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Made in us
Giggling Nurgling




United States

First off here's the actual product - http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/mini-casting-kit-579714/

I've seen a lot of talk about alumilite's casting products in general, but can't seem to find anything specifically about this starter set. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with it and can let me know if the product is worth my time. I'm hoping to cast my custom plague marines and I need to be able to get the details of the guitar string "tubing" and similar small details.
I'm also wondering how much this set can actually produce. I'm only going to make copies of the torsos and shoulderpads that I've made.

Thanks guys

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Made in us
Drakhun





Eaton Rapids, MI

I would say that if you use the coupon (and its Hobby Lobby so you better). Its gonna cost you what $20 with tax? Try it out and see how it does.

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Made in ca
Boosting Ultramarine Biker





Vancouver, BC

I have used the same kit when I first started casting and it is a good kit. I was casting bases.

The rubber sets up nicely and picks up a lot of fine detail. There is enough resin to cast about 60-70 bases and the resin has a nice end product that is very hard (not brittle).

However, if you are just starting to experiment with casting, there is a learning curve and you first molds may not work out as hoped. The kit does not have a lot of rubber and you may need to buy more later.

It sounds like you will be casting parts that require a two-piece mold. There are some challenges as you need to pay attention to how the air pockets will be filled and hence where to have your pour inputs and venting. The resin cures extremely quickly so there is very little time and mistakes are easy to make.

My advice is to only cast simple parts and add your details like guitar strings later to the finished product. You may also want to cast a few parts that only require a one piece mold like bases before you go full throttle.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/03/21 17:42:46


 
   
Made in us
Giggling Nurgling




United States

Thanks for the advice, but are you saying that the kit would never suffice for those details, or I should wait until I have a decent feel for what I'm doing?

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Made in us
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!



The Frozen North

The ability to cast detail is not the issue here, the big concerns here are undercuts and gaps that could snag in the rubber or collect air bubbles. More complex pieces will require additional venting and for best results either a vacuum chamber, a pressure pot, or both. Failing that, lightly powdering the mold with talc will break the surface tension on the mold and will allow for relatively bubble free castings. Mixing the resin has partly to do with this as well as you want to gently mix the two parts without whipping it into a froth.

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