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Far Seer wrote:i found the gale force 9 GS, and its in tubes. How much green stuff could i make with the two tubes?

100g

On topic: This looks awesome!

Is there a list of suppliers in AUS yet? Or are we ordering from the States still?

Ima buy that stuff.

edit:

And make stuff with it.

me too! should i buy the gale force tubes or 30 inches of GS (from wayland games)? and i found this if ur interested, avatarform:http://shop.metalclay.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=334

I'll get it when I have the moneys.

I am getting quite wonderful results with Oyumaru and Grey Stuff. Except for the combi-melta. That particular bit seems cursed to never come out right.

I finally got my Legos this week and I did a mold box and pressure bit and it worked great. I now have a square, durable and pretty much perfect mold I will be able to use for a very long time.

If you would like I could do a video tutorial about it and how I do it. Still waiting for the pro create to harden so I can see the results.

I have been having great results using InstantMold, I haven't tried Oyumaru or friendly Plastic but might order some just so I can make a comparison between them.

hey guys, just found a really cheap website that sells oyumaru USD$3.41:http://www.bestfromjapan.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=3817&CFID=14197533&CFTOKEN=29166629 i personally havn't used it and am not sure about the shipping
Enjoy!

MadCowCrazy wrote:I have been having great results using InstantMold, I haven't tried Oyumaru or friendly Plastic but might order some just so I can make a comparison between them.

I am 100% certain that InstantMold is in fact Oyumaru that someone is re-branding and selling at an inflated price much like GW, GF9, etc... do with Kneadatite.

Polymorph is something else entirely and much worse for our needs, and Friendly Plastic is very likely rebranded Polymorph.

lord_blackfang wrote:

MadCowCrazy wrote:I have been having great results using InstantMold, I haven't tried Oyumaru or friendly Plastic but might order some just so I can make a comparison between them.

I am 100% certain that InstantMold is in fact Oyumaru that someone is re-branding and selling at an inflated price much like GW, GF9, etc... do with Kneadatite.

Polymorph is something else entirely and much worse for our needs, and Friendly Plastic is very likely rebranded Polymorph.

I am glad you are 100% certain. However, until your proof involves more than your feelings, please try to let those of us enjoying the product do so without the injection of your unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. As has been stated many times before in this thread, 'similar' does not mean 'same'. Tiny variations in chemical composition can change the properties and behaviors of otherwise similar products. I.e, childrens finger paint vs vallejo. Same thing right? Both acrylic paints? Clearly Vallejo is rebranded childrens finger paint.

It is quite possible you may be right, don't misunderstand me, and I'm sure if you or the other people who voiced similar opinions had any kind of facts to back themselves up, we would all be perfectly happy to listen. But until then, pleases don't come on here stating your opinion as fact in an attempt to stir the pot.

Thanks!

Hi there,
i tried the new mould material and have to say that it was too stifff after it hardened ! I was not able to get the model out.
Instead i tried "Vinamold" which stays quite soft after heating and pouring. It takes detail way better and can be reused up to ten times. I think it's the better alternative : )
Does anybody has similar experiences with "Vinamold" ???

I presumed it was understood that all posts are personal opinions by default. I believe that opening with "I am 100% certain" further reinforces that I am talking about my personal opinion. Otherwise I would have started with "It is 100% certain..."

MajorTom11 wrote:Tiny variations in chemical composition can change the properties and behaviors of otherwise similar products.

Yeah, maybe CMON spit in their Oyumaru

MajorTom11 wrote:I.e, childrens finger paint vs vallejo. Same thing right? Both acrylic paints? Clearly Vallejo is rebranded childrens finger paint.

That's a silly comparison, anyone can see how differently paints of different brands behave. If I may make an equally silly comparison in the other direction: would you demand a chemical analysis of two identical-looking cars before acknowledging they're from the same manufacturer?

