I shudder at the thought of painting a figure, never mind making one ! I doff my cap sir.
Neil's Self-Sculpted 1/32 RAF Pilot
- Thread starter Neil Merryweather
- Start date
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
So, having finished Douglas Bader at this scale I want to get Denis progressed before the end of the GB, even if I don't cross the finishing line with him.
I disregarded St Simon of T's advice(I know, sacrilege) and took off the left arm for ease of casting, because if I do have to cast multiple copies then the mould needs to be as trouble-free as possible.
I started to sharpen up the hair, as threatened, then I decided it was a bit too 'fey', so I re-sculpted it.
I still might change the face altogether, but I won't do anything about that until I've sculpted a better replacement.
I also re-sculpted his belt & buckle, but it looks like I need to do the buckle again ,it's very wobbly looking.
And then there was the right hand.....
I said earlier that hands are the most difficult things to sculpt, and I have wrestled with this one for 5 days now!
Here are the various failed attempts
Each one took me at least an hour ,often more(and a day to recover!).
The second one down is ok anatomically, it's just too small AARGH!
I tried modelling with and without wire in the fingers, carving with and without wire. Standard Milliput, White Milliput, Magic Sculpt, Duro.
Eventually I just got lucky with a half modelled and half carved White Milliput one, at the bottom.
Well that's a far as I am at this time.
I need to attach the right hand to the arm, and I need to make good the join of the left arm at the shoulder. They sound like 'nothing' jobs, but I always hit snags of some kind!
I've ordered the silicone but I don't expect that until next Monday, so I will be cutting it fine to mould and paint him by the end of the GB.
Anyway, thanks for looking
Neil
I disregarded St Simon of T's advice(I know, sacrilege) and took off the left arm for ease of casting, because if I do have to cast multiple copies then the mould needs to be as trouble-free as possible.
I started to sharpen up the hair, as threatened, then I decided it was a bit too 'fey', so I re-sculpted it.
I still might change the face altogether, but I won't do anything about that until I've sculpted a better replacement.
I also re-sculpted his belt & buckle, but it looks like I need to do the buckle again ,it's very wobbly looking.
And then there was the right hand.....
I said earlier that hands are the most difficult things to sculpt, and I have wrestled with this one for 5 days now!
Here are the various failed attempts
Each one took me at least an hour ,often more(and a day to recover!).
The second one down is ok anatomically, it's just too small AARGH!
I tried modelling with and without wire in the fingers, carving with and without wire. Standard Milliput, White Milliput, Magic Sculpt, Duro.
Eventually I just got lucky with a half modelled and half carved White Milliput one, at the bottom.
Well that's a far as I am at this time.
I need to attach the right hand to the arm, and I need to make good the join of the left arm at the shoulder. They sound like 'nothing' jobs, but I always hit snags of some kind!
I've ordered the silicone but I don't expect that until next Monday, so I will be cutting it fine to mould and paint him by the end of the GB.
Anyway, thanks for looking
Neil
D
Deleted member 6559
Guest
Dogged determination indeed. Wonderful to see someone with more patience in their little finger than I could ever dream of acquiring in a lifetime, and it's paying off in spades too. Great work Neil.
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
Very kind, John, but it's not there yet.
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
Ha ha! If dogged determination means taking eight years to finish a model then I'm your man!
As for patience, I suppose so, but it's more a question of not wanting all the work on the rest of the figure to count for nothing.
-and talking of little fingers......
I attached the hand, but I didn't like the position, so I tried to twist it with the tweezers- and had a little set-back;
Just as I predicted
.This is where it was
and this is where it is now-spot the difference
But it was a blessing in disguise because during all this I discovered that the reason it didn't look like the original photo was that I had set up the arm too far forward. And I was planning to adjust the thumb anyway.
I also re-did the belt and buckle, but not very well, so I'll have another bash at that today.
Thanks all for looking in
Neil
Steve Brodie
SMF Supporter
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
Right , he's ready for casting now.
Looking at the before and after images it hardly seems worth the trouble, but I know it is
Actually, I might look again at his ears - they are a bit big!
I'm still working on another head, but I'm not showing that until it's done-if at all!
Then I have to prepare him for casting-rubber arrives Saturday.
thanks for looking
Neil
Looking at the before and after images it hardly seems worth the trouble, but I know it is
Actually, I might look again at his ears - they are a bit big!
I'm still working on another head, but I'm not showing that until it's done-if at all!
Then I have to prepare him for casting-rubber arrives Saturday.
thanks for looking
Neil
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
I re-did his ears (don't worry, I'm not posting a before and after pic....)
And I mounted the 3 parts on blocks ready for moulding
I have done moulding and casting quite a bit over the years but never quite like this, and the last time was - I can't remember how long ago, so it's all a bit 'seat of the pants'. I kind of know what I'm doing, but I kind of don't.....
I have looked at recent resin castings to see how this part is done so fingers crossed I've got it right.
