Two-Part Mould - Part Two

Well? Did it work?...Yes and no. 

I think I just need more practise to work out the 'tricks' to doing this, but I think I am probably stretching the practical uses of Instant Mold by attempting two-part casting. Don't get me wrong, it is possible - with care - but I think the whole idea of Instant Mold is quick and easy press moulding really.

Two-part moulding is a slightly more complicated and precise type of moulding and - to be honest - if you are going as far as taking the time to make a properly aligned two-piece mould you will probably want to make something you can keep and use a lot of times.

So, what went right?
Well the quality of the cast was good it captured the general shape of my original object very nicely. And using Milliput mean I had a really hard duplicate that I can sand or otherwise modify further.

So, what didn't go right?
Registration. I did try to make registration dimples in the Instant Mould so the two halves of the mould would come together precisely, but I just didn't do a good enough job. The two halves slipped when I tried to put them back together again with the Milliput inside and so the cast was mis-aligned...

Now, I could rescue this casting by cutting it down the middle and realigning the two pieces again. But that kinds makes the whole process of trying a two-part mould a but of a waste of time. I might as well have just moulded the two pieces separately and then stuck them together at the end...

Alternative way of doing this (or how to rescue a failed two-part mould) is
to simply revert to doing the casting as two single part moulds and then to
glue the resultant pieces together. Perhaps? :(

The result of 'one piece' moulding the helmet parts. Now I don't have the
alignment problem BUT I now have to clean up and glue the two halves
together. Not so cool!

But the good thing about Instant Mold is you can just melt it down again in boiling water and start again. And this time I would make better registration marks (dimples) in the mould so that the whole thing aligns better (hopefully).

...And then again, I'm starting to think that I might as well invest in a proper resin casting set if I am going to start to do more complex casting from a much more detailed original. The resin mould would also have a longer life and allow me to use cheaper resin as a casting medium rather than expensive Milliput...

The Sylmasta Resin Casting Kit (£38). Perhaps the next
step in my casting experimentation?

Conclusion
Well, I feel I learned a lot about what Instant Mold is good and not so good for. It's ideal for one-piece press moulding but not so ideal for larger more detailed 3D two-piece casting. You can do it at a pinch, but the whole idea of Instant Mold is that it's 'instant' and you use it to copy something quickly and then re-melt it to use it again for something else.

My failed two-piece mould, melted back down to use again
for another mould. Best attribute about Instant Mold.

It's definitely a great tool to have on your workbench and I will be experimenting with it again to see what else I can copy (and I will be trying out different casting mediums, like Green Stuff and even PollyFilla plaster). But I think I will invest in a resin casting kit as well.

Anyway, to end off this post, here's my fudged two-piece (two separate single castings) pith helmet. I glued the two pieces together to make the complete helmet with super glue. It's a passable rescue of my failed (proper) two-piece mould attempt, but it will do for my prototype figure I'm making!

Two-Part Mould - Pith Helmet

So far I have made a very simple 'press mould' using Instant Mold (excuse the spelling but it's a Japanese product) to copy some basic shapes for my peg soldiers. Now it's time to get a bit more adventurous with a more complex shape and multi-part mould.

I'd like to make duplicates of a 'pith helmet' (think 'Zulu'), a prototype master I have made from - you guessed it - Milliput...

OK, my sculpting isn't great, but these helmets are for my peg 'toy soldiers' so absolute accuracy isn't quite as crucial. It's more of a caricature.

Now, how much Instant Mold will I need for this? Considering that this is quite a big hat and it will be a two-piece mould I'm thinking it will need two whole sticks...

Better to err on the side of caution an make too much rather than too little, especially as I intent to cast the peg's 'head' as well (I'll explain why later). Also, I drew a pencil line down the centre of the piece to give me an idea of where to make the mould halves.

First Attempt...
So...Turns out I needed substantially more Instant Mold than I thought! In fact, to get the space around the object I wanted to cast - so I could include reference points - I needed double what I originally estimated (two sticks)...

I think I'm probably stretching the envelope with Instant Mold regarding the size of the object I can cast accurately. It's quite a deep object and Instant Mold seems to handle shallower object better.

