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I have an idea I want to try and I thought I'd check to see if anybody had input.

I'm thinking about creating some bases that resemble some of the ones that Secret Weapon Miniatures makes, using Green Stuff or Apoxie Sculpt. I'd like to be able to make copies of the bases I create for future use. It seems like I should be able to make some quick molds of the bases using Instant Mold or Oyumaru and then use Apoxie Sculpt in the molds I create, to make copies.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience in this area?

Before anyone recommends it, I don't have the funds to buy/work with silicone and resin. The lack of money is also why I'd like to use Apoxie Sculpt in the molds, rather than Green Stuff or Milliput.

I have used Instant Mold before and it's really easy to use. I used it to make rhino hatches using green stuff .

I've done this myself and it works quite well. Depending on the details of the base you might loose some of the sharper edges. But done right you'll never notice that once painted.

One thing that you have to look out for is how to apply the instant mould. If you press it down from above the material will expand outwards as well. This can warp your general shape.

You can improve this by building a box around before. (Similar to silicon moulding.) I use Lego for this. The pressure says inside the walls and the mould will warp less.


And I never used apoxie sculpt but both GS and Milliput works. So I assume Apoxie will work too.

Thanks! I'm anxious to give it a try.

I haven't done it, but it seems like it would be easy (and totally villainous). I prefer using milliput to collect textures from nature.

 melkorthetonedeaf wrote:
I haven't done it, but it seems like it would be easy (and totally villainous). I prefer using milliput to collect textures from nature.

Villainous? I don't plan on copying purchased bases. When I mentioned Secret Weapon Miniatures, I just meant that I planned on creating my own bases that resembled some of the ones I'd seen on their site, like cobblestones or temple steps.

Just watch out for undercuts in the mould where it might stick or not release properly.

I have used oyumaru for exactly this.

I created a bunch of bases using some bits and bobs, then glued them down flat onto a bit of plastic sheet before pressing the oyumaru molding stuff over them... its a simple one part mold that works pretty well aslong as the detail on the base isnt particularly deep.
You could even make more than one mold of the same base if you need the bases asap. Otherwise just do one everyday untill the pile feels sufficient. With a decent handful of bases made up to be copied you can knock them out reasonably quickly.

Perhaps 5minute epoxy putty might be good for this as its not exactly fiddly work filing the mold up.

For doing this sort of stuff - I normally use remeltable vinyl for making my molds (Vinamold, Gelflex...).

You can melt it...pour over your masters and cast pretty quickly. It isn't as precise as a silicone mold but much better than most press molds. Because you can remelt it and make the mold again (or make a different set of molds) it works quite well for things like bases and terrain or other items that you may need just a few of (and don't want to do each from scratch) or need a bunch of (and don't want to wear out expensive silicone molds doing them).

For casting - putties work OK, but it can be a bit of a pain...Apoxie Sculpt being no different. Two part resins give you more bang for your buck - but they take a bit more to get started.

A friend swears by cheap epoxy with mixing tips for doing his. No mess, and fluid enough to flow into the molds without much effort. He gets about 10 bases out of each tube (works out to a bit under 50 cents each). Epoxy is an excellent adhesive though, so mold release is a must. More costly than resin - but the effort he has to put into each cast is much, much lower than when I am casting resin bases.