DIY Pins, yes you too can make your own custom pins!
blighttdm
NYRegistered User regular
NYRegistered User regular
Hello and welcome fellow pin enthusiasts, in this thread I'd like to share a few pins I have made myself as well as the means for you to make them as well. These are pins made from a moldable plastic you can easily find on the internet and like any good student/teacher I will be showing my work as I go through. However before I begin I would like to put out the following disclaimer:
These pins are not for sale, these are handcrafted items intended for personal amusement and not for financial gains.
Ok, with that said here is what you will need to follow how I have made them.
Step 1: Prototyping
So you've got the idea down and are ready to start. Excellent. The first thing we need to do is to make a base model that we can then make a mold of. To do so you want to use the Sculpy to form with your hands/Tools the exact pin you want.
Here are the pins I'll be making in this tutorial
Once they are fully formed, you want to pop them in the oven as per directed by Sculpy to harden the clay. This way when we mold the clay it'll stay hard enough.
Step 2: Creating the mold
With the newly minted prototype the next thing to do is create the mold. With the Amazing Mold Putty this is super easy. It's a two part putty that you roll together that starts to bond them together into a rubber-like substance. Don't worry about any hazardous chemicals or the like, this mold is actually food safe! Right there on the box. Once you have the two mixed together you roll it over the prototype and let it sit for the next 20 Minutes as directed. The important thing in this step is to make sure you press down hard in any places with a lot of detail. Once this mold cures there is no way to alter it so we need to make sure we get into every nook and cranny. Peel out the prototype after that 20 minute cure to reveal you awesome new mold!
This is what mine looks like at this stage
Step 3: The Forgening (Working title)
Here's where the real fun begins. Most moldable plastics come in a pellet form for the most surface area to heat the fastest since heat is how it becomes malleable. The safest way to do this is by using hot water. Once they reach ~140F/ 60C They will turn from a milky white to completely transparent. Thats the visual cue to tell us when its ready to be molded. So start by boiling some water, you'll only need about a cups worth but you can boil more if you are making a lot at once. While that is heating up you can scoop out the pellets you'll need to fill the mold. I'd suggest taking a handful and pouring them directly into the mold if you can and then adding a small bit more to compensate for the small gaps that the pellets will make after they have heated. Pour the pellets into the cup first then the hot water after. The clock starts now.
This is where timing is critical, because once the plastic drops below the above temperatures it will start to harden again. You have a good 4-5 minutes to work with the clear plastic but the thinner the section you are working on the faster it will cure. Dump the hot water from the cup or scoop the plastic directly from the cup, whichever you prefer. Please be careful not to burn yourself here, safety first! While the water may be scalding, the plastic will not stay super hot for long so you should be able to handle it within 10-15 seconds. Once out of the water its into the mold with it. Push and press the plastic as far in as it can go. You want to fill every cavity of the mold and push out any water that may have clung to the plastic from the cup.
PRO TIP: While filling the mold try to pull off any excess plastic to keep from spill over. It'll make it super easy for clean up and presentation of the pin.
Before you let the plastic completely cure, you want to insert the pin back into the plastic. you want to put it in far enough so the back isn't easily removable but not too far that closures can't fit over the post. When the pin back is set the way you like it, let the mold rest for 10-15 minutes to let the whole pin harden and cure.
This is what it looks like pulled from the mold raw and rough painted to see detail/ burrs
Here is the moldable plastic I used: While this brand isn't available any more I will provide links for ones that are still available
Addendum: For those interested in making single one off pins you can simply use this step to hand mold your own pin. The plastic is re-meltable in hot water so you can keep molding it if something didn't set correctly. I simply like the molding process so if I ever lost the pin I have a mold to make a few replacements.
Step 4: Clean up
Pictures of the finished product!
Now that we have the pin out of the mold that's it for the actual "making the pin" process. This is where you can clean up the pin and paint it if you are inclined. Since I used symbols from my favorite games they didn't need a super fancy paint job to make them look nice. But I did take a file to the edges to cut down on any rough edges and burrs so it looked a little more professional. I then used a simple acrylic paint to highlight the grooves I had made in the pin. After that dries its ready for your lapel, lanyard or bag!
It should also be stated that these are super sturdy plastics you are working with. They hold up extremely well to pressure and force and would only melt/deform at temperatures above 140F/60C. So I guess just keep them away from the desert sun.
Links for materials:
Moldable plastic available in variety of sizes
Sculpy Clay
Amazing Molding Putty
I don't own the rights to any of the stuff I used, its purely as a fan of the games and my desire to do some cool DIY stuff.
I will also update this post if anything needs clarification or I need to make any addendum. I'd like to do a video tutorial of this but that requires a second set of hands I don't have at the moment,or if anyone is really interested in seeing that.
Feel free to post comments and feedback or if any of you are crazy enough to try I'd love to see what you make.
Enjoy!
These pins are not for sale, these are handcrafted items intended for personal amusement and not for financial gains.
