Tips for Slush Casting?
- Thread starter Skaught
- Start date
On your first casting, just guesstimate how much you'll need to get full coverage. Keep notes of how many grams it takes till you get the right amount. What you want to do is get decently thick layers, but not have so much resin per coat, that you're rotating the mold like crazy to keep it uniform when it starts to thicken. 
-Sarge
-Sarge
Skaught
Sr Member
So doing a thin initial coat, then doing another on top of it, is okay to do? Rather than the full amount all at once I assume. That's good, since this is a LONG piece with an open bottom, so I don't want to have this stuff come pouring out all over me. It's an IG-88 head, by the way, molded from my Derwent engine burner can.
Thanks,
Scott
Thanks,
Scott
TK1536
Sr Member
I've been doing a lot of this recently, except my subject is Clone Trooper parts, namely the chest and back, so the molds are bowl shaped. I mix my resin A and B 50/50, mix until it starts to get a little warm, then pour it in the mold and slush it around evenly until it sets. I continue to repeat this about six times, using exactly 8oz. each time. I might do some smaller 4oz. pours if I want a particular part to be a bit thicker.
I've done this for a few years with Smooth-On products, and they work great for small static pieces. But for larger pieces like these Clone armor parts, I've switched to using Burman Industries TC 808 Urethane Resin. It's similar to the Smooth-on "Smooth Cast" products, but it's much more solid and durable when cured. "Smooth Cast" parts tended to be brittle, susceptible to breaking and recently when stored in an Armor bin, deformed!
I've done this for a few years with Smooth-On products, and they work great for small static pieces. But for larger pieces like these Clone armor parts, I've switched to using Burman Industries TC 808 Urethane Resin. It's similar to the Smooth-on "Smooth Cast" products, but it's much more solid and durable when cured. "Smooth Cast" parts tended to be brittle, susceptible to breaking and recently when stored in an Armor bin, deformed!
Fetthunter
Sr Member
When I slush/roto cast pieces that have an open side, I'll take a piece of foamcore that'a bit larger than the piece and pour Silicone on it in layers until I build up a sheet that will "cap off" the mold.
When I'm ready to rotocast, I mix my resin, dump it into the mold, slosh it around to make sure that everything is wet, then cap the mold with the Silicone "sheet" that I made, and use lots of rubber bands to go around it and the mold and keep everything in place. Then I start turning.
When I'm done and remove the sheet, I have a perfectly hollow piece. I can cut off the extra side where the sheet was, or leave as is.
When I'm ready to rotocast, I mix my resin, dump it into the mold, slosh it around to make sure that everything is wet, then cap the mold with the Silicone "sheet" that I made, and use lots of rubber bands to go around it and the mold and keep everything in place. Then I start turning.
When I'm done and remove the sheet, I have a perfectly hollow piece. I can cut off the extra side where the sheet was, or leave as is.
exoray
Master Member
I have experienced this same thing with Smooth On resins in thin castings, like a slush mold or even a two part mold... I had a part I cast and two weeks later cleaned it up and put a rubber band (hardly tight just firm) around the two halves to hold it together, the next day it had deformed and there were deep grooves where the rubber band was...
Like I said this was about a 2 week old part, I use a digital scale to measure all my resins so there is really no excuse for a two week old part to still be soft and deforming...
oooh
WANT!
when i'm using the smoothcast roto for a clone helmet, i do between 8 and 12 oz mixed per coat, and usually do 5 coats. this gives me a relatively thin, light helmet that's still solid.
the roto is slightly flexible, so it has good impact resistance. i've dropped a boba fett helmet from table height onto concrete with no damage.
a couple of other things i've found useful: have a bunch of throwaway brushes handy (i usually use 1"). that helps you get the stuff up into odd spaces.
i usually do one thin coat over everything, then a few thicker ones where i brush it around.
once the roto starts to thicken up to honey like consistency i start brushing it around until it doesn't want to brush anymore.
also, when making the molds, i try to leave a lip of silicone around the edge of the top to catch anything that might otherwise drip out.
the last tip i have is that i have a "slush blanket" - i big piece of cheap cotton duck that i throw over myself to catch drips and keep them off of me.
oh, and don't get the resin in facial hair.
Fetthunter
Sr Member
I take it you're using 2-part molds? Do you have 2 "flange" pieces that go around the helmet and meet in the center, and get bolted together (these "flange pieces" are usually wood and attached to a fiberglass mother mold of some sort that goes around the Silicone mold). Just curious as to how you do it.
i've got a 1 part silicone mold, with a 2 part fiberglass jacket that bolts over it. sadly i don't have any pics online of the molds, but you described it exactly how it is... there's a flange on the fiberglass part and it bolts together with 1/2 dozen 1/4" diameter bolts.
