Mold from Shapeways print?

[AnotherChris]

There are a number of threads on coin casting and I apologize for retreading old ground, but my question is a little bit different and I didn't want to grave-dig a thread for a semi-related question.

My issue is this: I cranked out a quick and dirty 3D model of a Heaven coin from the anime Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt for some friends of mine. The coins are running at about $8 a pop printed from Shapeways and I'm looking for a less expensive method of reproducing them. I've never molded anything before and I'm not sure how the basic printing material (white strong & flexible) will take to the various mold materials. I was wondering if anyone might have a suggestion on the best way to go about casting from a 3D printed object as small as a coin without destroying said object? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rebelscum]

I recently did a detailed part mold from a shapeways print using moldmax 10 and 30 (30 initially, but I needed it more flexible due to a huge undercut) from Smooth-On.

It will perfectly duplicate your master and make a great casting.

 

[zenix]

the silicon seemed to grab the WSF part because of how porous that material is. try sealing it first, or just use one of the detail materials. WSF does burn out well if you're going to make a plaster mold for investment casting, though.

 

[Superkrates]

I concur with Rebelscum and for ease-of-use, would probably use Smooth-on's Moldstar silicone for the mold and Smoothcast 300 for the resin coin (brushing the mold with the Gold Rush Cast Magic Powder will give an amazing metal look to the coin).

 

[madmanmoe64]

If you are going to go with wsf, then you have the problem of surface texture, a silicone mould will reproduce the powdery texture of printed pieces. And depending on the detail of the piece it can be difficult to smooth out.

I've had mixed success using carving wax (melt some onto an area then rub it back, it will fill in all the minute gaps taking away the texture) This also seals the wsf and stops silicone sticking.

But it's a bit of a hassle and you'd be better starting with the ultra detail pieces. Although these still aren't perfectly smooth.

 

[AnotherChris]

Thanks for the advice on casting everyone! I'm going to look into the materials suggested and order some stuff this week. Do you think it would be in my best interest to go back and select another material for the master coin prints instead of trying to work around the flaws of using wsf?

 

[jmsiefer]

I've had mixed success using carving wax (melt some onto an area then rub it back, it will fill in all the minute gaps taking away the texture) This also seals the wsf and stops silicone sticking.

I know this thread is a little bit old, however I stumbled upon it while looking for a way to cast my Shapeways models. I too am having issues with their porous texture and sticking to silicone (even with having the pieces printed in the White Strong & Flexible Polished material).

Right now I'm only using Silputty, but it's glomming onto the part. MadManMoe- I saw that you had mixed results adding carving wax to pieces before mold making. Any particular brand of wax you'd suggest, or any new techniques you've found?

Thank you so much!

 

[Alan Castillo]

Has anyone ever tried doing this with Frosted Ultra Detailed, or maybe WSF Polished ?

I think the latter would be the best ?

May cost a fraction (and it truly is only a very small fraction) more than WSF normal, but if it has as little imperfections as possible, a great molding result would be much easier to achieve.