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Old 09-09-2018, 06:36 PM   #1
LuciliaePrincss
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Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2
Having a few problems with my first mold and cast...

Hi there! I am terribly sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I am quite new and this is my first post. I have recently gotten into molding and casting, but have some questions that I am hoping some of you more experienced members can help me with!

To start off, I have had no experience with molding and casting, so I had purchased the Smooth-On Starter Kit from Amazon, which came with the Oomoo 30 Silicone Rubber Tin Cure for molding, and the Smooth-Cast 300 Urethane Resin for Casting. My first project being to cast some parts off of one of my old action figures that I got when when I was very young, and using one of the new ones I recieved, make replacement parts to make him look new again. The parts are smaller in size, ranging from 1-2 inches, to 4-5 inches.

After many, many, MANY! Failed attempts, I was finally able to cast a usable piece, but that is also why I am here. I guess it is worth noting that the pieces I am molding and casting require be to make a 2 part mold. Molding was quite simple, the Oomoo 30 was amazingly easy to work with, and I had no problems why using it as everything came out crystal clear with no air bubbles, apart from at one point dumping the mold everywhere why doing the top layer, and having to wait a couple hours to be able to just peel the rubber off! I guess you learn the hard way... The problem I had with the mold, or really a complaint, was that it took 6 hours to cure! With molding such small pieces, it only takes me a matter of minutes to make the mold, and the rest of the time is sitting waiting for the tiny piece to dry. Upon looking on the Smooth-On website, I seen that they have an Oomoo-25, which brings the wait time down from 6 hours, to 75 minutes. I am just wondering if that is ideal for smaller molds?

The casting is why I am mainly here as that was not just 2 attempts like molding, it was more like 7 or 8... The resin I recieved cured WAAAAAY to quick! With casting such small parts I have to pour it slowly to get all the air out and to make sure the whole mold has resin in it, and it only took a matter of minutes for the resin to become syrup like and start to cure, and pretty much unusable! The resin cured amazing! There were no air bubbles in it, and just looked down right amazing! I was finally able to get a usable cast, but the next pieces I want to cast are a little more complex and know this resin will not work for them, which is why I am here...

I guess to simplify everything up, I am wondering if a faster curing silicone mold will just cause more problems than it is worth in saving time, or if I am just better off sticking with a slow curing silicone. I am also looking for a recommendation on a resin that will cure slower, to be able to move around in the mold a lot easier, and one that you do not have to worry about many air bubbles, as the one I have now is amazing for that! I do not mind if it is not Smooth-On brand either, but would prefer something around that price or less, as the prices I am paying right now are right in my range.

Any help is very appreciated! I could totally be overlooking something so please share any advice you have to help a beginner!
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Old 09-10-2018, 01:46 AM   #2
House
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Location: Chicago Illinois
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LuciliaePrincss View Post
Hi there! I am terribly sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I am quite new and this is my first post. I have recently gotten into molding and casting, but have some questions that I am hoping some of you more experienced members can help me with!

To start off, I have had no experience with molding and casting, so I had purchased the Smooth-On Starter Kit from Amazon, which came with the Oomoo 30 Silicone Rubber Tin Cure for molding, and the Smooth-Cast 300 Urethane Resin for Casting. My first project being to cast some parts off of one of my old action figures that I got when when I was very young, and using one of the new ones I recieved, make replacement parts to make him look new again. The parts are smaller in size, ranging from 1-2 inches, to 4-5 inches.

After many, many, MANY! Failed attempts, I was finally able to cast a usable piece, but that is also why I am here. I guess it is worth noting that the pieces I am molding and casting require be to make a 2 part mold. Molding was quite simple, the Oomoo 30 was amazingly easy to work with, and I had no problems why using it as everything came out crystal clear with no air bubbles, apart from at one point dumping the mold everywhere why doing the top layer, and having to wait a couple hours to be able to just peel the rubber off! I guess you learn the hard way... The problem I had with the mold, or really a complaint, was that it took 6 hours to cure! With molding such small pieces, it only takes me a matter of minutes to make the mold, and the rest of the time is sitting waiting for the tiny piece to dry. Upon looking on the Smooth-On website, I seen that they have an Oomoo-25, which brings the wait time down from 6 hours, to 75 minutes. I am just wondering if that is ideal for smaller molds?

The casting is why I am mainly here as that was not just 2 attempts like molding, it was more like 7 or 8... The resin I recieved cured WAAAAAY to quick! With casting such small parts I have to pour it slowly to get all the air out and to make sure the whole mold has resin in it, and it only took a matter of minutes for the resin to become syrup like and start to cure, and pretty much unusable! The resin cured amazing! There were no air bubbles in it, and just looked down right amazing! I was finally able to get a usable cast, but the next pieces I want to cast are a little more complex and know this resin will not work for them, which is why I am here...

I guess to simplify everything up, I am wondering if a faster curing silicone mold will just cause more problems than it is worth in saving time, or if I am just better off sticking with a slow curing silicone. I am also looking for a recommendation on a resin that will cure slower, to be able to move around in the mold a lot easier, and one that you do not have to worry about many air bubbles, as the one I have now is amazing for that! I do not mind if it is not Smooth-On brand either, but would prefer something around that price or less, as the prices I am paying right now are right in my range.

Any help is very appreciated! I could totally be overlooking something so please share any advice you have to help a beginner!
Welcome to the forums! I wish i had some answers for you I haven't dabbled with this. There are a lot of people that might be able to answer your questions here that do custom work. A shot in the dark, since i don't think he checks in on this site anymore you could try Arkalogik (sculptor from Arh Studios) http://www.statueforum.com/member.php?u=157577
or try him here https://www.deviantart.com/brittonsconcoctions/gallery/
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Old 09-10-2018, 03:00 PM   #3
LuciliaePrincss
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Join Date: Sep 2018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by House View Post
Welcome to the forums! I wish i had some answers for you I haven't dabbled with this. There are a lot of people that might be able to answer your questions here that do custom work. A shot in the dark, since i don't think he checks in on this site anymore you could try Arkalogik (sculptor from Arh Studios) http://www.statueforum.com/member.php?u=157577
or try him here https://www.deviantart.com/brittonsconcoctions/gallery/
Hi there 😊 Thank you for the warm welcome! It sounds like I made it to the right spot, but thank you for the help! I hope he doesn't mind if I give him a message looking for some advice, his work is beautiful 😍 Hopefully someone else will join in and give there advice as well, I always like more than one input 😋 But again, thank you so much for the welcome and little bit of help! 😄
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