SSB's General Log

[Hiflt4@juno.com]

[SSB]

[SSB]

Here they are !
My first castings... And it's very satisfying !

Well, some mistakes (putting a bit too much black tint in my resin... ^^) but the result is nearly perfect !






As you can see, there is a bubble that stays in the back of the helmet. I'll probably have to do a vent for it ! And the result will be perfect !

[mangozac]

Congratulations on a great result! Indeed the couple of bubbles should be easy enough to deal with using some vents. Oh and you've found the reason why I prefer to use grey pigment for tinting - it's not as critical if you put too much in

[SSB]

My first bases !
Very simple design : Heavy sand on a blank base... 25mm & 30mm




Do you place a flat silicone square on top of the mold when casting ?

[Munkey Joe]

[mangozac]

Nice work SSB!

Many people do use a glass tile on top, but you need to hit it with plenty of release spray. I would try placing a sheet of baking paper/wax paper underneath the tile. Otherwise I have seen people use a slab of silicone as SSB has suggested.

[Lane]

My understanding is that the glass plate is generally used on open face molds without pressure. Since most bases are fairly thin and few undercuts it's easy to pick out any bubbles before placing the plate on the mold. Slightly overfill and roll the plate on so it pushes off the excess and seals to the mold, this gives a flat back and no flash or sprue marks.

Using a glass plate that sealed with pressure would not work. If it was not sealed you would still need some form of reservoir to make up for shrinking bubbles.

[Munkey Joe]

[mangozac]

If there isn't much air in the resin mix/air pockets in the mould after pouring the resin in then surely it's not going to compress all that much under pressure? Maybe if there is enough extra resin it gets forced in before the glass tile settles down?

[SSB]

I am now in Florida (Miami) enjoying my sunny winter vacations !
Greetings to all the americans here !


Back to casting...


Maybe Jeff and Justin Degaz the resin first ?
Then the pour it in the mold, put the glass tile and then pressure cast ?


I have some resin questions too.
For my casts, I have been using a french resin (Esprit composite). But it seems to be fragile.

I am to cast 28mm miniatures. In the smoothcast products, which would be the one that would be the best for this king of casting ? As the miniatures are made to be used for gaming, they need to be quite sturdy... ^^

[Fleafa]

I have had good results with 300 and 305. Essentially identical but with different potlife.

[SSB]

I'll try them !

[SSB]

Here are the things I've been working on lately :
Bases (30mm diameter with years inscribed on them for tournament trophies).
I have made a mold that prepares the bases for holding magnets (3 per base).
When I won't have a 'magnet back', I will try using a glass tile for the back.

Front (bases mold)


Back (magnet mold)


Assembled


The casted bases ! Which are : perfect !


I have tried Smooth On 300 and 305.
Both are perfect for my needs !

I created the mould with Smooth-On Mold Max 30.
I used vacuum and pressure to create the molds.

I casted the bases with Smooth-On Smooth Cast 300 with a pinch of black tint. (I will switch to Smooth Cast 320 with a pinch of black tint)
I only use pressure for casting the bases. A careful handling will get rid of bubbles : NOT pressing on the silicone back. And in a sandwich between two wood plancks and held by rubber bands.

I will post photos of the casting process !

[mangozac]

Great work SSB; the magnet holes are a nice touch!

My only comment is that the year inscriptions on the sides look a little too thick and seem like they could possibly wear out the mould a little quicker than is ideal. Not a big deal, but just something to think about