Casting detailed object questions

[Qumair84]

I'm in the process of making a replica of the Zafiro Anejo bottle topper from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. I'm sculpting it out of Sculpey clay, and I planned to bake it, make a mold, cast it in resin and paint it copper, however I'm afraid it would be difficult to remove the topper from the mold due to all the intricate leaves.

My other plan was to cast each leaf separately, and the base as its own mold, then assemble them with glue, but I'm worried about it being fragile (I'm giving away the bottle and topper as a gift and making another for myself) does anyone have any idea on how to go about this? This is also my first time making any mold or casting with resin so I'm completely a novice and any tips on coloring or anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[TazMan2000]

Not everything can be cast in one piece. This particular item has several problem undercuts that would make it difficult. There is a way, but you may need to divide the top of the topper into 4 pieces and use RTV that is softer to allow undercuts to be removed. Or you can use your idea and separate each of the pieces, cast them and reassemble them. But generally resin isn't that strong. There are specialty resins that cure a bit harder, but if this a bottle topper there might me pressure applied to the top and sides that could cause it to break. Perhaps making it in metal would be better. Unfortunately I don't know much about that.

TazMan2000

 

[N2darkness]

Try a 2-part mold, the outer cone shape as one part then the top spikes as the other and a hole for the pour spout where the cork will go.