Author Topic: Cap-making with Zorb!  (Read 39348 times)

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Offline Zorberema

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Cap-making with Zorb!
« on: Tue, 17 May 2016, 10:09:48 »
Cap-making with Zorb!

Sculpting:

• The Orxplorer:
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The Orxplorer is a sculpt that I've had in mind for quite a long time. The idea behind the sculpt was to get the same feel and look as my Ork Metaljaw sculpt (they are of the same race after all), but to still keep it unique and personal! To fulfill this, I first came up with the idea of a glass-eye on the right side of the face. After a bit of thinking I went for the same style as Proffesor Moody in the Harry Potter universe has his, and it fit the design I'd thought out perfectly!

While sculpting, I personally prefer to have a rough sketch of how I want it to be made. Please note, different artisans have different preferences, but this is just what I think is the best for me. I always try to go after it a little "loosely", so to speak. The exact turn of an ear or the height of an eye is not important, it's better to change your original plan to have a nicer result in the end. So this is what I started of the sculpting of the Orxplorer with:


Just a rough sketch of how I wanted it to be made, plus a keycap and some super sculpey. One thing that is very important for me when designing caps is to make the cap the figure, instead of having a figure on top of a cap. I still like the cap to show though, but also to make the sculpt blend in with it. The first thing that I usually do is to apply a bit of sculpey to the cap and go from there to remove or add, it's hard to only add small bits without having something to go from. I made the upper part of the head first, with the nose sticking out and with the two metal balls set into place. After that I added what sticks out of the cap; eyebrow, glass-eye, leatherstraps and ears. When I was sattisfied with this upper part I cured it in the oven for 15 minutes before continuing. Having one part of the cap already cured removes the worries of damaging it, and moves your focus 100% towards the parts you're currently working on.


With the upper part finished, only the jaw was left. I did some refining and smoothing and also added teeth, but that was pretty much the only thing that I did with that part; the upper part is much more detailed. This is how the finished sculpt turned out:


After making a mold of the sculpt and casting it, this is how the final cap came out to be:


If you are interested of the process of casting this 5-shot cap, a full walkthrough can be found under • Casting - Multishotting Tutorial; this guide shows how I made every color-shot in the cap!

So this is the end of this first sculpting showcase-tutorial-ish thingy, hope you enjoyed it and/ or learned something from it!


Moldmaking:

• Basic moldmaking tutorial:
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WARNING: THIS GUIDE IS LONG, LOTS OF PICTURES

In this guide I'll go through the whole process of making 2-part molds and also different tips and tricks that I've learned from my own experiences with casting!

Part 1:
First of, you need the keycap that you want to replicate, as well as a mold-box. I use 3D-printed mold-boxes for my molds to be able to use my unimold system (See • Moldmaking - Unimold system for a full tutorial of how it works), but any other box such as cardboard, glasses or lego would work! I've choosen to make a mold from just a little plastic cup to show you that that works as well!




The keycap in this picture is my TMX master, this was the first mold I made with it! The hole in the bottom is made to be able to put longer stems into the box, such as row 1 apple alps,topre or buckling spring. Using clay and pressing the stem into it works just fine as well!


I made 3 other caps at the same time; I always try to make as many molds at possible at once, as that saves a lot of time compared to making every mold at once!



Here's pics after pouring the silicone into the molds, always pour it in the side of the mold and let it run onto the cap, that makes it flow into all small cavities better compared to just pouring directly on top of the cap! Just as the second pic shows, I like to move the mixing stick up and down in the silicone a few times after pouring in the silicone. This removes bubbles and pushes it into small holes in the mold. It can work perfectly fine without this, but I do it as an extra caution during every cast!


Here's the final cured molds! As said, I also made a mold inside a small cup just to prove it worked!


The mold can easilly stick to the sides; to get it to loosen from the sides I cut the sides with a hobby knife and then push it up through the hole under the cap.


After removing it, you can see that a bit of excess silicone may appear under the cap. It's important to remove this before proceeding with the process!


Here's the first part of the mold, completelly ready for casting! But for casting, we need a second part as well!

Part 2:
So now it's time for part 2, the bottom of the keycap! The first thing you'll need to do for this is to make sprues for air and excess resin to escape through:




I use one sprue in each corner of the mold. Many other makers also choose to have sprues in their stems, but I prefill them instead; just as said many times before, personal prefference!



