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Awesome! However i dount they carry it anywhere near my loc... It's so typical, that the cool stuff is only carried on the other side of the globe -.-

I gave my idea a try, but no success yet. It's not sticking, but I need to heat the material more before I try it again. I also may try hitting it with a blow-dryer to soften it directly without water. We'll see. My concern is getting the "halves" to line up right before I keep moving.

I'll try the pegging. sounds like that may be my issue.

Scottywan82 wrote:Quick question for anyone who has made a 2 piece mold:

Have you tried making the "bottom" of a mold and then let it cool/harden before making the "top"? Do the two sides of instant mold stick to each other or do they remain separate?

I kinda thought everyone was doing that already....but, if you guys arent- heres another tip.

Powder. Make the first half, add a light dusting of talc or baby powder before doing the second half.

This also wouldnt be a bad idea for the parts if you're demolding them while still soft- it will help them come out easier.

Good to know!

Has some great success this morning with the two part mold. I'm going to press mold it now and leave it until this evening. I'll see how it turns out then and snap some more pictures, let you all know what I find.

That would be fantastic. I was wondering the same thing about the 2 part. I have to say, the outcome so far isnt as good as if it were poured, but for simply press molding parts they actually look pretty good. Im sure with some more practice one could get pretty nice results

KingCracker wrote:That would be fantastic. I was wondering the same thing about the 2 part. I have to say, the outcome so far isnt as good as if it were poured, but for simply press molding parts they actually look pretty good. Im sure with some more practice one could get pretty nice results

That's my bet too. I've only been press-molding or ANY KIND of molding since... oh. Yesterday. And it's doing pretty well.

I'm also going to try it with something better than kneadtite. I've got some Milliput on the way and I may try procreate as well. I want a putty that is nice and soft during the press molding process, but hardens well.

Also, it seems that the ideal way to set this up is with a frame. Make the frame open on the top and the bottom, and place the bit in first. If there is any curve to it (I'm doing a CSM lightning claw for a unit of terminators) place the concave side down. Then press in the Instant-mold. Make sure there's more than you need. The put a flat surface on top, essentially "boxing in" the bit and the mold.

Once that dries, I'm going to flip it all over, try that talcum powder trick on the dried mold, and press the second half in on top. now, when I press mold, I'll have a flat-bottomed surface to press against and leave it to dry.

After that, I think I'll get some better results. We'll have to see and keep trying.

That sounds good Scotty
I would have tried the old Lego brick trick...
except I don't have any Lego.

That way you could build the second level when the first mould half has hardened.

I got mine through today and did a couple of press moulds for base inserts which have worked really well. Will try a two part mould tomorrow.

Mick

Got mine today, gonna have to give it a go, but not before I finish painting the last 4 termies in my neverending SH set... which, coincidentally, is close to actually ending lol!

That and I'm waiting for a combi melta bit i ordered as my test subject...

For what it is worth, when you are heating the InstantMold with the water, don't use a plastic bowl. Unless I am doing something wrong (HOW IS BABBY FORMED?) it likes to stick to the sides of warm plastic(or at least that particular plastic). That was good for a few moments of skidmark-inducing terror. Fortunately, it peels off once it cools.

Right now I am trying Apoxie Sculpt which seems to work fine, but I got to thinking that CA glue might have been a better choice for the particular moulds I made. It would have been a more precise amount for each cast and self-leveling in that I don't think liquid CA would have much of an meniscus. And since I am impatient, it would have cured faster.

Robert Facepalmer wrote:For what it is worth, when you are heating the InstantMold with the water, don't use a plastic bowl. Unless I am doing something wrong (HOW IS BABBY FORMED?) it likes to stick to the sides of warm plastic(or at least that particular plastic). That was good for a few moments of skidmark-inducing terror. Fortunately, it peels off once it cools.

Right now I am trying Apoxie Sculpt which seems to work fine, but I got to thinking that CA glue might have been a better choice for the particular moulds I made. It would have been a more precise amount for each cast and self-leveling in that I don't think liquid CA would have much of an meniscus. And since I am impatient, it would have cured faster.

tell us how that goes. the video IIRC says the stuff doesn't even stick to CA glue and i'd like to double check that claim as it seems the most dubious. i'm thinking about buying the stuff to make small icons (like inquisitorial =I= symbols) and CA would be a good medium for it (green stuff doesn't do well with those tiny protrusions in the middle of the =I=).

MajorTom11 wrote:That and I'm waiting for a combi melta bit i ordered as my test subject...

+1. (I have 10 Mark 3 FW marines waiting to become sternguard. They just need a gun before they hit the field...)

I should be getting my instant mold today, but it's game night. I'll have to play with it tomorrow night.

@scottywan82, That's awesome for your second attempt at a rather complex piece!

Have plenty of normal casting experience, I've ordered some generic polymorphic plastic to play with, but being the engineering type I've worked out plenty of stuff in my head already.

From experience the more care you take in prep, the better the finished product, and I seriously doubt this will be any different.

