Amatuer Looking to Get Minis Line off the Ground

[lastspartacus]

Maybe I can figure out a way to research it. Speaking of one part split molds, there wouldn't happen to be a good video tutorial on that, would there?

[Munkey Joe]

I use Aero marine products Casting resin for my projects for the most part. Its good quality and I have no issue with it. I have also use Smooth on and Alluminite products. I also have heard good things from Brick in the yard From Texas but have yet to buy resin from them.

Heres Aeromarine:
And BITY:

As far a videos.... Im sure there is something good on youtube. BITY has a channel with tons of info as well as other companies like Smoothon and Tapp plastics. One of them will have a good video for sure. combinw what you learn from the vids and what is on Here and you can get a good mold as Im not sure there is any "mini specific" mold making videos. I actually might make a video soon of mold making Just for this reason.

Anyway BITY Youtube is here:
Tapp plastic:
Smooth on:
And my Channel that has nothing on it yet....

[lastspartacus]

I notice Smooth On claims no degassing required, and Aeromarine claims unmeasurable shrinkage. Would these claims be accurate, and exclusive to them?

[mangozac]

Generally shrinkage isn't an issue with PU (polyurethane) resins so it's not something you need to worry about. And the no degassing required claim does not mean that air pockets won't form in the mould while pouring. The vacuum/pressure equipment is still a necessity.

[AdamG]

Interesting read, being thick though...

I can't figure out how you cut between the parts on that split mould

[lastspartacus]

Random observation: I noticed that in the first page it was suggested purchasing rubber gloves online. Are the rubber gloves needed different from the typical thick yellow kitchen cleaning ones?

What level of Respirator is sufficient? I've been shopping

[Munkey Joe]

[lastspartacus]

Heh, I went and bought a full on respirator. I wonder if it is at least more comfortable. Maybe I should return it :p

Speaking of full measures and half measures. Could not find a proper hot plate so bought a flat skillet.
Will this do the job of heating?

And I bought rubber bands over elastic bands. Will this work, and if not, what do 'elastic bands' look like so I know what to buy?

Finally, why is precise electronic scale measurement necessary if you have measuring cups? I bought one accurate to a tenth of an ounce, but not the .1g level mentioned. I'd return if it I didn't need it.

[Munkey Joe]

[paulson games]

For a while I'd been using disposeable latex/nitrile gloves but they are kind of a pain at times. They don't grip things very well and I've dropped measuring cups lots of times as a result. Plus they tear pretty easy.

I bought a pair of rubber gripped work gloves and they work so much better. They sell them at meijer, walmart, or pretty much any hardware store for about $3-$4. Basically they are made from a somewhat stretchy woven material and they have rubber sprayed on the inside of the palm and fingers which really helps give a nice solid grip.

They will wear out eventually but work great. It'll also help keep some of the resin's chemical smell off your hands.





I use the smooth-on OMOO and it works well, you can use it without vacuuming or pressure to make a mold and it'll produce great results as all the gasses come away from the suface of the model. BUT if you plan to use the mold in a pressure pot for casting then you want to have it cure under pressure otherwise you can get liitle BB looking objects on the surface of your part.

When making my molds I place them under pressure while they are curing and that's it, you won't need to vacuum them. The bubbles will come out of the material as claimed although they tend to collect on top of the mold giving it a dimpled look, which is ok as that's the outer edge or back of the mold and won't effect anything.

Just make sure there's not areas of the model itself that would trap air on the underside.

[lastspartacus]

@paulson: Great, I know where I can find gloves like that for free. I'll go for the OMOO stuff as well.

@Munkey: Is it really important to get your mixtures accurate down below .1 ounces? And if so, how do you adjust at that level? My clumsy hands would have trouble emptying or pouring just that amount. Not that I'm not fond of the idea of a scale, its presence certainly makes the work area look more important and scientific. ^^ The smooth-on I'm trying first is 1:1 ratios for the silicone and resin.

Would the 30 be necessary for a newb like me? The 25 seems more appealing, as I can't see pouring over the master taking more than 15 minutes.

[Munkey Joe]

[Pinselknecht]

Hi Folks,

I am new here and reading this threat. I am not shure if all of you know how to handle resin right.
Resin contains MDI which is a di'isocyanate and is under suspision to be carcinogen.

You have to wear a 3M (mouth nose) mask with active coal), safety glasses and chemical gloves minimum to protect yourself!

I am working with a fent and safetycloth as well!

I dont want to scare you or keep you away from our hobby, but it seems to me that not all of you are taking it seriously enough!

Greetings

[paulson games]

Live by the resin, die by the resin.

[factor40]

I have used one of since I started casting. I throw it on during the whole process.

Just playing it safe, I don't want to end up with resin lung like Paulson