To ensure this new parts doesn't stick to the old one, moldrelease is needed! I use the most common one, which is vaseline mixed with a little bit of nafta! Then you just apply this to all the surfaces into the mold by "painting" it onto the mold with a brush. No think layer is needed, just be sure to do it thoroughly so that it cover all areas of the mold!




Same as before, now just apply a moldbox for the resin to go into! This time it does not need a bottom though. Same as before, whatever you want to use is fine, I use printed ones for the usual molds, and also a plastic cup to prove it works! :P



Just as before, pour the silicone from the side and let it flow into the stem! This time it is even more important to pop bubbles with a stick, specifically press it into the bottom of the cap to press bubbles out of the stem! Same as before, just cut the sides open and the finished mold will pop out!


The two parts of the mold will still sick to itself even though release is used, but just pulling in it a little will make them easily let go of each other!


The molds are now done! To make more bottoms, just repeat part 2 with the first part of the mold!

If you have any questions regarding this process or something that you would want me to add, just write it in the thread or send me a PM!

Thanks for checking the guide out, I hope I managed to teach you learned something new! If not... well then I hope you enjoyed the pics of how I do it! :D


• Unimold system:
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Coming soon (TM)


Casting:

• Multishotting tutorial:
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In this little tutorial I will go through the process of multishotting. If you did not know, the basics of multishotting is basically molding a resin of one color into a resin of another color. This ensures a much better quality than for example painting, and is also one of the biggest challanges with casting! In this guide I'll show you the process of casting my Orxplorer! (For a look at the sculpting of this cap, check out • Sculpting - Orxplorer)

For small multi-shots, you want to use something with a pointy edge! For this, I personally either use either steel wire or toothpicks; this cap was done entirely with toothpicks! Be very careful so that you don't spill. The whole world won't go under if you spill though, just wait for it to set a little, and then remove the spill with a toothpick or a small screwdriver!


The first shot is black for the left eye and the pupil


The second shot is white for the right eye and the teeth


The third shot is cold-casted aluminium for the glass-eye. This is then polished to give it a shimmer like that of real metall!


The fourth shot is brown for the leather strap. Multishotting up walls is a little trickier than just straight down, and requiers you to either add some material that increases visciosity, or waiting until it has started to set a little. Once it is not as runny any more, you can just apply it up the walls, and it will stick there until it has dried!

For this one I had to mix orange with chestnut to get the prefered color. Managing colors is very vital to get the correct look you're out for!


The last shot is green for the whole rest of the cap! This is how it looked right when it came out of the mold!

Be sure to use the same type of resin for each shot to assure that it sticks to itself! To see how the finished cap turned out, check out • Sculpting - Orxplorer!

For any other questions or suggestions of what I should add to this guide, just write a comment or send me a PM! Hope you learned something new! :D


• Marbling tutorial:
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In this little tutorial I'll go through the basics of creating the marbling effect in your casts! I've choosen to make this golem and Esc + Fn-set in 3 colors - white blue and red. It's important to choose colors that mix well together, as they may blend while mixing them; in this case pink/ purple/ light blue.


These are all the materials I'll use for these caps (except the resin of course).


I start of by mixing a base color - white. This colorant is polyurethane based, and increases the visciosity of the resin, allowing for smoother marbeling in later stages. This can otherwise be achieved either by adding some sort of filler or metal powder, as well as waiting for the resin to set a little.


Now I just drop in a drop of each color of a highly concentrated colorant! Now it's time to mix!


Here's after the first mix. A few strokes with a toothpick is enough; just make sure you get some nice swirls.


This pic is taken ~1 minute after the last one; waiting a little and mixing again ensures that the second colorant gets deeper into the resin. As you can see, quite a bit of the white has started to show!


Now you just have to pour it straight in the molds! I applied mine to the stems with a toothpic to prevent bubbles being trapped in them.


Now just close the molds and wait!


Here's the finished products! Turned out awesome in my opinion; the golem didn't work out as well though! That is something that can happen without any real reason; the look of marbeling is so random, that sometimes it just works out worse with one cast, while it turns out great with another!

I really hope you liked this guide; for any questions regarding the process, just write a comment or send me a PM! :D


• Coldcasting tutorial:
More
In this tutorial I will go through "coldcasting" - in other words casting with real metal powders.

