad" stuff, to use the rest of the (still liquid) resin to make yourself some "cast ingots," as mentioned above. If it's taking way too long for a batch of resin to cure, you may want to try adding some heat to the process. (Worst case, it fails -- which it was doing, anyway. Again, the real fix is to use fresh product -- but this is just a way to learn more about the processes.) A light bulb, in a small lamp, sitting on a desk next to your casting project, with a big cardboard box over both, might speed stuff up? (I know of a pro who uses this with epoxy resins, when he's fiber-glassing stuff ... and assume it may help some, with casting resins?) Those two are, as advertised, "goofy" suggestions. Here's a "more serious" one. If you were inclined to play around with trying to "tint" or color your resin, before you mix it, that bad batch might be the way to go. With the Smooth-Cast 300 resin I favor, I mix any colorants I want to use (I favor "Sharpie Juice" -- which is just literally that: the "juice" out of certain kinds of Sharpie markers) -- into the "Part B" liquid in advancej of the mixing stages. In actual use, I'm using fresh resin, and am leaving some of it in the original containers (for storage), and am putting enough for several small pours into a pair of smaller, easier-to-pour containers. (More on that, if a "Tips and Tricks" section opens up!) Hopefully that's clear, but if not: what I'm doing is to permanently pre-tint SOME of, but not all of my stash of "Part B". That way, if I want to use the tinted stuff, I just grab that bottle or container, stir it or shake it like normal ... and "go" just like it wasn't tinted or colored. If I want the white version (or natural; or some other tint or color) I just grab a different container of "Part B" ... and use that, instead. More later ... but I'm glad to see this discussion happening! I'm sure I'll pick up some cool tricks ... and I have some to share, too. |
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 18:38:05 GMT -5
There's already a sub-board just above "general" .. Open "General" and look to the top !! Any chance of adding a "casting tips and tricks" sub-section, along with the painting one? (Pretty please!?) |
|
|
|
Post by yekoms on May 11, 2015 19:00:44 GMT -5
Yep Ward I think that a lot of us on here think alike.That's why I'm here and bein' involved. I like modifin' stuff. You should have heard my wife when I put a zoomie and a touch of racin' gas in the lawn mower. mowin' sucks but, now it smells good...
This is already a helpful thread. If it was on one of the big message boards it may become a product bashin' deal...
I like the tires and wheels from the Revel Snappers Super Taxi but like most cartoon kits the front tires are smaller than I like. Today I wrapped some clay around a front tire and made a mold of it. When its cast I will size it to where I like it. I can work better with solid resin better than I can with clay. Then I'll make a mold of it.
Cheers,Smokey
|
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 20:45:43 GMT -5
Sounds good, Smokey! And another bit of coolness related to resin casting is that, if a person wanted to, they could mold and then cast "normal" tires ... but ... pull the tire out of the mold when it is still "green" (partially, but not fully cured or hardened) and twist or otherwise distort the casting ... and then let it set up hard, in that intentionally distorted state ... resulting in "tooned" tires. If memory serves, Scott Tansley did just that, with one of his prior projects. I'll try and find a link to that. EDIT -- I'm not finding what I thought was there, amongst Scott's posts, but there's some other cool stuff that Scott posted (to the "Coffin Corner 2" forums) ... including some cool info about his work with casting materials and what not ... so, I figured I'd post a link to the various threads he put up, over on CC2. coffincorner.proboards.com/user/499/recent_threads |
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 20:57:30 GMT -5
There's already a sub-board just above "general" .. Open "General" and look to the top !! Further suggestion mode ON: I don't mean to be rude or negative or anything like that -- (especially on message boards I love!) -- but I think there's a problem with that sub-board's location, on this site; and the name that was used for it. (Filed under "General" on a board who's main listing is also "General".) While it's on the main menu, technically, people these days scan lists quickly, without paying full attention to what's there -- (and whole books have been written on that tendency!) -- so, to me, I feel like it's unintentionally buried in the fine print, in a sense. In other words: because it's not one of the "top search hits" as it were -- that is, because it is not available from / within the main menu (with it's own heading, in a font as big as the other sub-headings) I'd guess that a lot of readers here barely know it exists. They don't but they don't. Those who do know it exists (including me; so I'm not casting any stones!!) haven't put it to any use, just yet, by adding anything to it. I'm just thinking that the odds of it getting used, for posting tips, would go up if visibility increased, on the main menu itself. Again ... not trying to be mean or anything. I'm just thinking that, for whatever reason, that part of the boards get under-used ... and I'd like for that to change. |
