Ultra Lord
New Member
I've been meaning to reply but I totally forgot until now. Could you push me off to the second run? I'm afraid I don't quite have the money to be spending right now. 
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Limited Run 'Major's Thermoptic Pistol' (2017) Ghost in the Shell
- Thread starter RebelCityProps
- Start date
No problem at all.
Just a quick update there, As I am someone who strives for the best results possible I took it upon myself to upgrade some processes in making these guns the best they can be. I've invested in a far higher grade of silicone to ensure the clear castings have the best possible chance to get the surface finished needed, As a result I'm in the process of remolding the pistol so when it comes to casting the quality level should be that much higher. I've also invested in a better compressor and pressure chamber, again so the clear resin can be cast under the best conditions to ensure no trapped air bubbles and high quality casts.
This has taken a bit of a dent money wise but i would much rather people get the best thing possible (especially since you paid for your pistols) than anything else.
I'll will provide more updates next week once the molds are completed.
This has taken a bit of a dent money wise but i would much rather people get the best thing possible (especially since you paid for your pistols) than anything else.
I'll will provide more updates next week once the molds are completed.
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Any chance of making the first run if I paid, like right now ? Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this one. . .
edit: if so pm me.
edit: if so pm me.
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Sean
Sr Member
We're the molds competed three weeks ago?
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Hello everyone, my deepest apologies for the lack of any sort of update over the last few weeks, Some important family business came up that needed to be dealt with and as a result most of any free time I would have between eating sleeping and projects was taken up with that so I've not been near my PC to provide this update until now. I know that's less than ideal for people waiting on an update but i thank you all for your patience. That being said, I've still been working and documenting the workflow so lets to some images.
With the equipment installed and tested ( once i was provided with the correct air hose after a week, somehow they sent the wrong one???) it was time to remake the molds using Mold Star 30 from Smooth-On. This is a far higher grade of silicone than i used for the previous pistol and is far more suited to being used to cast clear resins.
I boxed out the molds as i had done previously and then proceeded to mix and pour the silicone. The Silicone was degassed in a vacuum chamber to removed any bubbles and to ensure nice clean molds once it had set.
The well for the pistol magazine had to be made as a 3rd detachable section of the mold. This was very difficult to figure out as i had to make sure it would always key in perfectly when setting up for casting but also maintain its correct placement and rigidity so it wouldn't droop while casting and then prevent the magazine from being able to slide in. so i ended up casting a rigid thread in the center to enure that the silicone would stay rigid and in place.
With that done, the molds are complete!
Once the molds were complete I had to cast the bullets that were to be placed in the clip prior to pouring in the clear. They are cast in a standard polyurethane resin in 2 parts with some bronze powder mixed the resin. This was originally to provide a bronze finish but i was able to gain a far more accurate effect with paint, but the weight of the power actually helps to stop the bullets floating in the clear resin once it is poured.
With the equipment installed and tested ( once i was provided with the correct air hose after a week, somehow they sent the wrong one???) it was time to remake the molds using Mold Star 30 from Smooth-On. This is a far higher grade of silicone than i used for the previous pistol and is far more suited to being used to cast clear resins.
I boxed out the molds as i had done previously and then proceeded to mix and pour the silicone. The Silicone was degassed in a vacuum chamber to removed any bubbles and to ensure nice clean molds once it had set.
The well for the pistol magazine had to be made as a 3rd detachable section of the mold. This was very difficult to figure out as i had to make sure it would always key in perfectly when setting up for casting but also maintain its correct placement and rigidity so it wouldn't droop while casting and then prevent the magazine from being able to slide in. so i ended up casting a rigid thread in the center to enure that the silicone would stay rigid and in place.
With that done, the molds are complete!
Once the molds were complete I had to cast the bullets that were to be placed in the clip prior to pouring in the clear. They are cast in a standard polyurethane resin in 2 parts with some bronze powder mixed the resin. This was originally to provide a bronze finish but i was able to gain a far more accurate effect with paint, but the weight of the power actually helps to stop the bullets floating in the clear resin once it is poured.
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With that the first test casts were conducted under 70psi of pressure in the pressure chamber, the results were mixed, the main issue being the bullets in the clip, the paints i had used either were not dry enough or were too oily (for want of a better word) and created a bad adhesion to the clear resin upon setting. To fix this i had to buy new paints, again of a higher quality and try again with this time far more successful results. Again, this is all part of the learning process when using this type of resin, its just a shame that because i live in rural Ireland, if i need new supply i have to wait at least a week to receive them, so that's why there is a bit of a stop/start pattern at this stage.
As you can see (Left) are the bullets with the newer paint, (Right) are the bullets that reacted with the clear and created air distortions.