The bigger the object to cast (and the more complicated the shape of that object) the longer time you have to spend pushing the Instant Mold tightly into all the nooks and crannies of that object...And time is crucial element in this process, as the Instant Mold is cooling and hardening while you are doing this. So...You may end up having a few attempts in order to get it right!

SO, TIP 1: WORK FAST!

This is where things get tricky...Adding the second half of the two-part mould. It's definitely more art than science and you'll have to keep your fingers crossed. Unfortunately, you won't really know how successful you are in your mould-making until you actually make your first casting.

This isn't precision fitting, the jelly-like consistency of soft Instant Mold means that there is some movement when you press it into the object. Press the sides and the top and bottom move a little, sometimes opening a small gap between the object and the Instant Mold. It can be a little frustrating.

TIP 2: TRY, TRY, AND TRY AGAIN (If your mould isn't good enough, melt the Instant Mold down and start again.)

Still, as I alluded to earlier, the proof is in the pudding and you will only know how good your mould is when you make your casting.

I'm using Milliput again as the casting medium. I fill each half of the mould with the Milliput and then press the two halves together (so that the Milliput sticks together)...

And now the long wait while the Milliput dries. This will be a bit nerve wracking.

Next: I open the mould - will it be a good casting? Hope so!

Operation Pickelhaube

With my French peg soldier unit well underway I am starting to turn my mind to producing a matching German Confederation troop...And - sooner or later - that will mean making some Prussians.

You can't get around it, wargaming the Franco-Prussian War - by definition - means you will be including some Prussian units. And that - in turn - means pickelhaubes!

It's a strange little helmet and I have been a bit baffled how I should model it. I decided to try and cast it - as I will need half a dozen - so I thought I best start with a basic shape which I could then sculpt into the final helmet...

If I started with a simple upturned 'bowl' shape I thought I could make several different shaped helmets. It was a very easy shape to cast but would need mounting on a peg so I could work on the shaping and the adding of the peaks...

However, I wasn't satisfied with the rounded shape...The Pickelhaube isn't really round, it has a flatter top and steep sides (a sort of squished semi-sphere). So I did some sanding and added some peaks using more Milliput putty (and sanded some more) and made another casting...

Second attempt...The sculpt is in the brown Milliput which
was then moulded to give me a working object with which I
can modify further before casting yet again!

I think this is a better shape now, so I can take this on and
make a new working casting.

I know this sounds like a lot of work - with multiple castings - but I decided I want to protect my basic shapes as I go along and then modifying only the resultant copies. This is so that, should I go wrong, I can go back to the previous shape (and mould) and start again.

Making a new mould with Instant Mold...It's a simple matter
of pressing the object to be cast into the softened material.
The Instant Mold hardens again as it cools and then you
have a mould.

And so...Now I have my final mould (my third) I can start banging out my working casts. Luckily, one of the best things about Instant Mold is that you can reuse old moulds by reheating them again, so there is no waste.

Next: Basic shapes done, I can now start to 'decorate' the helmet.

Casting Headgear Experiment

Continuing on from my last post where I tried to restart my project plan for this blog (create a 'peg soldier' army), today I took a look at my initial casting experiments. This very quick and simple experiment was really so I could witness the process involved in using Oyumaru Instant Mold. I didn't put much planning into it, I just followed the instructions to see if I could produce some castings.

Well, the good news is that the process worked fine!

My only criticism is that I pressed in too much Milliput putty so left myself with a little too much excess, which I would now have to cut away. But, it's no biggy as the main goal was just to see if I got anything to cast at all.

Moving forward I could be a little more careful about filling my moulds OR (as some have commented) don't build up my moulds so that they allow so much overflow (another comment suggested that I cut down my hardened mould, as I did with the Pickelhaub mould, so that the putty I use just comes up to the top of the mould casting). Either way, I'll move on to making more economical and better shaped moulds the next time.

The level of detail is good enough for me and - as I suspected - using Milliput means that I have a very hard cast object. (So it was worth the wait.)