I have plans for a mould blank for shoulder pads, which will take any shoulder pad I've already sculpted and allow me to make a mold in an hour and push mold copies while watching TV.

If I get it through this week I'll take shots and try to post a little 'how I did it' thingy.

I have been increasingly impressed with peoples efforts however, damn I wish I'd know about this stuff a year or so ago!

I just got my Apoxie sculpt in, and I gotta say the stuff should work perfectl for pressmolding. Its much, much softer than green stuff. So if youre patient and let it set up before removing from the mold- there shouldnt be any problems.

Steelmage99 wrote:

Very nice. What material did you cast in? I am guessing Procreate (but that is only because I don't recognize it) or is it just Greenstuff with a lighter colour than I usually see it?

Thanks! It's Kneadtite, the green stuff. It's just that my camera sucks, lol.

two part mould wise, i'd prolly try green stuff but when the flash pushes out i'd be inclined to open the mould and remove it with a scalpel then close the mould and press again, that should remove the need for clamping etc.
just waiting on my batch to arrive and i'll give this a go

Okay.

1. What are the products being used for molding.

2. What is the cost of the item, and

3. Where can I purchase some.

I now need something like instant mold (or equivalent) on another project.

Thank you.

Adam LongWalker wrote:Okay.

1. What are the products being used for molding.

2. What is the cost of the item, and

3. Where can I purchase some.

I now need something like instant mold (or equivalent) on another project.

Thank you.

Did you read the first post? I believe it is now out of stock, but if you read through some of the pages people have mentioned other products they deem similar.

Oyamaru + Apoxie sculpt=success. Pics later tonight of the shield I replicated and the base I did up.

I think for UK members that Magic Sculpt is pretty similar to Apoxie. Would be grateful if someone could confirn this please.

It seems a bit cheaper and more easily accesible locally. Found UK 1 seller of Apoxie who is listed as out of stock.

Seems it is highly rated.
Look forward to the update MoM.

Hi LordAki
If you checkout the discussion not too far back, it was suggested leavinf the first half of the mould to cool and Mistress of Minis iirc added the idea of using a bit of talcum powder.
This should make the of parting the halves a lot easier.
That finial looks like it will clean up okay.

I have made some melta guns, first time at 2 part casting and can already see the potential. Even if a little work is required.

Lt. Coldfire Writes

Did you read the first post? I believe it is now out of stock, but if you read through some of the pages people have mentioned other products they deem similar.

Yes I did, but there are others including myself are using different products achieving similar results. I use Spulpey Bake and Bend to make some of my molds for replacement parts.

I'll clarify a bit.

Right now there are people using Oyamaru, IntantMold, and some sort of other Polymorph Plastic.

So far there have been more successes with Oyamaru.

I am also waiting to hear about the other, maybe cheaper polymorph plastics and how they are performing

And pricing. Pricing is important. I've already been looking on the internet for items but I know that there are places that I do not know about that people might share to pick up things at a reasonable price.

There are certain things I'll use Silicon and Urethane molds to make things (not necessarly for model work mind you), but I can see now how good these products can be used in making molds for obsolete pieces, such as a missing Mk1 Rhino light. I can make a press mold on the remaining light that is attached on my Rhino with one of these products without damaging the model.

Keep up the good work people.

I just got my Instant Mold yesterday and got to play with it today. I did one half, let it cool, then second half with pins. Very happy with the first go around. I didn't get the first piece quit hot enough so ended up with sloppy edges on that half but just chalking that up to learning. The other side came out beautifully defined.


Now just need to get in some more practice with it.

Any info if it will be in stock later?

Ordered 250g of polymorphic plastic from Tomps (www.tomps.com) cost £8.55 inc postage. The 1kg bag should be about £21 with vat and postage.

Should have it tomorrow through post then will test.

I think I agree with the comment above, it's not going to ever be a cheap alternative to cast existing available parts, but if you have sculpted something and want a dozen copies, the extra time to make a careful mold and cast would be worth it, but for melta guns for example, I'd buy them, its cheaper and easier.

I need a replacement smoke stack for a mark 1 rhino, can't buy them anywhere... But casting it could be the solution!

Mistress of minis wrote:Oyamaru + Apoxie sculpt=success. Pics later tonight of the shield I replicated and the base I did up.

Could you also post what ratio of Oyamaru to Apoxie you used? Or am I misreading this, and you just meant they both work fine?

I think I will get some of this stuff mostly for terrain work, such as wall detail (stonework around windows, doors and hatches, etc.)

I just placed an order for a 1lb container of Apoxie Sculpt!

The warp trick with hot water is interesting to note.
Will try same with the Magic sculpt ( jars are nearly empty, time to order some more by the sounds of it)

This product is pretty cool but has been around for awhile, at least in the UK. Ive had a tub of this for a couple of years now - its called polymorph and comes in little beads. Its easy to heat them up and form them into strips like in the video.
I vaguely remember I got the tub from Maplins, but this was years ago...