The general idea behind coldcasting is to add a fairly large ammount of metal powder into the resin - after the resin has cured it will keep some of the properties of the respective metal like weight shine and feel. Some usual metals that are used for coldcasting is aluminium, copper, brass and bronze.


So to start things of - these are the materials that will be used for this tutorial. (AKA just the powder, a mold, mixing cup and resin). The powder I'll use in this tutorial is copper.


Start of by mixing the resin together (Keep in mind that you need a lot less resin than usual due to the powder taking up a lot of space)


Here comes the tricky part of this tutorial - how much powder you should use. The general ammount should be somewhere between 30-50%, this differs between each material though. There's a lot of trial and error to this, if you use too much you may risk the finished cap/ stem being too brittle. A thumb rule that I personally use is to pour in powder until the pile that builds up surfaces the resin. This is just for the cups that I use, so you have to try this out yourself to master the technique.


Mix mix mix



Just pour it in and close the mold - now wait.


Here's what the cap looks like right after demolding. Now to polishing!


After wet-sanding for a couple of minutes, here's what the finished cap looks like! To find out how a copper powder-coated cap looks like compared to a coldcasted one, be sure to check out • Casting - Powdercoating tutorial


• Powdercoating tutorial:
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Heyo! In this guide I'll go through the process of powdercoating - in other words painting the mold with a fine shiny powder resembling a metal.


These are the materials that will be used. As you can see, the powder I'll use in this tutorial is copper.




Just throw a little bit of the powder in the mold and close the mold up. Now shake the mold in all directions to make sure the powder sticks to all the sides. This type of powder is very fine and will stick in a very thin layer to all surfaces. Pro tip: Do not wear fragile clothing while doing this as the powder sticks very good to everything, not just molds



Now open the mold up and pour out the left over powder. If you had enough, you will always have a small pile of left over powder. If not - that most certainly means there's some patches without color.



Last part - just fill the mold up and close it. You want to have the resin colored as close to the finished color as possible. In this case I use resin with powder copper mixed into it.


This is what the finished cap looks like! To find out what its counterpart - the coldcasted copper - looks like, just take a look at • Casting - Coldcasting tutorial
« Last Edit: Mon, 31 July 2017, 08:09:47 by Zorberema »

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 17 May 2016, 10:11:44 »
Have been planning to make this thread for a very long time! This is where I will have all my tutorials and tips, all contained in one thread! I'll post new comments in here whenever something new is made, but I'll also update the OP with the new info! The first things I've written in here now is from the process of making my newest cap, the Orxplorer! I really hope you'll enjoy my thread, If you have any questions or suggestions just comment here or send me a PM! :)

« Last Edit: Tue, 17 May 2016, 10:46:17 by Zorberema »

Offline Mattc777

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 17 May 2016, 15:36:29 »
That Orxplorer is awesome! Would look really good next to some golems. Nice work!  :thumb:

edit - Also an amazing amount of detail you put into showing the process involved in making such a cap and the molds needed to do it. Awesome resource for new makers! (Love the branding you have achieved on your molds!)
« Last Edit: Tue, 17 May 2016, 15:43:43 by Mattc777 »

Offline switchnollie

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 17 May 2016, 21:12:48 »
Very cool :)

Nice to see some of the process that you put into the cap :thumb:


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Offline dannrawr

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #4 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 01:21:21 »
very nice tutorial!!
 

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Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 01:22:34 »
Whoa!

Offline sek1ne

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 01:45:30 »
It is always really cool to see the process that folks use to make these. Thanks, Zorb. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to afford the materials to give this a shot.
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Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 04:10:46 »
That Orxplorer is awesome! Would look really good next to some golems. Nice work!  :thumb:

edit - Also an amazing amount of detail you put into showing the process involved in making such a cap and the molds needed to do it. Awesome resource for new makers! (Love the branding you have achieved on your molds!)

Thank you, I'm really happy with how the design turned out myself!

Glad you appreciated the post, I'll update it with more tutorials and tips as time goes on; I have some planned that I'll hopefully be able to add in the upcoming days!

Offline QuickDelat

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 04:38:22 »
Looking forward to see more of these tutorials and your Unimold system!

