Why don't more people use black resin?

[Rook 3]

This is just for my own curiosity. I always see amazing raw casts available on the RPF, everything from Boba helmets to blaster pistols, and everything inbetween. And rarely do I see people using black resin to make their castings.

Is there a special reason for that? Does it cost more than the white/blue variety? Is the white resin tougher/stronger/faster/able to leap tall... sorry, wrong thread.

I'm wondering what the concensus is. I feel if the part is going to be played with/worn a lot, then it should have a good, non-white base color that won't stand out so badly if it gets worn/chipped. Assuming that the prop/costume is not normally white in color (like a trooper helmet).

Personally, I've been using pre-dyed resin lately and have been amazed at the jet black color of the castings. I hand dyed a few castings initially (using white resin) with generally poor results.

Just curious.

Russ

 

[TD-4242]

I wonder the same thing. I use sostrong color tints from smoothon to tint all my resin black. Works great and makes the items not require any base painting. Just weather to taste and play with/troop with it.

-Bill

 

[jddurst]

Something I have done, when filling the stage with an army full of guns or swords for instance, is to not only use a tinted resin, but also a semi-flexible one. That way the prop has some give and can suffer the unavoidable abuse that the careless actor, singer or stage hand will give it. My local supplier knows of no metallic tint, but black or dark grey is a great base. It does, however cost more; especially the semi-rigid stuff, and can take a day to set-up. If one is simply making a copy of a prop to sit in a shadow box, Insta-Cast is fast and cheap, which may be why so many people use it. It is off-white and brittle, however.

 

[TK0518]

I figure it's because it's easier to see the detail (or bumps and bruises) with white or off-white resin. I mean.. it's pretty hard to spot a shadow on a black peice. Right? Or it could be the force of habbit. pretty much every one uses the ordinary white resin. on rare occasions the clear or blackresin.

 

[Wakal]

I'm both lazy and distructive. The white (well, off white) resin that I liked was strong as hell but didn't take a tint very well. I didn't mess around once I found that stuff, because I'm lazy. I liked the resin because it was very hard to break

I have since switched to a different resin that is almost as strong and tints flat black. Makes blasters very nice to finish and easier on the nerves to tote around. Now I'm feeling even more lazy (when building up kits), and it is still strong enough to amuse my destructive impulses






Alex

 

[jddurst]

I forgot to mention that one advantage of black resin is that when (not if) it chips, it's black. (kinda obvious I guess)
Another favorite trick of mine is to buy a 'Red Gun' that matches the hero and DYE it with a penetrating leather dye (denatured alcohol based) with a clear coat on top (to make it shiny). It only goes in a small ways, so when the piece chips you see the red underneath, but at least it won't flake off. (Flaking off is my dept.)

 

[Jestefarean]

Ive only come across one resin that comes in black, and it doesn't meet my needs (in terms of cure time) Tinting would work, but to get white resin to be black you need a decent amount of tint (or it would be grey) and you need to really mix it (or it will be swirled) All in all its very possible...but adds expense, and time overhead. In the end, I guess it's the cost, time, and laziness that keep me from doing it.

 

[Harry Harris]

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I guess it's the cost, time, and laziness that keep me from doing it.
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Pigment doesn't really cost that much, and of course it would make sense to factor the extra cost into the price of the item you're making; I know I'd be happy to pay a couple of pounds/dollars more for something if I knew it was black resin as opposed to white.

It doesn't really take that much time to pigment resin either as I think you can pre-pigment the 'B' part of your resin. As for mixing quantity I can't help thinking that most people would still be happy with something that's mid to dark grey over white.

Harry.

 

[Rook 3]

I now use a Vagabond resin that both parts (A & B ) are pre-dyed and the gravity pours I've done come out a jet black.

It's a quick kick resin with about 3.5 minute pot life. I haven't tried pressure casting it yet but I imagine it will work well, but the turn around time will be slower because you have to mess with pressurizing and all that, plus get the resin/moulds into the pot before it starts to gel.

I know Matsuo does it though and his stuff turns out nice.

 

[Rook 3]

To recap: Why does white resin suck...

Because when you make a mod to your prop, and you lose paint,
You REALLY know you lost paint.

Added a slider switch to activate the shot counter, and removed
the mag well switch I had previously, which was flakey at times anyhow.

Happy it works again, but POed because now I have to locate
a paint color that's no longer in production.

Russ

 

[GeneralMayhem]

I've had good luck with the so strong color tints. They work omn both resin and RTV silicon, and a single drop goes a long way. It does take a lot to make black however, so I use a precolored resin for that.