Cormac
Active Member
Hey all,
I've been working on this for the last while so i thought i'd share my process and experiences. I used a similar process to another RPF-er, Elilay (https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=290767&highlight=snitch) though sadly i don't have as nice a video to show you all.
I did a lot of learning on the job with this project so i thought it best to start with something i know well. I built my model in SolidWorks. and exported an STL for printing.
While i had it i decided to do a few renders.
Now i don't want to get your hopes up so i'll admit i haven't managed to get the wings made. I've got an idea of how they could be done but as of yet it's still all theory.
A friend of mine was nice enough to let me use his 3D printer and which saved me a lot of time and carving. I cleaned it up using sandpaper and some fine filler though if i had known about the acetone vapour technique at the time i'd have used that.
Also i should have split it vertically as opposed to horizontally. It would have meant less risk of features not lining up.
I had a few days while the high temp silicone was on order so i threw together a latex mould (not shown) and did a test cast in rondo. This was more for my own curiosity than anything else.
Anyway the silicone arrived so i made up a 2 part mould with clay and some eva foam. You can see i got a bit messy with the hot glue but in the end this just made for more registration.
The model metal i used to cast these was a lead, tin & bismuth alloy. It's not all that different from solder and is usually used for making model soldiers. You can melt it in a small ladle on a kitchen stove. It's great for any kind of small scale casting like this. Just be sure to paint/coat all parts to and wash your hands afterwards. Or better yet, wear gloves.
I had some issues with shrinkage around the pouring cup which was causing warping and lost detail. After a few attempts I figured it out. Fortunately the metal can be cast repeatedly with pretty minimal loss. What worked best was using a soldering iron in the pouring cup to slow down the cooling process.
There was a lot of clean up to be done and i don't think there's a quick or easy way to go about it. Just lots of sandpaper and patience. A dremmel is useful too but also poses huge risk to ruin the piece.
The middle snitch below was a paint test done on the rondo casting from earlier. You can really see how much the latex mould shrinks compared to the silicone.
At this stage all that was left was the final finishing. I painted it with Rustoleum Gold Metallic (for any other irish makers you can get it herehttps://www.lenehans.ie/rust-oleum-elegant-metallic-spray-paints.html)
After this I applied artificial gold leaf and some acrylic clear coat.
You can see the final result below.
View attachment map and scarf2.JPGView attachment map and scarf3.JPG
I'm particularly proud of the picture below. No photoshop involved. I just threw it in the air and got lucky.
Yes, instagrammers, that is legitimate lens flare :cool
View attachment blue sky snitch.jpg
Anyway, that's my piece. all feedback is welcome and i'm happy to answer any questions.
I've been working on this for the last while so i thought i'd share my process and experiences. I used a similar process to another RPF-er, Elilay (https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=290767&highlight=snitch) though sadly i don't have as nice a video to show you all.
I did a lot of learning on the job with this project so i thought it best to start with something i know well. I built my model in SolidWorks. and exported an STL for printing.
While i had it i decided to do a few renders.
Now i don't want to get your hopes up so i'll admit i haven't managed to get the wings made. I've got an idea of how they could be done but as of yet it's still all theory.
A friend of mine was nice enough to let me use his 3D printer and which saved me a lot of time and carving. I cleaned it up using sandpaper and some fine filler though if i had known about the acetone vapour technique at the time i'd have used that.
Also i should have split it vertically as opposed to horizontally. It would have meant less risk of features not lining up.
I had a few days while the high temp silicone was on order so i threw together a latex mould (not shown) and did a test cast in rondo. This was more for my own curiosity than anything else.
Anyway the silicone arrived so i made up a 2 part mould with clay and some eva foam. You can see i got a bit messy with the hot glue but in the end this just made for more registration.
The model metal i used to cast these was a lead, tin & bismuth alloy. It's not all that different from solder and is usually used for making model soldiers. You can melt it in a small ladle on a kitchen stove. It's great for any kind of small scale casting like this. Just be sure to paint/coat all parts to and wash your hands afterwards. Or better yet, wear gloves.
I had some issues with shrinkage around the pouring cup which was causing warping and lost detail. After a few attempts I figured it out. Fortunately the metal can be cast repeatedly with pretty minimal loss. What worked best was using a soldering iron in the pouring cup to slow down the cooling process.
There was a lot of clean up to be done and i don't think there's a quick or easy way to go about it. Just lots of sandpaper and patience. A dremmel is useful too but also poses huge risk to ruin the piece.
The middle snitch below was a paint test done on the rondo casting from earlier. You can really see how much the latex mould shrinks compared to the silicone.
At this stage all that was left was the final finishing. I painted it with Rustoleum Gold Metallic (for any other irish makers you can get it herehttps://www.lenehans.ie/rust-oleum-elegant-metallic-spray-paints.html)
After this I applied artificial gold leaf and some acrylic clear coat.
You can see the final result below.
View attachment map and scarf2.JPGView attachment map and scarf3.JPG
I'm particularly proud of the picture below. No photoshop involved. I just threw it in the air and got lucky.
Yes, instagrammers, that is legitimate lens flare :cool
View attachment blue sky snitch.jpg
Anyway, that's my piece. all feedback is welcome and i'm happy to answer any questions.