Subtle Discord / The Dark Work's modelling and casting

[Fleafa]

I'm linking this Dakka Dakka forum thread here because it includes a lot of very in-depth information about scratch-building and casting with two-part moulds. Well worth a read, for beginners and those of us who've been doing this a while.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/po ... 40118.page

[mangozac]

Good idea, Fleafa! His work is extremely impressive - possibly some of the sharpest styrene scratchbuilding I've seen. He's obviously a very skilled artist (both physical and 2D).

While the prices of his kits aren't cheap (but I don't dispute that they are worth the price), I have to wonder how economical they are for him to produce. Making 2-part moulds the way he does is extremely time consuming. As you know, a large part of the cost of a resin kit is in the mould itself. You only get so many pulls from a silicone mould, so to make the endeavour economical you need to be able to produce the mould as quickly as possible. That's why most of us here are doing split moulds.

SD mentions pros and cons of the various mould types in one of his posts. He mentions that split moulds are prone to mould slip, which is true, however there is a technique I haven't tried yet where you cut the split with a jagged pattern that makes the mould self aligning.

[Fleafa]

I share your opinions on the cost in time and material of the two-part mould. In fairness, most of his parts have little or no undercuts so his moulds probably last better. The bottom of the cut in a split mould also ages, as well as any sharp turns in the cut itself, leading to tears. He won't suffer that.
It isn't all that easy to make the jagged edges at the scale of our moulds, but it definitely helps. Here's a good example of a large mould with jagged edges for alignment: https://youtu.be/JXhzkV5J7UY?t=6m

[mangozac]

[follox]

I was recommended to use a 'registration' blade - an S shaped scalpel blade, which apparently can be purchased via ebay. Never did find one (under that name at least) but seems they exist!

[Velvet Mark]

Such a cool thread, his two part moulds are gorgeous.

Im loving the rivet maker razor blades to use on plastic rod too. Ill be copying that!

[mangozac]

[Fleafa]

[mangozac]

I remember Deadmeat showing me pics of someone on Facebook I think (possibly a French artist) who was doing it on small moulds.I have no idea where to find it now. There was a particular term they used for the technique...

[Subtle Discord]

Ok ok, you've forced me out from lurking (in a good way) and made me create an account. I've been meaning to for a while, but this summer has kept me busier than expected and I didn't get nearly as many things done as I hoped. Starting to contribute over here was one of those things.

First off, thank you very much for the vote of confidence by creating a link to my work. If anyone whould like to see it all the way back to the very beginning the thread at Bolter & Chainsword is the longest record of my fall into resin addiction.

One of the core philosophies of my modest studio is to be open and transparent for those who are curious to understand and/or those who are adventurous enough to actually try. While it has taken me quite some time to come to terms with the significant positive feedback I have received for my work, (the artist is always their own worst critic) I am now very confident in what I can do and the quality I can achieve. You can only be told, by paying customers, that your work rivals or exceeds that of another massive forge named company before you need to believe it. With all humility, I've discovered that I have quite the knack for this and I plan to do much with my new found skills. If I can only make half of my ideas real, oh wow, I'm gonna' make some cool stuff!

The intent of my little studio is for it to be small to medium scale in production at best, but extremely high in quality. I understand fully that this adds to my labour, (and the end cost) but this is the niche I'm aiming for. While I haven't created split moulds personally, I've used and understand them; it is very true that they can be used with proper care to insure they align correctly and produce great results. My moulds literally lock with no effort into perfect position every time; they can't shift, twist, or sheer, at all. Also, for many of the objects that I create, cutting the prototype free would be a nightmare as I try to find the 2.5mm (or less) edge in the middle of a block of RTV rubber. The 2-part process can add a few hours to the process (sometimes longer if it is very complex) but the added complete control over the mould line (I hide most of my mould lines good) and the ability to make moulds that avoid some of the stresses when de-moulding an object pays for the added labour over the life of the mould. In the end I'm also finding that making moulds is not a limiting problem, but my ability to run them as quickly as possible is my limiting factor. If my chambers are full each cycle, and I can only de-mould the items so quickly, more moulds won't help until I can accommodate them with more labour and equipment.

For now, The Dark Works is also working at a reduced scale with no active marketing on purpose, and I still have a hard time keeping stock on the shelf. While I finish college and expand my skill-set further I am keeping things at a slow burn as I work out the kinks in my manufacturing process, get more equipment, create a portfolio of work to prove my skills, and build good will in the community. I will investigate what will be needed to take my modest studio to the next level once college is complete. (in my 3rd of 4 years studying Industrial Design) With the added power of SolidWorks modelling I'm learning, rapid prototyping technology improving, and a broader range of skills that I am gaining in my program, I have much more ambitious plans. For now, The Dark Works earns enough to cover new equipment, materials, and help pay for some college costs, but no it is not what I would consider a full-time income... yet. The moulds do pay for themselves, and I am slowly building up equipment and capacity, and that is the plan for now.

But, I'll stop rambling now, and for those who might still be reading, I'll close with this. Feel free to ask me specific questions on casting and related subjects here and I'll be happy to 'talk shop'. During school months I'm kinda' swamped and might not be able to reply as quickly as I'd like, but I try to catch up when I can.

Thanks again, and I hope I can encourage people and support them in this wonderful addiction.

[mangozac]

Welcome to RA, Subtle Discord! It's a pleasure to have another skilled artisan here!

I'm about to head out the door and away for the weekend so I don't have time to write a proper reply, but I would really like to discuss some of your comments when I return

[RageofAchilles]

[Subtle Discord]

Oh yes, very well said; explore the options and do what makes sense for you. There are usually several ways to reach a solution, and you will usually learn quite quickly what is best suited to your project, equipment, and skill-set.

While they come from experience, my opinions are are purely subjective and I'm always happy to debate the merits of a process and consider the alternatives. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today if I didn't explore options and dare to try something ambitious even if it felt daunting to try something new. At the same time, many of my simple low-tech solutions have served me well from day one.

I'm the first to admit I'm a bit of a snob on certain subjects, but I never intend for my ideas to dictate, merely suggest.

[mangozac]

OK well first things first: SD you are a true artisan and I'm highly impressed by both your styrene work and your mould making. I thought I was OCD but the perfection of your two part moulds is seriously a whole new level

Absolutely if there's one thing I've learned over the years is that casting techniques are a very personalised thing. Different available materials, temperature and humidity mean that everybody ends up tweaking their process to suit and I'm yet to see two casters who do exactly the same. You've obviously found a process that works really well for you. That said, we also have to remain open to trying out new ideas and continually tweaking our process. Even with my several years of casting experience I'm still tweaking!

Now that you've explained your limitations I can understand why doing the two part moulds is not completely inefficient (although it does sound to me like you need another pressure pot ). I would however really encourage you to try a split mould in the future for any parts for which it's more suitable (smaller parts like your alternative weapons). With correct split mould design and boarding there's no reason why perfect quality can't be achieved. Plus it's far less time consuming cutting a split than claying around small, detailed parts.

I've found that people are very unsure about actually cutting the split, but once you understand the process it's really simple. So long as you're familiar with the part being moulded and have taken time to assess where the cuts will go before pouring the silicone it's really quite easy. Don't let the fact that FW do split moulds to achieve their poor quality put you off!

Thanks for dropping by! Keep up the awesome work - I look forward to seeing more from you