The Re-making of Aragorn (Step 13)
Thanks, once again, for visiting my "Re-making of Aragorn" series on model-making. In this post, I will be assembling the molds and pouring a quick-set resin into them to see what I get!
Depending on your "neatness", or desire to keep a clean work area, you may wish to lay a drop-cloth and cover your work surface with something easy to remove and discard. Resin bonds hard and permanent to many surfaces (including clothing). Plus, you may wish to wear protective gloves during the mixing and pouring. As resin is setting, it chemically heats up and could cause chemical burns, or could absorb into your skin (also, don't drink it. I'm sure it is not good for you).
I like to use "Model-Cast" brand resin that I get from a company in California. A 2 gallon kit comes with a gallon of both parts A and B and is mixed with an easy 1:1 ratio (like the rubber). My particular favorite formula is the 43-321 (odorless, white slow). There are a few different ones to choose from, so find one you would like to work with. This resin starts setting in 3 minutes (instead of the 2 minutes for the fast) and fully sets in about 5 minutes for mold removal. It is a nice bright white, and is easy to sand and glue.
Re-assemble your separated molds and use a generous amount of firm rubber bands to hold the pieces together. Try for a firm hold, but not too strong, as you can easily deform the inner cavity and distort your casting (no good). You only need to keep the pieces together firm enough that resin doesn't leak, and you can handle the mold without the pieces falling apart.
I pour the resin through the larger holes (in this case, the feet) and watch that the resin makes its way up through the chase holes and level with the top of the mold. This is usually a good sign of mold saturation and that most of the part has formed (fingers crossed).
After 5 minutes or more, remove the rubber bands and open your mold (you can peek through your fingers if you are afraid of the results), and viola! You now have a new casting that replaces your original clay part that was destroyed. Hopefully, you anticipated all of the trapped air and you get a flawless pull (snicker, snicker). I laugh only because that anything hand-made is bound to not be perfect. But, unless major areas failed to form, you should still be able to make minor bubble and mis-formed repairs (covered in the next post). If you notice areas that air was trapped, you can use an exato knife (and other sharp things) and cut right into the rubber of the mold and carve new chase holes for future castings.
Now, I have all of the parts that I need to assemble 2 Aragorn models! On to the repair and paint!
Depending on your "neatness", or desire to keep a clean work area, you may wish to lay a drop-cloth and cover your work surface with something easy to remove and discard. Resin bonds hard and permanent to many surfaces (including clothing). Plus, you may wish to wear protective gloves during the mixing and pouring. As resin is setting, it chemically heats up and could cause chemical burns, or could absorb into your skin (also, don't drink it. I'm sure it is not good for you).
I like to use "Model-Cast" brand resin that I get from a company in California. A 2 gallon kit comes with a gallon of both parts A and B and is mixed with an easy 1:1 ratio (like the rubber). My particular favorite formula is the 43-321 (odorless, white slow). There are a few different ones to choose from, so find one you would like to work with. This resin starts setting in 3 minutes (instead of the 2 minutes for the fast) and fully sets in about 5 minutes for mold removal. It is a nice bright white, and is easy to sand and glue.
Re-assemble your separated molds and use a generous amount of firm rubber bands to hold the pieces together. Try for a firm hold, but not too strong, as you can easily deform the inner cavity and distort your casting (no good). You only need to keep the pieces together firm enough that resin doesn't leak, and you can handle the mold without the pieces falling apart.
I pour the resin through the larger holes (in this case, the feet) and watch that the resin makes its way up through the chase holes and level with the top of the mold. This is usually a good sign of mold saturation and that most of the part has formed (fingers crossed).After 5 minutes or more, remove the rubber bands and open your mold (you can peek through your fingers if you are afraid of the results), and viola! You now have a new casting that replaces your original clay part that was destroyed. Hopefully, you anticipated all of the trapped air and you get a flawless pull (snicker, snicker). I laugh only because that anything hand-made is bound to not be perfect. But, unless major areas failed to form, you should still be able to make minor bubble and mis-formed repairs (covered in the next post). If you notice areas that air was trapped, you can use an exato knife (and other sharp things) and cut right into the rubber of the mold and carve new chase holes for future castings.
Now, I have all of the parts that I need to assemble 2 Aragorn models! On to the repair and paint!
posted by ADAM at 6:32 PM
1 Comments:
I can't believe how detailed your documentation is! Very cool to see how you've perfected the pour AND the mold removal...the real challenge!
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