A Casting Conundrum

Cup cast!

After much trial, tribulation, and at last, great reward, I decided it was time I shared about my casting experiences. Some time ago, Dustin and I picked up an Alumilite starter set. After some quick skimming and asking around, I found out it was the most recommended set for a beginner. You do need a scale and some other ancillary equipment to use it as instructed. From there, the learning really began.

Here is my first mold. The idea was to reproduce armor from a Vindicator tank for use on my other vehicles with Rhino chassis. After some consideration, Dustin and I decided to make a 2 piece mold. This resulted in our first attempt seen here to the left. However, after finishing this half, we realized the piece hadn't sat evenly enough for the silicone to form around it correctly. So, on to attempt number two.

To the right is the first half of the second mold. We got it down a lot better this time, however we'd still wind up running into some real difficulties. While this half was solid, the other didn't come out as perfectly as needed.

Once we made the second half, we realized we were in a pickle. It seems that the piece just isn't thick enough to take an accurate mold of with this setup. As you can see from the imperfections on the mold to the left, it's just not good enough to do it.

Both halves on the Alumilite lid.

Here's the first cast with these molds. As you can see, the channels are too narrow for the resin to flow through properly and there's no means to pull the resin through them. I understand there are ways of fixing this, but honestly, I feel it's more work than it's worth. I've decided to get extra armor through other means.

It's not all doom and gloom, however. here is my first successful cast. I know it's not perfect, but if I can go from the above to something that I can touch up with a little green stuff, I call that a huge improvement. I've made here another hand for my Riptide so that I can magnetize its main weapon.

Here's another shot of the hands side by side. After a couple tries, I've finally got something I can use! :D

Here's the mold of the hand. After some reading and research, I found that my chances for success would be a little better if I used a single piece mold. However, I didn't account for the shrinkage of the silicone as it cured and the fingers were lost as a result. Not a huge deal, though.

Here's a shot of the Riptide's arm.

And here's the Riptide's arm with the alternate hand. IT'S ALIVE!

And with a few simple magnets, I can now swap out main weapons on my Riptide with ease.





















All in all, it's been a pretty interesting experience and I look forward to seeing what other casts I can make on my own. That is, once I get some more silicone. Get on out there and try making some bits yourself. The Alumilite kit is a great starter and opens the door to all kinds of new modeling opportunities. :)