We don't have any proof that GW's green stuff is Kneadatite either, and I have never seen anyone challenge that assumption. Is it that smaller companies get more of a break?

I suppose there is a small chance that whoever came up with InstantMold went to the manufacturer of Oyumaru and said "could you make us a batch with more XYZ chemical in it to make it behave more so-and-so" but from what I can see, there is no functional difference. So even if they are not 100%, there is no benefit to buying the more expensive one.

They still deserve major props for bringing this wonderful material to our attention, but it's a sad state of affairs that their first thought when they found it was "how can we use this to make money off our fellow hobbyists?"

The fact that InstantMold packaging has no company information, no copyright, trademark, patent info, ingredients, etc. apart from a link to CMON also points to it being a simple repackaging job.

The same conclusions were made on TGN, TMP, Warseer, and SomethingAwful at least, for what it's worth.

All of the above is my personal opinion, except the bit about the lack of information on the packaging.

lord_blackfang wrote:I presumed it was understood that all posts are personal opinions by default. I believe that opening with "I am 100% certain" further reinforces that I am talking about my personal opinion. Otherwise I would have started with "It is 100% certain..."

MajorTom11 wrote:Tiny variations in chemical composition can change the properties and behaviors of otherwise similar products.

Yeah, maybe CMON spit in their Oyumaru

MajorTom11 wrote:I.e, childrens finger paint vs vallejo. Same thing right? Both acrylic paints? Clearly Vallejo is rebranded childrens finger paint.

That's a silly comparison, anyone can see how differently paints of different brands behave. If I may make an equally silly comparison in the other direction: would you demand a chemical analysis of two identical-looking cars before acknowledging they're from the same manufacturer?

We don't have any proof that GW's green stuff is Kneadatite either, and I have never seen anyone challenge that assumption. Is it that smaller companies get more of a break?

I suppose there is a small chance that whoever came up with InstantMold went to the manufacturer of Oyumaru and said "could you make us a batch with more XYZ chemical in it to make it behave more so-and-so" but from what I can see, there is no functional difference. So even if they are not 100%, there is no benefit to buying the more expensive one.

They still deserve major props for bringing this wonderful material to our attention, but it's a sad state of affairs that their first thought when they found it was "how can we use this to make money off our fellow hobbyists?"

The fact that InstantMold packaging has no company information, no copyright, trademark, patent info, ingredients, etc. apart from a link to CMON also points to it being a simple repackaging job.

The same conclusions were made on TGN, TMP, Warseer, and SomethingAwful at least, for what it's worth.

All of the above is my personal opinion, except the bit about the lack of information on the packaging.

Your points are pretty valid, honestly. Please note the below is not about me proving I'm right and you are wrong, simply that there is no way to tell at this time with the information at hand.

Bearing this in mind, neither of us have no proof, as stated. So although I know Dakka is a den of negativity in certain threads, lets just leave it be no? The comparative products and assertions of sameness have been brought up at least 6 separate times in this thread already, and have been addressed. At the end of the day, you havent added anything new here but to begin another argument cycle, when the people interested here are looking to talk about Instamold, whether it works, and where we can get it.

Saying Oyumaru is available and cheaper is value added to the conversation, some may make the effort to find it and order it instead.

Saying it is a rip-off and CMON is price gauging is nothing but speculation on your part, and adds nothing to the goal people have of finding good pressmolding product, yelling at CMON and pressmolding being 2 separate issues.

Finally, the Vallejo/Finger Paint comparison inst silly, it's perfectly on point. What do you think the difference is between the two? They are both acrylics, do you think they are so vastly different looking at their chemical makeup? They aren't. And neither would any polythermal plastic either. But, slight differences in formula refinement can make huge differences in performance and use. This isnt me farting out my opinion, that's just fact. Do I know Instamold and Oyumaru plastic are different? Of course not! But, based on the above, looking the same and even acting similarly does not = the same, and I choose not to introduce negativity into the discussion. My opinion that it is different has as much technical merit as yours does that they are the same. Neither of us can be proven right, so, bearing that in mind, the discussion is in fact pointless til someone actually goes to a lab with both lol, that's just the way it is. My wife has a masters in Chemistry, I asked her about it. Even a few % difference in this substance (which is very common in multiple applications I might add) is enough to change it's temperature tolerances and rigidity when cool. That could make a big difference, esp to mini peeps like us trying to get the originals back out of the mold right?