The main thing I am lacking that a professional outfit would have is a vacuum de-gasser, which is how they avoid bubbles in the resin, so that side of things could be real fun and games...
I bought a clear silicone rubber, to enable me to cut through to the original without damaging it(in theory). This is new for me.
I expect to have difficulty with bubbles on the nose and chin and the fingers and cigarette.
I 3D-printed a mould box (because it's less effort than fabricating one). I gave it a slight taper to (hopefully) help the cured mould come out.
I sealed the joint with tape to prevent leakage
Then there was nothing left to prevaricate over, I just had to get on and mix the rubber.
Thank goodness I used disposable gloves, because I got it EVERYWHERE.
I knew enough to cover the scales with a plastic bag-the mix proportions are by weight
but I should have worked on a polythene sheet or something disposable.
I used plastic shot glasses to measure the amount, but that got messy. I probably should have used a syringe.
One trick I did remember, and am fortunate enough to have the kit for it ,is to tape the filled mould to a piece of vibrating machinery for 10 minutes or so, to help dislodge any bubbles attaching to the pattern. Time will tell of course whether that worked.
So fingers crossed please, everybody, and let's see what tomorrow brings.
thanks for looking
Neil
And I mounted the 3 parts on blocks ready for moulding
I have done moulding and casting quite a bit over the years but never quite like this, and the last time was - I can't remember how long ago, so it's all a bit 'seat of the pants'. I kind of know what I'm doing, but I kind of don't.....
I have looked at recent resin castings to see how this part is done so fingers crossed I've got it right.
The main thing I am lacking that a professional outfit would have is a vacuum de-gasser, which is how they avoid bubbles in the resin, so that side of things could be real fun and games...
I bought a clear silicone rubber, to enable me to cut through to the original without damaging it(in theory). This is new for me.
I expect to have difficulty with bubbles on the nose and chin and the fingers and cigarette.
I 3D-printed a mould box (because it's less effort than fabricating one). I gave it a slight taper to (hopefully) help the cured mould come out.
I sealed the joint with tape to prevent leakage
Then there was nothing left to prevaricate over, I just had to get on and mix the rubber.
Thank goodness I used disposable gloves, because I got it EVERYWHERE.
I knew enough to cover the scales with a plastic bag-the mix proportions are by weight
but I should have worked on a polythene sheet or something disposable.
I used plastic shot glasses to measure the amount, but that got messy. I probably should have used a syringe.
One trick I did remember, and am fortunate enough to have the kit for it ,is to tape the filled mould to a piece of vibrating machinery for 10 minutes or so, to help dislodge any bubbles attaching to the pattern. Time will tell of course whether that worked.
So fingers crossed please, everybody, and let's see what tomorrow brings.
thanks for looking
Neil
D
Deleted member 6559
Guest
Crossed fingers and bated breath..........
Go Neil, Go Neil, Go Neil!!!!!!!!
Am I supposed to say Rah, Rah, Rah after that???.....I forget.............
Prost
Allen
Am I supposed to say Rah, Rah, Rah after that???.....I forget.............
Prost
Allen
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Hi Neil
This whole project is so interesting. Your determination does you credit. Simon T would have loved to have seen this through to the end. I'm another with fingers crossed.
Jim
This whole project is so interesting. Your determination does you credit. Simon T would have loved to have seen this through to the end. I'm another with fingers crossed.
Jim
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
Thanks very much everyone for your interest and crossing your fingers, I felt the love- honestly!
I can happily report a (mostly) successful mould.
My first impressions were concerning, however, as there were loads of tiny bubbles in the top surface, and when I (eventually) got it out of the mould box, there are bubbles all through the mould. I worry that there will be bubbles evident on the surface of the casting.We shall see.
My smug trick of tapering the mould box was bo**ocks, because the texture of the 3D-print prevented the rubber from simply sliding out. The point was to be able to put the mould back in its box to keep it closed accurately when pouring the resin.
I got it out eventually but I have now cut the box down one side to make it easier...
I cut the rubber carefully to release the figure, trying not to actually touch the pattern in case it's gone wrong and I have to do the mould again. Between the legs('Steady the Buffs...!') and up the back,. I did the same for the arms.
So far so good, I only broke his stumpy left hand and a small bit of one foot in the process- but amazingly not ONE finger of the right hand!
Next comes the resin.
This has the potential for disaster because my resin is quite old(2 years, 'borrowed' from work) and I know it has a shelf-life, so it might not go off at all.
Anyway, this was even more messy than the rubber. God, this casting is a black art!
Ultimately , I think the issue was more with my technique (or lack of) rather than the shelf-life of the resin....
A bad workman blames his tools but I'm sure that if I had a vacuum de-gasser there would be less problems of getting the resin into the mould. That said, I have designed the moulding plugs with current technology in mind; remember the early resin stuff, with huge great blocks of resin to cut off?