But once this was fixed i was able to go ahead with the full tests and the first pull came out fantastically! Again, cast under 70psi of pressure for 16 hours, Post cured in an oven for 6 further hours. Theses are extremely time consuming guns to cast but im so happy with the results!
I will basically continue in this vain until each gun is cast, once that is done, they will all be given a catalyzed hard clear coat to bring out the true surface finish and then work will begin on the main painting stages for the grips and rail.
As you can see (Left) are the bullets with the newer paint, (Right) are the bullets that reacted with the clear and created air distortions.
But once this was fixed i was able to go ahead with the full tests and the first pull came out fantastically! Again, cast under 70psi of pressure for 16 hours, Post cured in an oven for 6 further hours. Theses are extremely time consuming guns to cast but im so happy with the results!
I will basically continue in this vain until each gun is cast, once that is done, they will all be given a catalyzed hard clear coat to bring out the true surface finish and then work will begin on the main painting stages for the grips and rail.
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Once again, I'm sorry for the delay in updates, hopefully you can at least see I've been hard at it to bring you the best work my hands will allow.
foxbatkllr
Sr Member
This is looking better than the real thing, which I saw up close and personal at SDCC this year.
I'll take that as a win [emoji106]
foxbatkllr
Sr Member
NeilDavies
New Member
Wow, this is an amazing piece of work. Can't justify the spend right now, but I would if I could. So impressed.
Any updates?
So, update time! I've basically been repeating the same casting processes this past while, but finally the clear casting process is complete!
Clear resin (without doubt) earns its reputation as being one of the hardest resins to work with. This stuff has fought me every step of the way, even with doing everything you should do to the letter.
One of the biggest issues I encountered was casting the bullets in the clear resin and having it react to the paint. you may remember from the previous update that the paint itself was reacting with the resin causing bleed and delamination problems. (See example 1)
I subsequently changed the paints used and all seemed good, but after 24-36 hours it began to show signs of delamination again. Thankfully not as severe as the first batch but still a problem. (See example 2)
Finally i managed to figure out that the paints (although completely dry to the touch) were still not completely dry at a very fine level, so to fix this came up with a system of making the bullets 24 hours in advance, painting them and placings them in a warm dry environment overnight and then casting them first thing the next day. This was an extremely long winded way around the problem but it worked, from then on i never had any problems with casting the bullets into the clear and they've come out fantastically. (See example 3)
Beyond this most of the issues I encountered were mainly due to the processes involved and time required to make each casting. I think i actually forgot to mention in my previous posts, but the clear resin I've been using is called Crystal Clear 200 by Smooth-on. (pictured Below)
Now this resin was picked because of the working time it allowed for me, the clarity of the end result and the overall strength of the finished castings. The trade offs are that it has a 16 hour cure time under 60 Psi of pressure. This means that you have to wait 1 whole day to basically find out if everything went okay, and if not it would take you at least another day (or 2) to fix any mistakes before you can move on to the next stage.
I decided to conduct a small experiment showing the difference the pressure chamber makes to castings like this. Below are 2 triggers cast at the same time from the same batch of resin, once was cast outside the chamber and one cast inside the chamber, both for 16 hours, The difference is really dramatic.
If everything goes well after those 16 hours you then have to deal with one of the next issues and that is topping up the mold. By this i mean that once the clear has cured it loses some of its density and the level goes down slightly. The piece itself doesn't shrink it just appears that the mass of the resin is greater in it's pre-cured state than it is when its set up. ( I tried to show you what I mean in the images below but its very hard to demonstrate this with super clear resin, but you should hopefully be able to catch the inward sloping on the edges of the resin)
To fix this I simply mixed together and poured a little more clear resin on top and then re-pressured again for 16 hours. Once this was all done and I'm happy there's no more dips on the edges, I post-cured the casts (while keeping them in the molds) in an oven at 60°C for 6 hours as recommended in the data sheets. Once this is complete i allow them to cool for a few hours and then de-mold and place them on a flat surface until completely cooled.
This admittedly is a very long winded/time consuming way of casting these guns but it achieves very reliable results when every step is followed. I was hoping it would take about a day to cast each gun, but its more like 2-3 days per gun, hence why casting has taken far longer than expected, but rather than rushing this and maybe effecting the quality, I'd rather do it by the book and maximize the quality.
Also, one of the questions I was asked is "why cast with open top molds and not just make a fully enclosed one to pour into?" Honestly i would agree with you before this, I would normally have done something like this as an enclosed mold with a pour spout and a vert spout and most likely cast the top trail and trigger section as one piece, but, by doing this there are far more options for something to go wrong and with something like clear resin that is a major problem.