Anyhow, I don't mean any offense to you, it's just territory that has already been covered and I for one would just like to see the thread stick to people's opinions and experiences as related to the topic at hand, OR, at the very least if comparisons are going to be made, at least have both products on hand and do side by side comparisons based on the facts in front of us. I am not attached to the Instamold brand, beyond that it has served me well thus far. If you have a better/cheaper alternative, by all means bring it to the table, but please bring it with more than just 'feelings'.

Anyhoo, thank you for taking the time to read my post, and also I respect your arguments and insights, esp the lack of packaging info (VERY good point). Just want to keep things moving forward and not have it turn into a Chapterhouse thread you know?

Cheers

Fair enough.
I originally brought it up here because I was replying to someone who has InstantMold and was thinking of getting Oyumaru as well.

Maybe you could put links to all the materials mentioned in this thread in the first post, with whatever disclaimers you deem appropriate, so any newcomers don't have to wade through all this?

Good call! I really appreciate you being so reasonable and cool about this, you are an example to Dakka sir. No sarcasm just to be sure it's clear lol!

1st post appended with discussed alternatives and links, please let me know If I missed anything!

Back OT:

I have had great success with one part molds, while 2 parters are a bit iffy. I think this is more to do with my lack of experience in gauging how much GS to put in, and how to spread it.

I am wondering If making a lego mold box may help in assuring precision and even spread...

on that note, barring stealing from infants and toys'r'us, what is the best way to get your hands on legos these days, and, what is a good list of usefule logo bits to have? i.e, are there any big flat smooth pieces good to use as a stamp to push down on the molds, etc -

Being a lego enthusiast, I can say that there are smoth flat pieces that you can use.

Maybe their website can help you out?

I would offer to mail you some but they are a couple hundred miles away from me.

I got my IM in and have been trying it out on various different things. I have been using Kneaditite/GS and it appears to be working well in two part molds. I know it can do a one-sided press mold so I have not even been worrying about trying that yet.

GS does seem to be a little hard when trying to do a two part mold. It just doesn't go into the little details, or the details furthest from the center of the mold. But, what I have been doing to fix it is, after I do the mold, I let it dry, and then I put in a thin layer of GS over the parts that didn't fill in all the way and press it together again. This appears to be working to fill in the tiny details that are getting missed with the original IM casting.

I think I am going to try putting a filler in center of the mold. An airsoft BB, and see how that works, see if the GS works better when it has a hard piece in the middle to press against.

Oh, FYI i have been casting pieces off the Gamesday 2003? Ltd ed chaos champion. The one with the elf. I made a good caste of his left bracer/gauntlet, and I have made two casts of the head. Had to redo the mold because I cut it originally down around the nose, which made cleaing mold lines a pain in the butt.

I hope any of this helps someone.

And to answer some questions, GS does not stick to IM and one package of IM should be able to do 2-3 28mm complete models, depending on pose and number of pieces. Before you have to reuse any of it. I have only been using one stick out of the 6 from the package and used it like 5-6 times of reheating.

Fosner1703 wrote:

GS does seem to be a little hard when trying to do a two part mold. It just doesn't go into the little details, or the details furthest from the center of the mold. But, what I have been doing to fix it is, after I do the mold, I let it dry, and then I put in a thin layer of GS over the parts that didn't fill in all the way and press it together again. This appears to be working to fill in the tiny details that are getting missed with the original IM casting.

I hope any of this helps someone.

