Wax-printed torsos

[Fleafa]

So I've been working on some torsos for a while now and I received some prints from Zack at Protowax a couple of weeks back. I finally got around to casting one and I thought you guys would like to see the outcome

For all intents and purposes, there is no visible layering and the surface is fairly smooth with a slight, almost soft, texture. I am very impressed with the level of detail and the crispness of the print.

[mangozac]

The texture makes it look like cast iron

Seriously though the results are very nice. How does the cost of wax printing compare to UV resin? The detail is indeed quite sharp!

[Fleafa]

About 4x the price :/

[Deadmeat30]

i can see the stepping in the second photo . man i have to stop looking at 3d printers! Zac will tell you, lol.

[factor40]

The surface appears a little chalky to me, might just be the close up picture. I'm having a sprue printed by Maxmini's new printing service that I think uses the same process. I'll be curious to see if it looks similar in the finish. Nice torso, by the way!

[mangozac]

[Lane]

It may not be 4x as good but how much do you value your time?
If it costs an extra $75 but saves you six hours of cleanup/ prep work it may be worthwhile.

[Fleafa]

Indeed. But the fidelity allows for details smaller than those achievable with plastic unless you pay about the same price. I have a shoulderpads commission currently which requires eyes to be visible on the badge. This would not be possible with Shapeways prints. VisionProto... maybe. But the price is comparable and Zack is in the UK
Also factor in that I have had some bad prints from Shapeways where the stepping is horrific enough to render them useless as masters. I'm not talking about the layering inherent in 3D printing, but some kind of print head misalignment-type effect.

[mangozac]

Ahh so when you say 4x the cost you're comparing to Shapeways. If the price is similar to Vision Proto and it has the convenience of being local then it's certainly a viable choice.