Vacadac.com presents... love, serge

Mold-Making Day Two

serge — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:36:39 +0000

Well, after spending an eternity digging out the plasticine, it looks like my mold was successful. The key holes have become resistration marks for the secon half, and my figure is still well seated in the rubber. Now I can pour the top half ans start my other molds.

So far, so good. I can wait to make my first toy tomorrow.

Mold-Making Day One

serge — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:31:58 +0000

Today is the mold making day!

Following a tutorial on the Tap Plastics Website I have built molding boxes out of Lucite, and embed my figures halfway in plasticine.

Note the holes pressed into the plasticine. These will create registration keys to help keep the mold in line.
As I do not have my own personal vacuum chamber (yet) i am using a slow pour method to avoid air bubbles (another tip from Tap). Basically, you punch a hole in the bottom of your container and allow the rubber to ooze out. This stretches the rubber into a thin stream, effectively eliminating most of your bubbles.

The main problem with this method is that the stream is so thin that it will blow all over if there is the slightest air current in the room. Also note that the stream lands in the upper corner of the mold box – you never want the rubber to pour directly on the original. By allowing it to ooze over, there is less chance of any bubbles forming on the surface of the finished piece.

First Round Of Baking

serge — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:09:52 +0000

Today I am beginning to bake the first round of final prototypes. I have taken the original concepts – shown in white – and re-modeled them to scale.

After they have had time to settle, I coated them with paint thinner to help disolve any lingering fingerprints. I also created a bed of polyester stuffing avoid creating any marks from the surface of the toaster oven.

The last big tip I received at the model & maquette panel was to create a foil tent over the toys. This helps insulate against the temperature fluctuations associated with low-end toaster ovens

I baked them according to the package and used an oven thermometer to assure correct temperature. They turned out much better than the first batch. Next step is making molds.

Someone’s in the Kitchen with Midget

serge — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:12:28 +0000

After many delays, the final prototypes are ready. There will be baking and sanding tonight, and begin I should be able to build the molds tomorrow.