Offline Zorberema

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Marbeling tutorial
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 11:56:25 »
• Marbleing tutorial:

In this little tutorial I'll go through the basics of creating the marbeling effect in your casts! I've choosen to make this golem and Esc + Fn-set in 3 colors - white blue and red. It's important to choose colors that mix well together, as they may blend while mixing them; in this case pink/ purple/ light blue.


These are all the materials I'll use for these caps (except the resin of course).


I start of by mixing a base color - white. This colorant is polyurethane based, and increases the visciosity of the resin, allowing for smoother marbeling in later stages. This can otherwise be achieved either by adding some sort of filler or metal powder, as well as waiting for the resin to set a little.


Now I just drop in a drop of each color of a highly concentrated colorant! Now it's time to mix!


Here's after the first mix. A few strokes with a toothpick is enough; just make sure you get some nice swirls.


This pic is taken ~1 minute after the last one; waiting a little and mixing again ensures that the second colorant gets deeper into the resin. As you can see, quite a bit of the white has started to show!


Now you just have to pour it straight in the molds! I applied mine to the stems with a toothpic to prevent bubbles being trapped in them.


Now just close the molds and wait!


Here's the finished products! Turned out awesome in my opinion; the golem didn't work out as well though! That is something that can happen without any real reason; the look of marbeling is so random, that sometimes it just works out worse with one cast, while it turns out great with another!

I really hope you liked this guide; for any questions regarding the process, just write a comment or send me a PM! :D
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:08:33 by Zorberema »

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 12:33:00 »
Holy cow. Those look awesome.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 18 May 2016, 15:38:20 »
Holy cow. Those look awesome.

Thanks mate! :) Hopefully my tutorial was easy to follow so that we see some more caps like these soon! :P I totally agree, marbleing looks really nice!

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #12 on: Fri, 20 May 2016, 12:40:11 »
Digger Orxplorer TMX Fn-set! Not perfect, but I'm really happy with the overall turnout!
« Last Edit: Sat, 21 May 2016, 03:48:08 by Zorberema »

Offline funderburker

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #13 on: Fri, 27 May 2016, 16:30:30 »
Digger Orxplorer TMX Fn-set! Not perfect, but I'm really happy with the overall turnout!
Show Image


Amazing! Will start following this thread. Wow, Zorb... Jus wow. You're doing these like some professor ninja. Your work is deadly, man!
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Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #14 on: Fri, 27 May 2016, 17:29:06 »
Digger Orxplorer TMX Fn-set! Not perfect, but I'm really happy with the overall turnout!
Show Image


Amazing! Will start following this thread. Wow, Zorb... Jus wow. You're doing these like some professor ninja. Your work is deadly, man!

Hahaha, that's the funniest parable I've ever heard! Thanks a lot mate, glad you like the new stuff :)

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 06 June 2016, 15:01:26 »
Chrysopoeia Fn-sets


This is caps that will be featured in the next sale; they're cold-casted brass with a layer of gold powder fused into the surface during molding. I'll try to add a tutorial to the thread on how to achieve this effect in the upcoming week or so! :)

Ps. sorry for the caps being too shiny, not sure if that's a bad thing though ;)

Offline nocturalowl

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 06 June 2016, 16:31:11 »
Very nice tutorial Zorb! :thumb:
That multishot Orxplorer is so freaking awesome.

Offline Jeu

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 06 June 2016, 22:42:05 »
I had been pondering on exactly how multi shots were made! I had concocted up a multi mold process in my head.... :p Thanks for sharing Zorb.

Offline Kenda

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #18 on: Tue, 07 June 2016, 01:50:36 »
really looking forward to that cold casting tutorial as I'm also testing it at the moment, but the result didn't come out that good

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #19 on: Tue, 07 June 2016, 07:41:05 »
Very nice tutorial Zorb! :thumb:
That multishot Orxplorer is so freaking awesome.

Thank you, I'm happy you liked it! :)

really looking forward to that cold casting tutorial as I'm also testing it at the moment, but the result didn't come out that good

Glad I could teach you something, that's my goal making these tutorials! As said, I'll try to release a new one fairly soon if I get my new supplies in time!

really looking forward to that cold casting tutorial as I'm also testing it at the moment, but the result didn't come out that good

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, feel free to send me a PM with what went wrong and I'll try to help you as good as I can!