I did rush things because I was paranoid about the fast curing time of the resin, so I will take more time- over the head especially-next time and hope I can at least nail that. We will see better when I get some paint on him, but it does seem like the bubbles in the rubber haven't transmitted to the surface of the casting, so that's a plus.
I don't need a commercially faultless casting for the purposes of this exercise, but it would be good to minimise the amount of remedial work I need to do.
Stay tuned folks, for the next nail-biting installment !
cheers
Neil
I can happily report a (mostly) successful mould.
My first impressions were concerning, however, as there were loads of tiny bubbles in the top surface, and when I (eventually) got it out of the mould box, there are bubbles all through the mould. I worry that there will be bubbles evident on the surface of the casting.We shall see.
My smug trick of tapering the mould box was bo**ocks, because the texture of the 3D-print prevented the rubber from simply sliding out.
The point was to be able to put the mould back in its box to keep it closed accurately when pouring the resin.I got it out eventually but I have now cut the box down one side to make it easier...
I cut the rubber carefully to release the figure, trying not to actually touch the pattern in case it's gone wrong and I have to do the mould again. Between the legs('Steady the Buffs...!') and up the back,. I did the same for the arms.
So far so good, I only broke his stumpy left hand and a small bit of one foot in the process- but amazingly not ONE finger of the right hand!
Next comes the resin.
This has the potential for disaster because my resin is quite old(2 years, 'borrowed' from work) and I know it has a shelf-life, so it might not go off at all.
Anyway, this was even more messy than the rubber. God, this casting is a black art!
Ultimately , I think the issue was more with my technique (or lack of) rather than the shelf-life of the resin....
A bad workman blames his tools but I'm sure that if I had a vacuum de-gasser there would be less problems of getting the resin into the mould. That said, I have designed the moulding plugs with current technology in mind; remember the early resin stuff, with huge great blocks of resin to cut off?
I did rush things because I was paranoid about the fast curing time of the resin, so I will take more time- over the head especially-next time and hope I can at least nail that. We will see better when I get some paint on him, but it does seem like the bubbles in the rubber haven't transmitted to the surface of the casting, so that's a plus.
I don't need a commercially faultless casting for the purposes of this exercise, but it would be good to minimise the amount of remedial work I need to do.
Stay tuned folks, for the next nail-biting installment !
cheers
Neil
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Hi Neil
That casting doesn't look too bad. You seem to have all the detail there and the problem areas like around the waist and the jacket hem look fine.
I have done a little, very simple resin casting under the guidance of Simon. His main tips were to stir the rubber very gently to avoid bubbles. Pour carefully for the same reason. Pour only a bit of rubber at first and move the mould case around to coat the master. Work the rubber into potential air traps with a cocktail stick. Then top up.
Because of the short working time of the resin its a case of stirring and pouring gently without hanging about. Gently flex the mould and tap it firmly on the bench to dislodge air bubbles.
I'm sure you know all this so forgive me if I come over as "teaching grannie to suck eggs"
Looking forward to the next 'nail-biting installment'
Jim
That casting doesn't look too bad. You seem to have all the detail there and the problem areas like around the waist and the jacket hem look fine.
I have done a little, very simple resin casting under the guidance of Simon. His main tips were to stir the rubber very gently to avoid bubbles. Pour carefully for the same reason. Pour only a bit of rubber at first and move the mould case around to coat the master. Work the rubber into potential air traps with a cocktail stick. Then top up.
Because of the short working time of the resin its a case of stirring and pouring gently without hanging about. Gently flex the mould and tap it firmly on the bench to dislodge air bubbles.
I'm sure you know all this so forgive me if I come over as "teaching grannie to suck eggs"
Looking forward to the next 'nail-biting installment'
Jim
Neil Merryweather
SMF Supporter
Hi Neil
That casting doesn't look too bad. You seem to have all the detail there and the problem areas like around the waist and the jacket hem look fine.
I have done a little, very simple resin casting under the guidance of Simon. His main tips were to stir the rubber very gently to avoid bubbles. Pour carefully for the same reason. Pour only a bit of rubber at first and move the mould case around to coat the master. Work the rubber into potential air traps with a cocktail stick. Then top up.
Because of the short working time of the resin its a case of stirring and pouring gently without hanging about. Gently flex the mould and tap it firmly on the bench to dislodge air bubbles.
I'm sure you know all this so forgive me if I come over as "teaching grannie to suck eggs"
Looking forward to the next 'nail-biting installment'
Jim
Many thanks Jim
No worries- Granny has clearly forgotten how to suck those eggs! Thanks for jogging the geriatric memory.
I've just poured one but only the figure, not the arms this time. I think I tried to be too efficient by making one mould when it would have been better(and used less rubber) to make a separate one for the arms; so I will do them later , with full concentration.
The trouble is the amounts of resin are so small, you get a LOT of wastage in the mixing.
Wow and wow Neil, that's quite exciting stuff. Results look good, so well-done you .
Reading Jims and your description of moulding think I shall defer for the moment !
Reading Jims and your description of moulding think I shall defer for the moment !