|
|
|
Post by Starryeyes on May 11, 2015 21:26:56 GMT -5
There's already a sub-board just above "general" .. Open "General" and look to the top !! Further suggestion mode ON: I don't mean to be rude or negative or anything like that -- (especially on message boards I love!) -- but I think there's a problem with that sub-board's location, on this site; and the name that was used for it. (Filed under "General" on a board who's main listing is also "General".) While it's on the main menu, technically, people these days scan lists quickly, without paying full attention to what's there -- (and whole books have been written on that tendency!) -- so, to me, I feel like it's unintentionally buried in the fine print, in a sense. In other words: because it's not one of the "top search hits" as it were -- that is, because it is not available from / within the main menu (with it's own heading, in a font as big as the other sub-headings) I'd guess that a lot of readers here barely know it exists. They don't but they don't. Those who do know it exists (including me; so I'm not casting any stones!!) haven't put it to any use, just yet, by adding anything to it. I'm just thinking that the odds of it getting used, for posting tips, would go up if visibility increased, on the main menu itself. Again ... not trying to be mean or anything. I'm just thinking that, for whatever reason, that part of the boards get under-used ... and I'd like for that to change. Wardster !!! Relax my good man... !! You're amongst friends ...  thank you for bringing this to my attention.. I was actually jus thinking the same thing... Save your post under the "Tips" heading and wait to repost as soon as I put it on the MAIN page brother !!! |
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 11, 2015 21:44:43 GMT -5
Sorry ... didn't know you were moving stuff around, board-wise, when I was trying to post a tip, over on the "paint tips" sub-board. I think you got it all moved, after I posted my first paint-related tip ... and whilst I was posting a second tip, things were moving ... but, as far as I can tell: we're golden, now! (I'll lay off other tip-posting, for a bit, just to be sure ... but will be thinking!) EDIT -- Regulars on this board will see the (awesome / new) changes, I'm sure ... but now that there's a dedicated area for tips, I'll start thinking hard about any cool ones, worth sharing, regarding casting ... and will post them, as individual / named tips, over on the board's new "Tips and Tricks" area, over here: car-toons.proboards.com/board/24/paint-casting-building-tips-tricksI've already typed up and posted two paint-related things, over there, that some "serious" figure modelers know all about, but we 'toon modellers might not have run across just yet. I'll keep thinkin', and will thoroughly enjoy having a place (amongst like-minded friends!) to post some of the most useful tips and tricks I know of. (Thinking cap ON, for me!) |
|
|
|
Post by yekoms on May 17, 2015 15:07:03 GMT -5
Hi All, Have any of you ever used the Composimold mold making stuff that gets heated in a microwave to be poured? For instance ... I wanted a bigger diameter tire so I built the outside of the tire up with putty then made a mold with the Smooth On mold stuff. It is easier for me to final shape the tire in resin than in clay. So that mold is now a one time mold. If it was the reusable mold stuff it could be melted and reused. If that stuff works OK.
The next tire that I modify I'll make it the way that I want it in bondo or epoxy final shaped then make the mold. I have some of the Aves epoxy putty to do that with.
|
|
|
|
Post by wardster on May 17, 2015 16:31:58 GMT -5
I haven't personally used it, but architectural modelers supposedly use the stuff all the time, from what I've read / heard. I've even seen some crafters (I'll have to look for a specific link) use a mixture of regular household tub type caulk, mixed with something like baby powder, for "don't need it to be ultra-precise" cheapie molds. EDIT: Here's that link I mentioned ... art-and-sole.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/silicone-molds.html |
|
thank you for bringing this to my attention.. I was actually jus thinking the same thing... Save your post under the "Tips" heading and wait to repost as soon as I put it on the MAIN page brother !!! 