Offline Krytone

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #20 on: Wed, 08 June 2016, 02:07:54 »
getting better and better Zorb. And very nice tutorial. Need that orxplorer pls  :-* :-* :-*
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Offline Kenda

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 01:16:04 »
Very nice tutorial Zorb! :thumb:
That multishot Orxplorer is so freaking awesome.

Thank you, I'm happy you liked it! :)

really looking forward to that cold casting tutorial as I'm also testing it at the moment, but the result didn't come out that good

Glad I could teach you something, that's my goal making these tutorials! As said, I'll try to release a new one fairly soon if I get my new supplies in time!

really looking forward to that cold casting tutorial as I'm also testing it at the moment, but the result didn't come out that good

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, feel free to send me a PM with what went wrong and I'll try to help you as good as I can!

Thanks I tried to cast with silver powder but it came out really dull. Not sure what went wrong. Will the resin affect the result?

Offline sek1ne

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #22 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 01:33:25 »
Digger Orxplorer TMX Fn-set! Not perfect, but I'm really happy with the overall turnout!
Show Image


This guy looks really cool. This tutorial is also really awesome.
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Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #23 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 09:46:45 »
Chrysopoeia Fn-sets
Show Image


This is caps that will be featured in the next sale; they're cold-casted brass with a layer of gold powder fused into the surface during molding. I'll try to add a tutorial to the thread on how to achieve this effect in the upcoming week or so! :)

Ps. sorry for the caps being too shiny, not sure if that's a bad thing though ;)

*Still not* ~sHiNy~* enough*.  :cool:

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #24 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 09:55:00 »
Hey Zorb, would you be so kind as to share your STLs?

This is a great tutorial and I'd love to use your method.

I'm sure I could make those with a little frustration in sketchup but I'm really a designing noob and would rather be casting :)

This is a great tutorial. Do you not use a pressure pot at all? Amazing.

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #25 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 10:06:58 »
I've managed to recreate that box fairly closely.

I'll upload my models to thingiverse one I've successfully printed.
« Last Edit: Fri, 10 June 2016, 10:42:34 by TheVengeance »

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #26 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 11:10:44 »
Hey Zorb, would you be so kind as to share your STLs?

This is a great tutorial and I'd love to use your method.

I'm sure I could make those with a little frustration in sketchup but I'm really a designing noob and would rather be casting :)

This is a great tutorial. Do you not use a pressure pot at all? Amazing.

Hey!

I could deffinitelly try to do that, the stl's I have have my logo on them, but I could modify them before upload.

Yepp, I indeed use no pressure pot! Nothing I'd recommend though; if you have available resellers, I'd definitelly say go for it! You get the value for it back eventually. I'm personally looking for one at the moment; in no rush though as it's worked fine for me so far!

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #27 on: Fri, 10 June 2016, 11:29:23 »
I'd say.

I've tried many many method using gravity so far and nothing as smooth or consistent as you are managing so you must be doing something right.

I've cooked up a mouldbox, it's currently printing, I'm then gonna copy your method exactly, if I still get bubbles and issue then I give up :)

What I like about your methos is a) I can clearly see how the unimould system will work, very clever, and b) very little wastage of silicone.

Just this morning I used 130 grams of the stuff on one half of a mould for 2 caps, your method probably uses about 20g. Awesome.

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #28 on: Sun, 12 June 2016, 01:12:45 »
So, gonna give this method ago later...

This mould box is 100% original. Definately not inspired or stolen from Zorb's design... Nope.

But seriously, great design Zorb and forced me to model something myself for the first time instead of using thingiverse for everything.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #29 on: Sun, 12 June 2016, 10:20:57 »
I'd say.

I've tried many many method using gravity so far and nothing as smooth or consistent as you are managing so you must be doing something right.

I've cooked up a mouldbox, it's currently printing, I'm then gonna copy your method exactly, if I still get bubbles and issue then I give up :)

What I like about your methos is a) I can clearly see how the unimould system will work, very clever, and b) very little wastage of silicone.

Just this morning I used 130 grams of the stuff on one half of a mould for 2 caps, your method probably uses about 20g. Awesome.

So, gonna give this method ago later...

This mould box is 100% original. Definately not inspired or stolen from Zorb's design... Nope.

But seriously, great design Zorb and forced me to model something myself for the first time instead of using thingiverse for everything.