Getting into Hot Water!
By the way, on a procedural issue, I have to confess that I didn't monitor the temperature of my hot water - with a thermometer, as in some tutorials - when I soaked my Instant Mold. I took the easy route and just boiled a kettle and used the boiling water straight out of that. The Instant Mold softened in three minutes, so you don't have to be absolutely exact in your temperature monitoring! :)

Finishing Off the Casting
Well, how difficult was it to trim away the excess Milliput? Actually, it was easy - I used a Tamiya Craft Saw (like a craft knife with a fine saw-blade) and it went through the Milliput very quickly...

Not bad (for a first attempt)! I'll start banging these out for my first peg-soldier 'regiment' - some French Chasseurs à Pied (light infantry) - I just need six Kepis.

Oyumaru Instant Mold Summery
Well, it turned out not to be rocket science and it's a great little product for what it is. If you are a plastic kit or miniatures modeller this is a fantastic 'emergency' component copier. I've lost small kit parts before and if they are part of a pair Instant Mold can allow you to duplicate the part you need or make extra parts if you want.

It is what it is though, don't think it's ideal for banging out a large number of objects. I'm probably stretching it's capabilities with my need for half a dozen duplicates, particularly because I am using slow hardening Milliput. (I'll look into some other faster hardening casting mediums, like plumbers silicone for example, etc).

But there you go. Quick and easy duplication - I think I'll try a two part mould at some point.

April Update

Well, it's been an unproductive month since my last update due to illness (again). I'm afraid that when I don't feel well I don't feel 'creative', so things tend to grind to a halt. BUT, I'm starting to feel a bit better now, so I've spent the weekend tidying my work-tray and remembering where I left off.

I also did a pit of peg-painting, though, although not military related it did get me some practise. It was just a couple of peg-people gifts for some friends...

As I say, not military but these little figures did teach me a couple of things that I can bring forward and apply to my peg-soldiers.

One of the main lessons was about using 'permanent' markers. I tried using water-proof pens for drawing the fine outlines and to begin with it looked like it was working well (I invested in some good quality permanent markers this time). But, much to my horror, the spray varnish I used to gloss the finished figures reacted with the pen ink and the lines all ran!

After the initial shock, I picked myself up and did a careful repair job and managed to salvage this model. The lesson for me was - stick to outlining with acrylics and a brush!

I *believe* that the spray acrylic lacquer I use although 'acrylic' contains a spirit based propellant (?) and this is what reacted and reactivated the pen ink and made it run. I've bough a can of brush on varnish to experiment with to see if this makes any different, as using pens is a quick and effective way of drawing sharp lines. We shall see.

Anyway, back to military themes...
My plan is to do a small army of peg-soldiers for a tabletop game based on the Portable War-game rules. In the format I have chosen 'regiments' will be symbolic and made up of six figures in each unit (for infantry).

The campaign I am interested in is the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, ideal Victorian 'toy soldier' inspiration. This conflict featured a plethora of colourful uniforms on both sides, particularly because (and forgive me here because I am not a historian) because at this point Germany was still a sort of confederation of allied independent kingdoms.

Just one of the many varied uniforms of the German Allies, here Bavarian
troops are involved in an assault at the battle of Wissembourg, 1870.

France, of course, was it's usual flamboyant self and fielded some wonderfully romantic uniforms (which had already had a big influence on the earlier American Civil War of the 1860s). But the German confederation - while perhaps a little more sober - had not quite yet succumbed to a unified and standardised 'field grey' and each minor kingdom had it's own distinctive collection of uniforms.

I hope to illustrate this diversity in a - as yet - non-unified greater Germany by including some of the less well-known troop types and not just the infamous, Pickelhaube helmeted Prussians!

My sketch for a German infantryman (Landwehr). I've simplified the
uniform and equipment to compliment the peg format and also to
be a little more 'toy soldier' looking.

To help me along in my uniform choices I am referring to Osprey's excellent Men-at-Arms 'German Armies' 1870-71 (vols. 1 & 2) and their 'French Army 1870-71' (vols. 1 & 2).

