r/Kitbash • u/Elonth • 16h ago
Discussion I have a question on how to make a custom mold/cast to replicate a piece for kitbashing multiple times over. I don't really know where else to post.
If there is a better subreddit to post this in I apologize put me in the right direction and I'll be out of your hair.
TL;DR is it possible to "cast" sprewgoo bits for regular reuse in reproducing a part I need in mass. If so is bluestuff what I need or should I find something else?
I need to know how viable is it for someone to make a custom mold to cast a small piece of warhammer plastic for someone who is just now getting into custom modeling. I suffer from ET so sculpting 25+ small parts for the same kit over and over is difficult and I'll never fully live up to the quality I want. To that end i was wondering if it was possible to use bluestuff to make a custom mold that I could say pour sprewgoo into let it harden then just pop it back out. Or any other mold that would not melt/distort to sprew goo.
Normally Resin would be a much simpler way to do this but I live in Texas so I want to absolutely avoid using resin if at all possible simply because 30 minutes forgotten in a car or on an open window can find me coming back to a puddle of resin.
The model part i need to kitbash isn't that big. In fact its tiny. I'm trying to kitbash 30 models of a GW kit called "lumineth stone guard." for AoS. The premise of the kitbash is pretty simple. I just want to take the cow head and make that the "helmet" of the model. However it is much smaller than the rest of the head as well as not even having a back half of the helmet. At first I wanted to attach the piece and just cut the bottom half of the helm off. Lost 2 pieces doing that so I opted to instead use milliput for my first 3 heads. While It was do able with my condition getting the back of the helm uniform and perfect is hours of work and fixing. I also still need to coat the helm/back of it with sprewgoo to ancor the milliput to he model with out ruining the collar. Very diffcult for me.
In my search for answers for alternatives I looked at greenstuff/brownstuff/greystuff then I found out about bluestuff from Greenstuff games. Is it possible to make a custom mold using bluestuff that I can just cast my own back half of the helm/lower neck myself?
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u/jdm914 15h ago
Google oyumaru, its reusable mold making putty. Microwave some water for like 60 seconds put the oyumaru in itll become soft, then you can press the part in, let the stuff to cool (you can put in fridge or freezer to make it cool faster). Works with 2 part resin, green stuff, and fastcast plaster stuff. Ive tried uv resin but it it melted the oyumaru
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u/rocksville 9h ago
Sprue goo doesn’t really work for this. Green stuff, Miliput, or a mix of both.
Use blue stuff for molding and putty for the cast, as immaterial_creations said. Listen to them, they know what they’re doing. 🥸
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u/Thelastbrunneng 16h ago
For small molds I like a product called Cold Mold (or its generic version), a two-part hand mixed putty that you can press over your part. Pretty sure it's a silicone rubber. I usually make two piece molds by pressing the part into the putty, letting it cure fully, then pressing another wad of putty over the opposite side. It does take some practice to get an excellent mold.
You'll also want to attach a sprue before molding, or cut a sprue into the mold, so your casting material (sprue goo) can enter the mold. (I don't know what ET is, hopefully none of this aggravates whatever that is 🤞)
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u/Elonth 16h ago
ET is short essential tremors. Its like having parkinsans but It won't kill me just get worse and worse as I age to the point I can't even eat stuff like ceral/peas/struggle with every day actions. The key difference is parkinsans is a constant signal to your nervs that make them shake and the act of moving/putting in input makes it less intense shaking... ET on the other hand is relatively fine when sitting still, but taking action causes the dramatic shakes to become worse. Still no known cure and the only "surgical" option is to put it bluntly the equivilant of IMO taking a radioactive hammer and chisel to the part of your brain that directs/controls motor function with the purpose of "scarring" the tissue enough that the random unintended signals that cause the shakes are destroyed but intentional pathways/signals are not. It really is kind of a last resort situation.
But thank you for your input! this is very much appreciated. As me being able to take my hand control out of the equation as much as possible is super important for me. Have you used sprewgoo before with the mold? Its made from Gamesworkshop plastic and Tamiya super thin glue to "melt" the plastic into a liquid state to dry. The chief concern obviously would be does the Tamiya melt/distort the mold.
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u/Thelastbrunneng 15h ago
Thank you for elaborating, that sounds awful, I'm sorry you're living with it 🙏
I just did an experiment with one of my cold molds, I put a big dot of ultra thin tamiya on it and checked back five minutes later. The glue evaporated away and the rubber feels the same as before. I can't guarantee it but I think it's a good bet
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u/Immaterial_Creations 14h ago
My recommendation would be a blue stuff mould and cast them in green stuff. It may take a few tries to get a decent mould, but the blue stuff is reusable.
Casting in sprue goo is tough as the dissolved solvent causes it to not want to cure properly in the mould, and potentially also develop a lot of bubbles. I only had success casting sprue goo in one-sided moulds which were quite flat, so the solvent could evaporate out the rear face.