Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

ok so i am getting into Infinity and my buddy and i want more terrain and so we are doing a Terrain Sundays thing. well while browsing Infinity forums i found a link to Hirst Arts website.

Hirst Arts Molds

Well i was wanting to know, are they worth the $$ the molds look good and the reusable rubber molds is something we could probably get some mileage out of.
However at $29 and $34 is that cheap? Average? Expensive? i am new to tarraining and on top of being on a painting kick recently i am really wanting to get into wargaming boarding and everything.

From my experience the moulds are really good quality and if you look after them they'll last a lifetime.

In terms of 'are they worth it' it'll depend on how you use them. I've only ever seen people use plaster in them, but I can't see why you couldn't cast using resin. (If someone can think of a reason chime in)

If you cast in plaster you'll get great looking buildings/scenery on the super cheap, but it'll be heavy and fragile.

If you cast in resin you'll get the same buildings in a more resilient material but you'll have to spend a little more time preparing the moulds each time. Also resin is more expensive and has a tougher clean up/issues with bubbles if incorrectly poured.

You've also got to think about the fact that you'll have to create and assemble the buildings from scratch. If you'd prefer something more convienient you could look at plastic kits from the usual suspects.

Hirst Arts molds will last many thousands of casts in plaster if you follow the maintenance instructions - pretty much just clean them and talcum power them after.

They can be a bit tiresome if you are not prepared to spend some time doing the casting. For example the basic tower molds on the website require a few dozen casts of the same mold which might put some off.

The cost is negligible over the life of the mold if you are prepared to invest the time.

Resin/Plastic can be used in the molds be does deteriorate them much much quicker. I don't think that resin/plastic is necessary or anything other than the really fine molds he sells - graveyard fence for example.

I use either Crystacal or Herculite plaster (dental). I dries very quickly and is a tough as old boots, I'm talking drop it from the table and stand on it tough.

these things are great. I made an entire warhammer quest board (plus the stuff they did in white dwarf) using them and latex paint for painting inside a house. top stuff.

It's a significant investment that's worth what you put into it. As long as you take care of the moulds they'll hold up very well. Using resin will degrade them, even with a release agent!

My advice: get one mould that you think you can use for a bunch of stuff, like Wizard's Tower #50, and give it a try. Remember that it takes a while to get the tricks of casting down, but the more you do it the easier it gets.

Thanks for the Intel, i was looking at using Dental Stone to mold with and buying 2 molds. since fantasy is a little Easier to make i decided to get some SciFi molds first. i am wanting to grab the #326 and #327 which are the machinery Builder and Industrial Accessories.

my next purchase would be the Prison Tower and the Cavern Accessories. I want the Prison tower because it will give me an option of Stairs. The Wizard's Tower and probably the Wood Planks one would be the next. i am going to see about getting some investment help from my FLGS since we want to do Terrain Sundays. that way we can get 3-5 molds to play with. its a shame they dont make a master mold set to give you alot of options. i would seriously prefer that >.>


ill start with the instructions but i will also plan my own building as well. could also make a Prison Tower section. put like 4 towers on 1 base and make it one terrain feature.

Gavin Thorne wrote:Using resin will degrade them, even with a release agent!

How quickly will it degrade them? Like over only a few uses, or are we talking dozens down the road?

JunkyOrk wrote:

Gavin Thorne wrote:Using resin will degrade them, even with a release agent!

How quickly will it degrade them? Like over only a few uses, or are we talking dozens down the road?

I've never used resin in my Hirst molds, but other molds I've had and/or made of similar silicone rubbers tend to last for a couple hundred casts. To get a higher number of casts before unusable breakdown occurs you must use a mold release and run the mold through a care process that involves heating the mold (usually in an oven, though I don't suggest your kitchen oven) every... 20 or so casts. From what I understand of the process, there is an oil like chemical in the mold rubber that is drawn out by the resin itself, and the baking process causes the oil deeper in the mold to shift toward the actual casting cavity where there isn't as much oil. I don't know what this chemical actually is, nor if there is a way to put more back into the mold. I just know the rubber dries out with repeated castings and eventually tears or crumbles from the loss of elasticity.

Compared to the literally thousands of casts some of my plaster molds have gone through (and the molds are still very workable) should give a good idea on how much faster resin degrades molds.