If for example there were one or two trapped air bubbles, unlike normal resin, i cant just use some spot filler and sand it smooth and cover it with primer. With clear, if there's a bubble where it shouldn't be, chances are I can't fill it in because its going to be on a section that should be glass clear, making it impossible for me to fix even the smallest blemish and as a result that whole part becomes useless. With open top molds like this, the chance of trapped air is minimal and the only thing i really have to worry about is topping up the resin and the first pass in the pressure chamber. Other than that, and the delamination problems I've already discussed, there were no problems at all with trapped bubbles anywhere else on the guns, which is remarkable. I can only imagine that the folks at Weta may have let the style of resin they were using influence the guns design so when they cast them it would all but eliminate chances of trapped air, which also makes me think that most likely used a similar casting method to what i eventually ended up using.
But in the end, all of that time, effort, (and constant panic) yielded amazing results, and now with all 11 guns cast, the real work of preparing these for sanding and paint begins. I cant wait to get started!
Clear resin (without doubt) earns its reputation as being one of the hardest resins to work with. This stuff has fought me every step of the way, even with doing everything you should do to the letter.
One of the biggest issues I encountered was casting the bullets in the clear resin and having it react to the paint. you may remember from the previous update that the paint itself was reacting with the resin causing bleed and delamination problems. (See example 1)
I subsequently changed the paints used and all seemed good, but after 24-36 hours it began to show signs of delamination again. Thankfully not as severe as the first batch but still a problem. (See example 2)
Finally i managed to figure out that the paints (although completely dry to the touch) were still not completely dry at a very fine level, so to fix this came up with a system of making the bullets 24 hours in advance, painting them and placings them in a warm dry environment overnight and then casting them first thing the next day. This was an extremely long winded way around the problem but it worked, from then on i never had any problems with casting the bullets into the clear and they've come out fantastically. (See example 3)
Beyond this most of the issues I encountered were mainly due to the processes involved and time required to make each casting. I think i actually forgot to mention in my previous posts, but the clear resin I've been using is called Crystal Clear 200 by Smooth-on. (pictured Below)
Now this resin was picked because of the working time it allowed for me, the clarity of the end result and the overall strength of the finished castings. The trade offs are that it has a 16 hour cure time under 60 Psi of pressure. This means that you have to wait 1 whole day to basically find out if everything went okay, and if not it would take you at least another day (or 2) to fix any mistakes before you can move on to the next stage.
I decided to conduct a small experiment showing the difference the pressure chamber makes to castings like this. Below are 2 triggers cast at the same time from the same batch of resin, once was cast outside the chamber and one cast inside the chamber, both for 16 hours, The difference is really dramatic.
If everything goes well after those 16 hours you then have to deal with one of the next issues and that is topping up the mold. By this i mean that once the clear has cured it loses some of its density and the level goes down slightly. The piece itself doesn't shrink it just appears that the mass of the resin is greater in it's pre-cured state than it is when its set up. ( I tried to show you what I mean in the images below but its very hard to demonstrate this with super clear resin, but you should hopefully be able to catch the inward sloping on the edges of the resin)
To fix this I simply mixed together and poured a little more clear resin on top and then re-pressured again for 16 hours. Once this was all done and I'm happy there's no more dips on the edges, I post-cured the casts (while keeping them in the molds) in an oven at 60°C for 6 hours as recommended in the data sheets. Once this is complete i allow them to cool for a few hours and then de-mold and place them on a flat surface until completely cooled.
This admittedly is a very long winded/time consuming way of casting these guns but it achieves very reliable results when every step is followed. I was hoping it would take about a day to cast each gun, but its more like 2-3 days per gun, hence why casting has taken far longer than expected, but rather than rushing this and maybe effecting the quality, I'd rather do it by the book and maximize the quality.
Also, one of the questions I was asked is "why cast with open top molds and not just make a fully enclosed one to pour into?" Honestly i would agree with you before this, I would normally have done something like this as an enclosed mold with a pour spout and a vert spout and most likely cast the top trail and trigger section as one piece, but, by doing this there are far more options for something to go wrong and with something like clear resin that is a major problem.
If for example there were one or two trapped air bubbles, unlike normal resin, i cant just use some spot filler and sand it smooth and cover it with primer. With clear, if there's a bubble where it shouldn't be, chances are I can't fill it in because its going to be on a section that should be glass clear, making it impossible for me to fix even the smallest blemish and as a result that whole part becomes useless. With open top molds like this, the chance of trapped air is minimal and the only thing i really have to worry about is topping up the resin and the first pass in the pressure chamber. Other than that, and the delamination problems I've already discussed, there were no problems at all with trapped bubbles anywhere else on the guns, which is remarkable. I can only imagine that the folks at Weta may have let the style of resin they were using influence the guns design so when they cast them it would all but eliminate chances of trapped air, which also makes me think that most likely used a similar casting method to what i eventually ended up using.
But in the end, all of that time, effort, (and constant panic) yielded amazing results, and now with all 11 guns cast, the real work of preparing these for sanding and paint begins. I cant wait to get started!
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