Production Issues - Helmets
Something I've mentioned before is my worries over how to replicate the distinctive headgear. Cutting all my 'parts' from just the basic wooden peg, while satisfying in it's way, is a bit limiting, especially if you want to create more complex components. (Think about the unique German Pickelhaube helmet and you'll understand the problem...How do I cut that out of a cylindrical piece of wood?)

A Prussian Pickelhaube, how would I make that from a peg?

So, after a long think I decided to 'cheat' and make the headgear as composite object using as much wood as I can but then adding the tricky details using modelling putty to make a master prototype. Once done, I will them copy the design by creating mould and casting a clone in Milliput putty...Simples. (?)

I'll be having a crack at this process using a product called 'Instant Mold' (I don't want to get into resin casting for these short run duplications.

So, to begin I need some basic wooden geometric or primary shapes to start off with. I'm starting with a French Kepi and the dome for a Prussian Pickelhaube. Although the Kepi is complete and made from wood it is a bit tricky to duplicate because of the sloped and obliquely cut top, which is why I want to cast it instead. The Pickelhaube dome will be the basis for further sculpting using Milliput putty, but I want a shaped blank to start with, so I'm casting this too...

This *should* be a easy process (according to the YouTube tutorials I have watched) and should simply entail my pressing the hat shapes into the softened Instant Mold to create copies of the shapes I want to cast. Going on my experience, though, nothing is ever straight forward the first time you do it!

First issue...How many sticks of Instant Mold do I use? I guess this is the sort of knowledge that will only come with experience...I'm going to guess two...

Good guess! Turns out you need to allow a good margin of Instant Mold to surround your object (remember you are *pressing* the object into the mould material) and you have to make sure you have enough depth of Instant Mould (so you don't press the object right through the Instant Mold).

Anyway, to the process...You can measure the temperature and boil your water in a pan (or nuke it in a microwave) but I simply boiled the kettle and that seemed to suffice. The Instant Mold was dropped into the water (in a Pyrex bowl) and began to soften in the boiling water after about two to three minutes...

Mind you fingers getting the Instant Mold out the boiling water. I used a craft
knife to get it out.

Now, the trick seems to be - work fast! You need to make your mould as quick as you can while the Instant Mold is at it's softest. This ensures that you can push the Instant Mold tightly into your object, without gaps and surround the object completely...

It took me two goes as I worked too slowly the first time and it started to harden as I was moulding the Instant Mold around my objects (you live and learn)...BUT, the great thing about Instant Mold is that if you are not happy with your mould, then just pop it back into more boiling water and start gain!

I tried to form the Instant Mold into a sort of block(ish) around the object and press it firmly against the object to ensure I get an exact clone of my original shape. Being clear helps to spot air pockets, gaps or bubble I guess. I then left the mould to cool and harden, I didn't really time this but it didn't take all that long.

One thing I tried out, though, was that I used a new craft knife blade and trimmed the hardened Instant Mold down, roughly level with the top of the Pickelhaube blank. I did this to see if I could do a neat casting exactly to the shape of my object, without too much excess that I will have to trim off later. The Kepi mould was left alone to see what would happen...

And so, finally, onto the casting stage. Again, this should be simple, I just need to press my chosen casting medium (Milliput in my case) into the mould - hopefully without air bubbles or gaps (here the transparency of Instant Mold helps gain) - and then leave the casting to dry. Milliput normally takes overnight to cure, but there are other mediums that dry a lot quicker (I'll try some of these later), but I like the final hardness of Milliput so I'm willing to wait...

Now, obviously, my mould is a very simple single-piece press mould, but Instant Mold is capable of being used to create a more advanced two-part mould. These might create a neater casting with a little less waste, but I think I might get a bit more economical in my casting with a bit of practise.

Anyway, the wait begins. So I'll end here and see how my castings work out. But it's good to get producing again.

A pun that includes the word 'lead'?

Sorry chaps, I can't think of any amusing pun that includes the word lead....I need a cup of tea and a biscuit I think! Anyway, just a quickie from Molatero's top secret military foundry somewhere in darkest Scotland!

