Any Casting Material That Is Similar To Vinyl (Toys)?

ZRE1990

Active Member
I’m wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions on a casting material that is similar to vinyl. Specifically like children’s dolls or stuffed animals with vinyl faces. For some reason the Glo Worm dolls from back in the day are what I think of whenever I think of vinyl dolls! Remember those?

perhaps there’s some kind of plastic that produce a softer finish once out of a mold?
 
Smooth-On makes a line of what they call "Semi-rigid" urethanes. I believe they come in a few durometers. They feel like a stiff rubber like a car tire or a shoe heel. Not to be confused with their flexible urethanes, which are more jelly-like.
 
I can only echo what Duncanator has said about semi-rigid urethanes - I've been using that a lot in the last few weeks and it does have that rubbery, toy-like quality to it.
 
Smooth Cast 45D has a very similar feel and has a slight translucency to the finish, (white) other option is Polytek PT85 but it’s harder to paint it has a Amber/old latex color. Both can be pigmented with PU pigments
 
what do these far east companies use when they produce the vinyl figure kits and such?

i would love to get some of that.
 
what do these far east companies use when they produce the vinyl figure kits and such?

i would love to get some of that.
Toy manufacturers don't make the vinyl. They get it from another source, and put it through high-pressure machines that melt the vinyl with friction, and inject it into steel molds.

I don't know what chemicals or processes are involved in actually synthesizing the vinyl.
 
Toy manufacturers don't make the vinyl. They get it from another source, and put it through high-pressure machines that melt the vinyl with friction, and inject it into steel molds.

I don't know what chemicals or processes are involved in actually synthesizing the vinyl.
i mean these type of figures, just rotocast with hot vinyl
 
Definitely not blow molded, I used to build these kits all the time and could see drips and different wall thicknesses inside.
 
Small studio on Japan LINK
Thanks for that,

I thought that was the process just like some porcelain slip casting my friend used to do. Fill up the whole mold wait a few minutes until you could see a solidifying wall then pour out the rest.

First time I've seen it with vinyl though.
I'm guessing the "chemical" baths are just different temps of water to harden the wall thickness.

Cheers
 
Thanks for that,

I thought that was the process just like some porcelain slip casting my friend used to do. Fill up the whole mold wait a few minutes until you could see a solidifying wall then pour out the rest.

First time I've seen it with vinyl though.
I'm guessing the "chemical" baths are just different temps of water to harden the wall thickness.

Cheers
I think you're right. The baths are likely just water to cool the molds so that the hot vinyl will solidify against the walls of the mold.
 
Yeah ive worked with 45D, and if you have a rotocasting machine, I know it works. But if youre doing it by hand, it takes a while to set up... like 45 minutes. But once cured, its a lot like vinyl. Thats what online toy makers Deadly Delivery use for their rotocast pieces.
 
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