Really glad to hear you appreciate the design; It works great for me, so hope it will for you as well! Yeah, it allows for both the unimold system to work, and also makes you use a lot less silicone per mold! I use around 15-20g silicone per mold, depends on the cap molded.

Your design looks real good, I like those squares in the corners for fitment. Did you do them on all 4 sides or just 2? I make small cuts in the corder of one side of the mold to make orientating the pieces easier. Without that it is impossible to know which is up and down after you've filled in the resin!
I'd love to hear how your caps from the molds work out, hope it goes fine! No problem for getting you into modeling ;)

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #30 on: Sun, 12 June 2016, 11:39:49 »
I have 3, 2 on one side and 1 int he middle on the other. As everything else was super symetrical I could see myself making sideways caps.

Only other mod I mad was a small line 5mm from the top to serve as a fill indicator, mainly so I have some idea what's above the cap and to also try and make all of them semi consistent.

For the top halfs i used the same model, just moved it down through the bed 6mm so that the base wasn't there.

I will start my first cast tonight so I'll let you know :D

How do you secure the cap to the mould? Plasticine from within the hole, glue on the top?

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #31 on: Sun, 12 June 2016, 11:47:08 »
How do you secure the cap to the mould? Plasticine from within the hole, glue on the top?

Sticky tack!

Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #32 on: Mon, 13 June 2016, 06:55:44 »
That's awesome, I didnt have any so used plasticine, worked as well :)

So, do you ever use your 3d printer for anything else cap related?

I recently started closing mine up and preheating the heated bed to create a kind of warm chamber, nothing crazy but just raising the temp a few degrees above ambient, worked nicely for some resin and for some silicone.

I've also found that when printing something, because the board gets warm and there's clearance I can warm them just by plopping them on the bed.

Up to now your method is working nicely, just waiting for the silicone to set off and then I'll do the bases later. I only had 24 hour resin before but have some that touts 4 hours now so that should speed things along. I'm hoping all this time the sprue sizes were my issue and so by following your league hopefully all my problems will go away.

You ever used the method where you close it and syringe it into the cap through a sprue, or where you pre-fill and set the stems first?

Offline ApocalypseMaow

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #33 on: Mon, 13 June 2016, 07:50:51 »
Neat!!!
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Offline peazy

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #34 on: Mon, 13 June 2016, 19:53:27 »
I saved your orxplorer post on r/DIY as soon as I saw it! Great job! Your tutorial is also a breeze to read and understand.

Do you find a benefit to multishotting the design, as opposed to painting the mold and fusing the pigments to the resin?  I ask because I see you cast the brass caps using that technique (if I understood correctly).
I've also read elsewhere that in order to get a brighter/truer color it is recommended to paint the mold and then pour the casting material.  I'm curious if you've noticed a difference.
Thanks!

Offline Marshal

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #35 on: Wed, 15 June 2016, 16:45:25 »
Extremely informative. Going to use this as a reference if I ever decide to make my own HHKB mods

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #36 on: Wed, 15 June 2016, 17:21:09 »
I saved your orxplorer post on r/DIY as soon as I saw it! Great job! Your tutorial is also a breeze to read and understand.

Do you find a benefit to multishotting the design, as opposed to painting the mold and fusing the pigments to the resin?  I ask because I see you cast the brass caps using that technique (if I understood correctly).
I've also read elsewhere that in order to get a brighter/truer color it is recommended to paint the mold and then pour the casting material.  I'm curious if you've noticed a difference.
Thanks!

Multishotting will always be the alternative which ensures the highest quality since the plastic goes down deep into the cap. When painting, even in the mold itself, the color does not go down deep and may wear down with use/ get damaged from small scratches etc.

I cast the brass caps by mixing about 30-40% brass powder into the resin before pouring. This gives the finished cast a lot of features that brass has, such as a metallic look, feel and weight. With the golden ones I coat the mold with a layer of gold before casting the brass into it, giving it the same weight and feel as the brass, but the look of gold. Since the gold is a powder, it is sucked deep down into the resin and ensures it is fused with the finished cap.

About the colors; unless you use powder colors, having the right brightness should be no problem.

