Tinting and Physics

Is it physics or science?   Amazing the things we retain from school that we thought we'd never need or use.

Tinting is an art unto itself.  Do what you want here.  I don't believe recording results on paper will help.

Tinting is different for different types of resins.  For the clear urethane resins, a tiny pin drop of resin is too  much.  The light blue you wanted is now midnight blue.  If you are using a white resin, you need to over power the white or your navy blue comes out as a light sky blue.  Regular colors are more akin to pastels.  So you might use a couple of rain drops of resin.

And then there is the laws of Physics.  The laws of Cohesion and Adhesion.  These laws basically state that a liquid will "cling" to its container and grab it.  If you look at a spoon with water in it, you can actually overfill the spoon to almost twice its capacity.  The water grabs the edge of the spoon and starts to bubble up in the center . In a container, it ''climbs'' the side of and gives a "U" impression with the sides higher in the jar/container than in the middle.

So when you squeeze the bottle of dye, the drop is never the same.  Sure the hole size in the tip of the bottle never changes, but if you squeeze slowly, you can virtually create a drop of dye any size you want.  And if Im working with urethane and need only a smidge... how do you halve a pin drop?

Well enter my darling wife to the rescue.  My wife is not one of the fashion boutique women who spends all day getting her nails done, but she is VERY smart.  And she recommended these nail polish painter balls.

They are small balls of different sizes attached to a pencil like shaft.  You use these to put the paint on in controlled amounts.  So I made a few at work and will use them to try and get more control over the amount of dye Im adding.

Otherwise, you could (I have) end up making 7 casts or more or less before you get the color you are trying to match.  Its trial and error and very hit and miss.

Pics Coming in a bit...

Self Aligning Mold

Here is a better view of the Self Aligning mold being tested on Marauders feet.  The center hole is not for alignment but to ensure the mod stays together at the center.  The square build up ensures the mold can only go together one way and will not slide, so no alignment pins are needed.  As its a sprue mold, I will be using backing boards to keep the mold from splitting. 

I'll complete the mold next weekend and report my results.

 

**Post Edit**The mold is finished and turned out better than even I expected!

Silorg Warrior Made By Takara...WOW

I'll be sure to add pictures.  Im making some Silorg fists for a friend.  Upon inspection, on the back was the date stamp 1979 TAKARA.  I had no idea.  Grandstand Convertors were made by Takara???

I was floored, but upon further reflection, shouldn't have been.  This is by far the single most superior Magno I have ever owned.  The magnet joints have such a powerful connection because of all the precision fits and bevels of the plates.

Paying extra because a figure is rare is common.  But every once in a while you hit the daily double with being blessed at getting an item that is not only rare but built with excellent precision fits.

This one is it.  For the first time in a long time I actually feel like I got a fantastic deal even though I paid over $500 for it.  It is worth every penny.  Pics coming shortly.

SELF ALIGNING MOLDS

Im working on some mold designs that will eliminate the dents you put in the mold for alignment.  Basically, its almost self aligning.  Its like a jigsaw puzzle piece, it will only go together one way.  It doesn't require any extra work or effort on my part.

The sprues will be on the bottom of his feet.  An area easily sanded.  Rather than sink the part into the clay, (when you push the piece into the clay, if it isn't a thick enough part, you can stress the master and even slightly misshapen the part and flaw your mold.  Building the clay up and around the master takes more time, but provides a truer mold and better casts.  ALSO...pushing the part into the clay makes the part ''stuck'' in the clay.  The clay will not want to easily release from the master when you flip it over to make the 2nd half of the mold.  You run the risk of the master separating from the freshly poured/cured silicone of the first half of the mold.  If this happens an air pocket will develop and fill with silicone when you do the second half.  This little film in the air pocket will fall out after a cast or two and the you get a distorted cast. 

Building up the bed around the master takes longer but provides for easy clay removal when doing the second half of the mold ensuring the master does not move. 

This took me about 5 hours for this half.

I'll post the results after I finish the 2nd half and if it works as well as I hope.  The pin in the center isn't needed.  After I took the picture I had this idea.  I have since removed it.