My brother posted up this photo of his latest eBay haul...Well, hopefully eBay and not the local church roof! :)

A shed load of lead! And a Irregular Miniatures 54mm soldier I sent him for scale reference.

He says:

"10 Kilos of Scrap Lead destined for my melting pot. Just waiting for my Bismuth to arrive and I can start blending my model metal - Lead, Tin, Bismuth. There is also a pinch of Antimony and Copper (Approx 1% each) which was inherited from the Pewter I used for the Tin content ... 

(Pewter is approx 95% to 99% Tin with varying amounts of Copper and Antimony). 

Church roof to Soldier. Ironic innit"

He is far more eloquent that me. Funny to think that this slab of metal may one day be the front line of Molatero's army!

News from Scotland - metal casting practise

Thought it might be interesting to post up some of my brother's progress in his metal casting with Prince August moulds...

This 3 piece mould kit from Prince August produces a 54mm , 10 piece, white metal model kit of a 10th Hussars ( Prince of Wales Own) Kettle Drummer...

Although no specific date is given, the drummer is wearing a busby which was replaced by the Shako somewhere around 1812/13 and it was not uncommon for both styles to be worn by troopers in the same unit at the same time. This also applies to other uniform changes of the time, particularly the colours of the uniform trimmings. This model would be OK for a Napoleonic scenario.

It took some time and multiple failed castings to get the hang of it. The Lee production pot was a great help especially combined with a multimeter with a temperature probe which allowed me to play around with different temperatures as well as just getting used to the Lee pot.

The best castings were produced when:-

The moulds were preheated either by casting or by heating in the oven
The metal was in the range 320 - 395C when poured.
The insides of the moulds were well dusted with talcum powder.
The moulds were properly aligned and firmly clamped.
The mould was vigorously 'tapped' for 10 - 20 seconds while the metal was still liquid.
The casting was allowed to cool down properly before de-moulding.
Additional vents and reliefs were cut at critical points in the mould.

The moulds were quite good quality although the location of some of the sprues and the orientation of the pieces was questionable and in some cases ( especially the drum covers) they couldn't have located the sprue in a worse place. Even with a perfect casting, a lot of otherwise unnecessary work is needed to remove the remnants of the sprue right at the spot where the drum is supposed to locate. If they had just turned the covers upside down when making the mould there would have been no problem.

A descent start, I think, into metal casting and, based on the results from this second hand mould with some minor wear/damage, I'm confident that I can get some good castings from a new mould. I rather fancy the Prince August 54mm Napoleonic Cannon. (I might be able to flog some to that Molaterian rabble).

------

Nice stuff! I do like the Prince August stuff though I do find their catalogue of soldiers somewhat limited (and expensive). However, they do provide a great way to start your investigation into metal moulding with their range of 'beginners' kits.

Ian's done a lovely job here, particularly with documenting the process. His experience gathered from this practise casting means that when it comes to producing a metal 'Harry' he will be able to create the most efficient mould arrangement.

...So I better get my skates on and provide him with something to mould! :)

(And yes, Molatero would be very keen on acquiring some new cannon!)

The melting pot cometh!

Good news from my brother - the little elf who is busying away with all the clever production stuff that I don't understand! Thank goodness for a technically minded bruv who is taking possession of a Lee Production Pot!

He's been making some terrific progress with his investigations into metal casting and has even tried out the process with a commercial mould made by Prince August...

Ian picked up this Prince August mould on eBay quite cheaply and the
quality looks superb. Believe it or not he used a second hand pewter
tankard as the source of his metal!

However, ever the perfectionist, he has decided that the ad hoc 'kitchen hobby' way of doing things wasn't the way to go and he wanted something a little more sturdy for working with molten metal (and something less likely to end up setting fire to him and his house)! Hence the Lee pot.

The eventual goal is for him to cast 'Harry' in metal. Obviously this is a long term project as poor Harry hasn't even got arms or a head yet - but knowing my brother he will spend a lot of time now perfecting his new skill until he is satisfied with the process and the quality of his castings.

...In my head, though, I am starting to think of the prospect of a metal Molaterian regiment! One can but dream.