Newb with a Project and Questions!

[Dragoness392]

Hello, all!

I couldn't find the Admittance subform; sorry if I missed it, but here is the info requested in the intro thread:

Name: Holly
Age: 27
Location: Texas
Occupation: Insurance

What brings you to the Polymer Institute?
A long-standing interest in the medium, coupled with a sudden need.

What treatment would you like?
Help figuring out where to start!

How did you hear about us?
Googling for advice on resin casting.

Medical (hobby) history:
Lots and lots of polymer clay. New to resin!

What would you say your addictions are?
Dragons and miniatures.

Have you received any treatment before and what was your experience? (other sites/ Hobby stores etc)
Various tutorial websites and books on clay.

What games do you like to play?
Various RPGs and MMOs. Lots of Final Fantasy!

Do you have any special needs?
I could probably do with some therapy and an Rx.

Consent: In the event of a hobby emergency, who should we contact? The nearest Hobby Lobby.

I hope I'm in the right place! Wasn't sure where else to start.


So, I've worked with polymer clay for many, many years, and have had an interest in resin casting, but didn't really know where to start, and never jumped in. NOW I have a project I feel would best be done in resin, and I need some pro tips. It's a doozy.

My daughter is turning 3 this year, and you probably already know now where this is going, and I apologize. She is a huge Frozen fan, as all 3 year old girls are, and I want to make a doll house for her, modeled after Elsa's ice castle. It'll be for the 5" dolls the Disney Store sells, and I've searched all the online stores, and the official Frozen doll houses all look like thin, cheap plastic.

So, I considered doing this in clay, but I'm not sure it would be quite durable enough (this IS for a 3 year old), and I would very much like to find a way to get a more translucent look, as I also want to put some LED lights in to get the glowing effects seen in the movie. I'm confident that I can build this in clay, as a set of sheets and various pieces that would fit together; it's turning those pieces into beautiful resin casts that I need expert help with.

I haven't sketched it out yet, but at the least, I'm going for two stories, and about two feet or a little below in height (though I'd love to go for three stories, if y'all think that's doable). My ideal resin would be highly translucent, but easy to add colors to (to give blue hues), nontoxic, and durable enough for a toddler. Given the size and shape, I imagine the only way to do this is in pieces which I then assemble, so I also need to learn how best to put it together and with what adhesive.

I know it's a tall order for a rookie, but is it doable? Will resin work this way? What materials would best suit this project? I planned to get into resin one of these days, and now's as good a time as any!

[mangozac]

Hi Dragoness, welcome to RA!

I hate to be a downer, but I think you might be a bit too ambitious for your first project

1. Cost. Moulding something like that in silicone and then casting in resin will be very expensive, even just for the silicone supplies.
2. Size. You would have to do it in multiple pieces but even then they would still be fairly large so not quite trivial to produce. On the plus side however, you probably wouldn't need to worry about vacuum or pressure for the parts you're looking at.
3. Translucent resins aren't known for being super user friendly, so you would want to do a few tests first before committing to anything.

What is your deadline on this?

[Dragoness392]

Thanks, Mangozac!

I figure I'll need to do some experimentation and testing first with other, more reasonable projects first. I also realize I'm completely crazy.

About how expensive would you say a project like this would be? I mean it to be a birthday or Christmas gift for my daughter, so I can justify the cost as long as it's not too insane.

They will be fairly large pieces, but the bulk will be in flat sheets, so I'm hoping that simplifies things a bit. I think I'll plan on keeping it to just two levels, though. I'm getting the impression that three would be crazy, even by my standards.

What is it about the translucent that makes them trickier? And is there any particular type you would recommend?

I was hoping to give it to her for her birthday in August, but her dolls can be hobos for a while. I'd rather take the time to do it right.

Given the goal, what kinds of resins and supplies would you recommend I practice with? And suggested reading or tutorials?

[mangozac]

At a rough guess you're probably looking at a few hundred dollars in silicone and resin. Your time frame is feasible though.

Any parts that can be done in truly flat sheets I would strongly suggest looking at producing from acrylic sheet rather than resin. CNC cut would be preferred but if you lack the necessary CAD skills you could just but a sheet and cut it with a jigsaw.

I'd personally look at clear polyurethane resins and adding some kind of translucent white pigment to it (I presume you want the "frosted" effect?). You would do some small tests first to see just how much pigment to add.

The best tutorial series that many of us like to refer to these days is the one Volpin prows did for Tested.com:

Hope that helps!

[Dragoness392]

That's a relief! I was worried you might say thousands. I can justify a few hundred. Glad to hear the time frame isn't completely insane either! You made my morning!

I've never worked with acrylic sheets either, so I don't know if I would be able to cut them. There's going to be a number of rounded pieces (like the floors), and I think those would be hard to cut?

Thanks for the recommendation, and yes! Some white frosted pieces, some blue, and some greenish (the columns inside were kind of green).

Thanks so much for the link and all the tips!

[mangozac]

Working with the acrylic is easy enough. You just need a cheap jigsaw (with a fairly coarse blade) to cut it and then clean up with a file and sandpaper