Ok, with that said here is what you will need to follow how I have made them.
- An oven with a stovetop: For heating water and baking clay
- A cup: One that can hold hot water for the moldable plastic
- Sculpy: This is clay that will be used to prototype your pin
- Amazing Mold Putty: For making a mold to make the pins
- Pin backs: For placing in the pin so that it makes it a pin
Optional: - Clay sculpting tools: If you need that crazy detail in your pin or happen to have them laying around
- Diagonal cutters/Nippy cutters: If you need to cut out a lot of excess plastic
- Files/ Sand paper: For cleaning up any burrs or sharp edges
- Paints: To make 'em all pretty and stuff
Step 1: Prototyping
So you've got the idea down and are ready to start. Excellent. The first thing we need to do is to make a base model that we can then make a mold of. To do so you want to use the Sculpy to form with your hands/Tools the exact pin you want.
Here are the pins I'll be making in this tutorial
Once they are fully formed, you want to pop them in the oven as per directed by Sculpy to harden the clay. This way when we mold the clay it'll stay hard enough.
Step 2: Creating the mold
With the newly minted prototype the next thing to do is create the mold. With the Amazing Mold Putty this is super easy. It's a two part putty that you roll together that starts to bond them together into a rubber-like substance. Don't worry about any hazardous chemicals or the like, this mold is actually food safe! Right there on the box. Once you have the two mixed together you roll it over the prototype and let it sit for the next 20 Minutes as directed. The important thing in this step is to make sure you press down hard in any places with a lot of detail. Once this mold cures there is no way to alter it so we need to make sure we get into every nook and cranny. Peel out the prototype after that 20 minute cure to reveal you awesome new mold!
This is what mine looks like at this stage
Step 3: The Forgening (Working title)
Here's where the real fun begins. Most moldable plastics come in a pellet form for the most surface area to heat the fastest since heat is how it becomes malleable. The safest way to do this is by using hot water. Once they reach ~140F/ 60C They will turn from a milky white to completely transparent. Thats the visual cue to tell us when its ready to be molded. So start by boiling some water, you'll only need about a cups worth but you can boil more if you are making a lot at once. While that is heating up you can scoop out the pellets you'll need to fill the mold. I'd suggest taking a handful and pouring them directly into the mold if you can and then adding a small bit more to compensate for the small gaps that the pellets will make after they have heated. Pour the pellets into the cup first then the hot water after. The clock starts now.
This is where timing is critical, because once the plastic drops below the above temperatures it will start to harden again. You have a good 4-5 minutes to work with the clear plastic but the thinner the section you are working on the faster it will cure. Dump the hot water from the cup or scoop the plastic directly from the cup, whichever you prefer. Please be careful not to burn yourself here, safety first! While the water may be scalding, the plastic will not stay super hot for long so you should be able to handle it within 10-15 seconds. Once out of the water its into the mold with it. Push and press the plastic as far in as it can go. You want to fill every cavity of the mold and push out any water that may have clung to the plastic from the cup.
PRO TIP: While filling the mold try to pull off any excess plastic to keep from spill over. It'll make it super easy for clean up and presentation of the pin.
Before you let the plastic completely cure, you want to insert the pin back into the plastic. you want to put it in far enough so the back isn't easily removable but not too far that closures can't fit over the post. When the pin back is set the way you like it, let the mold rest for 10-15 minutes to let the whole pin harden and cure.
This is what it looks like pulled from the mold raw and rough painted to see detail/ burrs
Here is the moldable plastic I used: While this brand isn't available any more I will provide links for ones that are still available
Addendum: For those interested in making single one off pins you can simply use this step to hand mold your own pin. The plastic is re-meltable in hot water so you can keep molding it if something didn't set correctly. I simply like the molding process so if I ever lost the pin I have a mold to make a few replacements.
Step 4: Clean up
Pictures of the finished product!
Now that we have the pin out of the mold that's it for the actual "making the pin" process. This is where you can clean up the pin and paint it if you are inclined. Since I used symbols from my favorite games they didn't need a super fancy paint job to make them look nice. But I did take a file to the edges to cut down on any rough edges and burrs so it looked a little more professional. I then used a simple acrylic paint to highlight the grooves I had made in the pin. After that dries its ready for your lapel, lanyard or bag!
It should also be stated that these are super sturdy plastics you are working with. They hold up extremely well to pressure and force and would only melt/deform at temperatures above 140F/60C. So I guess just keep them away from the desert sun.
Links for materials:
Moldable plastic available in variety of sizes
Sculpy Clay
Amazing Molding Putty
I don't own the rights to any of the stuff I used, its purely as a fan of the games and my desire to do some cool DIY stuff.
I will also update this post if anything needs clarification or I need to make any addendum. I'd like to do a video tutorial of this but that requires a second set of hands I don't have at the moment,or if anyone is really interested in seeing that.
Feel free to post comments and feedback or if any of you are crazy enough to try I'd love to see what you make.
Enjoy!
blighttdm on
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