Question about how to get a glossy finish

Hecubus114

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If I wanted to sculpt a piece that was supposed to look like glass after being casted, how would I prepare this surface before being molded? If the sculpt is with chavant clay, what method would be best to get this glass-like finish? Would spraying it with gloss coat work?

Has anyone tried something like this before?
 
There are a few ways to do this. You want the surface to be as clean as possible to start, brushing it down with some solvent is a good first step. Once the solvent has thoroughly flashed off you can “torch” it. Take a hand held butane torch and lightly flame the surface so that it smooths over. From there you can hit it with a gloss coat.

If it needs to be smoother than the results that would give, you could always waste mold, cast in resin, and bodyshop it before remolding.
 
Thanks! That is helpful info.

Can anyone comment on how resin can be polished? If I use Smooth-On Crystal Clear, would it be possible to buff/polish the surface to a perfect clear finish? Or does resin not react like this?
 
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Can anyone comment on how resin can be polished? If I use Smooth-On Crystal Clear, would it be possible to buff/polish the surface to a perfect clear finish? Or does resin not react like this?


I have never used S-O Crystal Clear, but I will hazard a guess at YES, but contact Smooth On to be sure.

Side Note: My Facebook feed is crammed with posts of "Artsy" stuff, where they use clear epoxy to make some water scene, and they polish it to crystal clear.

Back to the original question: IMO, you mold something twice to get a perfectly smooth surface from a sculpt. Meaning: Mold the sculpt and cast a resin part. Then sand and smooth and polish that cast until it shines. Then make a second mold of the piece.
 
i use chavant clay. I achieve a perfectly shiny surface by first smoothing it out with chemistry (petrol into the lighter), then by fire. But even so, the surface is not perfectly smooth. Finally, I will use airbrush high-gloss and high-quality car transparent varnish . The surface becomes crystal shiny and perfectly lasts to make a mold from silicone. It never cracked on my mold. It's the easiest job. Then it is necessary to scrape the varnish from the clay so that it can be used clay again.
 
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i use chavant clay. I achieve a perfectly shiny surface by first smoothing it out with chemistry (petrol into the lighter), then by fire. But even so, the surface is not perfectly smooth. Finally, I will use airbrush high-gloss and high-quality car transparent varnish . The surface becomes crystal shiny and perfectly lasts to make a mold from silicone. It never cracked on my mold. It's the easiest job. Then it is necessary to scrape the varnish from the clay so that it can be used clay again.
Hi! Could you please elaborate on the type of “high-gloss high-quality car transparent varnish”? And could you put this through an artist type airbrush such as Iwata or would it require the kind that mechanics use? Thanks!
 
Hi! Could you please elaborate on the type of “high-gloss high-quality car transparent varnish”? And could you put this through an artist type airbrush such as Iwata or would it require the kind that mechanics use? Thanks!
it doesn't matter what varnish you use. I use the Italian brand LOBERLO with fast curing. In 15 minutes it is suitable to the touch. The pistol depends on the size of the area. I recommend a minimum nozzle of 0.5mm, but this is really the minimum due to the density of the lacue.
 
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