Awesome idea I'm going to try that!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

samwellfrm wrote:Being a lego enthusiast, I can say that there are smoth flat pieces that you can use.

Maybe their website can help you out?

I would offer to mail you some but they are a couple hundred miles away from me.

That's super kind bud, I will check out their site, just wondering if there was a 'Great for mini casting' shopping list floating around there somewhere!

For two part molds, the way I do it is like in the video - envelop the whole piece and then cut all around it. Not too difficult since the mold is transparent.

For casting, I use P3 Modelling Putty (which is probably re-branded ProCreate, if we want to go back to that )
I wet one half of the mold (the "shallower" half if applicable) and stuff the other with a lot of putty. Press the wet half on top, then remove it again. Because it's wet, it'll slide off without distorting the cast much. Cut all the flash off with a wet blade, then press the wet half back on. Repeat as necessary until you get rid of just about all the flash, then leave to set.

lord_blackfang wrote:For two part molds, the way I do it is like in the video - envelop the whole piece and then cut all around it. Not too difficult since the mold is transparent.

For casting, I use P3 Modelling Putty (which is probably re-branded ProCreate, if we want to go back to that )
I wet one half of the mold (the "shallower" half if applicable) and stuff the other with a lot of putty. Press the wet half on top, then remove it again. Because it's wet, it'll slide off without distorting the cast much. Cut all the flash off with a wet blade, then press the wet half back on. Repeat as necessary until you get rid of just about all the flash, then leave to set.

That sounds good too, is it even neccesary to wet it? I havent had much trouble with putty sticking to it - still, can't hurt!

Good tip dude -

It doesn't stick much either way, but if you don't wet one half, it'll stick to both equally and it'll be harder to keep the cast firmly in one half when you pry them apart.

You certainly want to wet the blade, or it'll pull at the putty. Oiling it would be even better, but I'm afraid of contaminating the mold. I tried that with Polymorph and it soaked up the oil and got all nasty and green.

You guys are doing 2 part molds different than I learned how. The Lego housing is fine you will need some clay to make a base for the 2nd part of the mold using the clay smooth it up to the original mold line then put in the keys in. Place the mold substance in and press down to make the first part let cool remove the frame. Then pull off the clay replace the frame around the mold with the first part of the mold on the bottom press in the second half of the mold let cool remove the original. Place your green stuff or what you are using to replicate the original and press down again to fill the mold.

Exactly how I go about it for two part molds.

With gs though it is usefull to part the mold, correct 'issues' then re press the mold for your finished piece.

I hope my instant mold arrives today. I'm eager to experiment with it.

How are you guys getting legos on the cheap?

They are casting it using instant mold...
wait... which came first, the Lego or the mould?

Have been semi looking. Knowing as a last resort I can borrow some, but would be useful.
Have you tried ebay?

Far Seer wrote:Apoxie is reeeally expensive here, like 100 bucks for 4lbs, so i need to find an alternative.
is apoxie better or greenstuff? if GS is ok, then i'd like to know where i could buy a large quantity for a cheap price.Thanks

Apoxie Sculpt is better for large areas, Green Stuff (Kneadatite) is better for smaller areas and sculpts.

Ouze wrote:I hope my instant mold arrives today. I'm eager to experiment with it.

How are you guys getting legos on the cheap?

There is a lego store in the mall near my home. They sell individual lego pieces by the container. I think I spent about $10 on legos and one of those flat, green lego "fields" to serve as the base.

Shapelock and Instamorph are both "comparable products" that I have used before that are missing from your list. though they typically come in beads and not bars. They have all the same physical properties described in this thread.

Been using J-B WELD with good results.

Far Seer wrote:me too! should i buy the gale force tubes or 30 inches of GS (from wayland games)? and i found this if ur interested, avatarform:http://shop.metalclay.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=334

Thanks for the link.

Though, ALWAYS buy your GS/Kneadatite in tubes. GS straps, if not used immediately, age poorly and harden along the line where the colours join.