Thank you very much oniakki. That sounds like much more of a hassle to just do resin, I think I will just use plaster when I pick some of these up. Thanks for all the info people.

If you have used the Hirst Arts forums you may know that the users have come up with a bunch of modeling files for Google Sketchup (a free CAD type tool). They have basically converted the various molds into their 3d representations so you can plan out the design of a structure or terrain piece within the tool then know how many different molds you have used and if you are careful the number of casts you need from each mold to get the bricks you need.

I have used the molds with dental plaster to do a few dozen casts and they come out great and are easy to do.

You may want to consider using dental stone instead of resin, if you're looking for a more detailed, harder material than plaster. Dental stone does a damn good job, it is easy to work with, and produces a better final product than resin when using these types of molds.

Hirst has a great resource of information on casting in die/dental stone: http://www.hirstarts.com/casting/dental.html

Excalibur produce some of the most highly detailed and incredibly strong casts, with detail comparable to resin/finecast but without as many bubbles and irregularities. It is extremely difficult to cast with for a first timer, but well worth the effort to learn to use.

ratch wrote:Thanks for the Intel, i was looking at using Dental Stone to mold with and buying 2 molds. since fantasy is a little Easier to make i decided to get some SciFi molds first. i am wanting to grab the #326 and #327 which are the machinery Builder and Industrial Accessories.

my next purchase would be the Prison Tower and the Cavern Accessories. I want the Prison tower because it will give me an option of Stairs. The Wizard's Tower and probably the Wood Planks one would be the next. i am going to see about getting some investment help from my FLGS since we want to do Terrain Sundays. that way we can get 3-5 molds to play with. its a shame they dont make a master mold set to give you alot of options. i would seriously prefer that >.>


ill start with the instructions but i will also plan my own building as well. could also make a Prison Tower section. put like 4 towers on 1 base and make it one terrain feature.

I wouldn't recommend casting in plaster or with dental plastor if the stuff is going to be used in a FLGS. I swear FLGS must put something in the water, I could build terrain out of a solid machined block of steel and they'd still be able to destroy it. Plaster is great for personal use or closely superzised use.

Catyrpelius wrote: I wouldn't recommend casting in plaster or with dental plastor if the stuff is going to be used in a FLGS. I swear FLGS must put something in the water, I could build terrain out of a solid machined block of steel and they'd still be able to destroy it. Plaster is great for personal use or closely superzised use.

Plaster for a FLGS would be a death sentence for anything you cast. Dental stone will fare far better, but there is a higher cost involved. I have seen tiles cast in Excalibur that have been thrown at a tile floor and did not chip. Paint can sometimes be another matter, but the tiles are stronger material.

Again, it depends on your budget and preferences.

Kazwulf wrote:

Catyrpelius wrote: I wouldn't recommend casting in plaster or with dental plastor if the stuff is going to be used in a FLGS. I swear FLGS must put something in the water, I could build terrain out of a solid machined block of steel and they'd still be able to destroy it. Plaster is great for personal use or closely superzised use.

Plaster for a FLGS would be a death sentence for anything you cast. Dental stone will fare far better, but there is a higher cost involved. I have seen tiles cast in Excalibur that have been thrown at a tile floor and did not chip. Paint can sometimes be another matter, but the tiles are stronger material.

Again, it depends on your budget and preferences.

I might have to give this Excalibur a try...

I have several Hirst arts molds. I love them. I use hydastone
which I buy for under $20 for 50 lbs. Way better than plaster.
You can get some great ideas from the post on the forum.
Seems like quite a few people post here as well as the Hirst arts forums. Be aware that this is very addictive
hobby and you will be buying more and more molds.

dad1946 wrote:I have several Hirst arts molds. I love them. I use hydastone
which I buy for under $20 for 50 lbs. Way better than plaster.
You can get some great ideas from the post on the forum.
Seems like quite a few people post here as well as the Hirst arts forums. Be aware that this is very addictive
hobby and you will be buying more and more molds.

There's the truth of the matter - Hirst molds are a hobby unto themselves.

Hydrostone is great if you can buy locally & avoid shipping costs. Merlin's Magic is a great dental strength product to work with if you have to pay for shipping.

For Infinity - I recommend getting the large pipe mold. Great for industrial pieces & it combines well with many of the other sci fi molds.