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Mold Making
Prime
UKRegistered User regular
UKRegistered User regular
I want to start making my own molds for resin to knock out items for D&D and other table/boardgames. I've researched bits that I need and it seems fine. So im after any advise/experience. I want to start small and work up. So starting with simple geometric shapes like wooden crates etc. I've roped an artist mate into joining me and making the master object to build the mold with so dont have a problem there.
Advise on best and hard wearing resin to use for the casting itself also welcome.
Advise on best and hard wearing resin to use for the casting itself also welcome.
Prime on
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http://www.smooth-on.com/
In terms of materials I use a silicone rubber for the mold called Pikysil, but I don't know whether that's a uniquely Australian thing. Forthe casting I use a generic 15 minute setting resin.
Got any tips on how you started?
Crazy stuff.
(thanks for the @, @ceres!)
What sort of shapes / items are you looking to make, in terms of board game parts? Having a good idea of how simple or complex the item is will be helpful for explaining how to mold and cast it.
Full disclosure: my day job is literally "technician" for a company which sells Smooth-On and other brands of molding and casting products.
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My initial searching turned up a series of youtube tutorials specifically to cast 28mm resin miniatures on the cheap. How fortuitous.
youtube.com/watch?v=jFfXT_Cjpuk
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
My gut feeling is that one part moulds will be enough for simple crates, but for barrels which are fatter in the middle, statues etc you will need a 2 part mould. Part 2 of the posted tutorial is pretty much how I go about making 2 parters.
Depending on the flexibility of the rubber you choose, if you end up buying separate rubber and casting resin, most of the items you want to make for your initial run would probably work as one-piece molds, but it depends on the number of casts you want and how perfect you want them as well. Do you have your original models ready to be molded, or are you sculpting them yourself?
Barrels might need to be a 2-piece mold if you use a stiff silicone like the Oomoo 30; chairs and statues will depend entirely on the design of the chair, statue, etc, but will probably be 2 (or more) piece molds. For 28mm, it's often simpler to mold those tiny things by breaking them down into their component parts; that's why parts from Reaper, Citadel, et al, or from resin statue kits, are broken down the way they are (with the added benefit that they're easier to ship and the end user has a lot more ability to customize the figures they make!)
Lego and foamcore are my go-to mold box materials; super simple. I usually use hot-melt glue for securing one-piece molds; for two-piece molds I use a clay we sell at my shop called PermoPlast. (In a time long ago this clay brand was called "Klean Klay," it's one of the standard terms you might see in a mold tutorial. In any case, "clean" here refers to a lack of sulfur and other rubber-murdering chemicals.) It's so freaking important to make sure that whatever clay you use for your mold parts is sulfur-free because otherwise you're gonna have a bad time. Sulfur basically prevents the silicone from curing; solvents like denatured alcohol, d-limonene, and acetone, if they're lingering on the surface of your models, can also cause cure inhibition. Additionally, some components of things like soap, such as stearates and perfumes, can cause this as well. The Oomoo 30 is a tin-cured (condensation-cure) silicone, so it's a little more stable in contact with undesirable chemicals, but it's best to bypass that problem entirely if you can.
One thing I noticed is that the explanation in the linked video regarding what RTV means is sort of confusing. (Vulcanization is the process by which a material becomes a rubber; old standards like latex require aging processes with heat in order to be "vulcanized." RTV -- room temperature vulcanization -- means the material rubberizes at room temperature, meaning it doesn't need boiling or other methods to rubberize it.)
Release agent is another key thing for multiple part molds. it's not mission critical for one-piece molds in silicone but it can make things go a lot smoother.
I think that's enough information to get you started! Let me know if you need more help. (If you would like my work email address, I can PM you with that information as well.)
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Went back to my parents over the weekend and raided the loft for lego so im fine there, despite the funny looks!
My friend is hand crafting the original objects, he's already made the first crate, although im not sure what out of, from the looks of it from the photo a type of soft modelling wood? But I dont know what materials I should tell him to use or avoid. Can any materials damage the silicon during the vulcanization process?
As far as things to avoid for your models-- wood is ok, just make sure it gets sealed with a clear sealer like Krylon or any other clear acrylic sealer; amber shellac is a sulfurated product so avoid that.
Cure inhibition is pretty much the only thing you'll need to be wary of, really-- like I said, Oomoo is a good starter rubber because it's pretty difficult to mess up.
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Im pretty happy with my first go. Lost a bit of detail but I think that's mostly due to the material used to make the original.
Sealing the original
Building up walls after release agent applied
Added silicone
Removed original (At this point I was unsure the mold would be any good)
Cast a copy in resin
Painted up
Next to 25mm Mini for scale (Its a little large, I think my mate was going by 28mm scale mini when he made it)
I'll use the crate as a warehouse crate rather then a box and it should work
Don't forget, if you need huge quantities of something that you might not necessarily want to make in resin, like if you need twenty crates for one game but might not need to keep them forever, for example, you can always use plaster to make castings. (eventually the Oomoo will give out but it'll take a little while.)
Molds are usually a little ugleh from the inside, so I wouldn't be too worried about what it looks like when you first demold.
Nice work!
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Tapeslinger, when you talk about using plaster Instead of resin I get the impression resin wrecks the mold quicker then plaster? Is that right? How many can you get from the silicone mold roughly before it degrades using resin?
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Final resin cast + basic paint job
edit: second, both flocked for rural gravel yard theme
Tried doing my own model, needed a fresh grave so what better excuse. Also tried experimenting with materials for the main model.
I don't know if I'm going to start, myself, or not. As it turns out my sculpting skills are shit.
3DS: 1650-8480-6786
Switch: SW-0653-8208-4705
I've got a prototype laser cut outdoor grid on the way from a friend of mine. Once that arrives and im happy with how that will look I'm going to start with a few more bits I need for my graveyard encounter. I must admit, im not very arty really but this is huge fun.
Im trying to make a mold of skulls. (minature, like the size of a walnut.) I keep running into issues and it's frustrating to get crappy mold after crappy mold (as the mold stuff im using is expensive. Ive made 2 skulls before the mold ripped, and each of those completed skulls i had to sand, and even drill out a significant amout of the "final" product. And advice?
@NakedZergling
Sorry I didn't get to this post sooner!
Hm. I am not sure what material your model is made from, and I am not sure what rubber you are using; both of these are things which would really have an effect on your results. Can you post some more details?
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