Extremely informative. Going to use this as a reference if I ever decide to make my own HHKB mods

Glad to hear! Do not start out with making HHKB mods, it's a real struggle! Source: Working on it right now.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #37 on: Mon, 29 August 2016, 10:42:49 »
Entling V2

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #38 on: Mon, 29 August 2016, 10:46:27 »

Offline deductivemonkee

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #39 on: Mon, 29 August 2016, 11:01:24 »
oh yeah I saw that crazy **** if that doesn't win I'm deleting my account

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Offline Epic

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #40 on: Mon, 29 August 2016, 16:51:24 »
Entling V2
Show Image


Always getting better! I love your work - the low profile is killer. Your guide has been tremendously helpful. Hope my casts will get to your level someday.

Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #41 on: Mon, 29 August 2016, 17:05:26 »
Awesome!  You'd never know that Ent was a keycap as it's so well disguised, yet it doesn't look like it gets anywhere near neighboring keys :eek:
120/100g linear Zealio R1  
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Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #42 on: Tue, 30 August 2016, 04:17:27 »
Always getting better! I love your work - the low profile is killer. Your guide has been tremendously helpful. Hope my casts will get to your level someday.

Thank you! :D Glad to hear you've appreciated the guide - I'll get back to updating it as soon as I'm done with the current sale! :)

Awesome!  You'd never know that Ent was a keycap as it's so well disguised, yet it doesn't look like it gets anywhere near neighboring keys :eek:

Thanks man! Yeah, it stays in its "cube" still :P

Offline pinkizhip

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #43 on: Tue, 27 September 2016, 12:58:01 »
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for continuing to be supportive of new enthusiasts. <3
Check out our Artisan keys at Primecaps.ca

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #44 on: Tue, 27 September 2016, 14:55:57 »
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and for continuing to be supportive of new enthusiasts. <3

Hey!

Thank you for the support, glad to hear it's appreciated! Sorry for the delay on the upcoming tutorials - been really hectic with the sale, but should be able to do it sometime soon tm

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #45 on: Sun, 09 October 2016, 15:29:35 »
WIP
Not quite sure what his name is yet - feel free to come with suggestions!  :)
« Last Edit: Sun, 09 October 2016, 15:41:40 by Zorberema »

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #46 on: Sun, 09 October 2016, 15:41:43 »
WIP
Not quite sure what's his name yet - feel free to come with suggestions!  :)
Show Image


What a little cutie.

Offline Mattc777

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #47 on: Sun, 09 October 2016, 16:16:54 »
WIP
Not quite sure what his name is yet - feel free to come with suggestions!  :)
Show Image


This looks great! Really unique - can't wait to see it finished!  :thumb:

Offline Raenbo

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #48 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 02:31:05 »
WIP
Not quite sure what his name is yet - feel free to come with suggestions!  :)
Show Image


Jabba ;)

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #49 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 03:05:35 »
Thanks guys!

Finally got an instagram, so I suppose this is the best place to advertise it! :D

Follow me @ZorbCaps! :)

Offline pinkizhip

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #50 on: Mon, 10 October 2016, 12:56:39 »
WIP
Not quite sure what his name is yet - feel free to come with suggestions!  :)
Show Image


Ball bearing for the eyes, Brilliant! I was having a tricky time getting uniform balls for eyes that didn't get mushed when working on the rest of the head.

It looks like a baby sea monster to  me, like it would grow up to be the creature of the black lagoon. I love his expression. He looks Gumpy  *hrumpf
Great work!
Check out our Artisan keys at Primecaps.ca

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #51 on: Fri, 21 October 2016, 08:31:30 »
For those that didn't know, the fantastic KeypressGraphics did an awesome paint job of one of my entlings!



Auction for this cap can be found here on his website! :) http://keypressgraphics.com/product/entling-v2/

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #52 on: Fri, 21 October 2016, 08:35:25 »
For those that didn't know, the fantastic KeypressGraphics did an awesome paint job of one of my entlings!

Show Image


Auction for this cap can be found here on his website! :) http://keypressgraphics.com/product/entling-v2/

It's majestic!

Offline Phenix

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #53 on: Fri, 21 October 2016, 08:45:21 »
Lovely! (reminds me of the psycho in borderlands)
Winter is coming.

Offline Zorberema

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Coldcasting tutorial
« Reply #54 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:33:44 »
• Coldcasting tutorial

In this tutorial I will go through "coldcasting" - in other words casting with real metal powders.

The general idea behind coldcasting is to add a fairly large ammount of metal powder into the resin - after the resin has cured it will keep some of the properties of the respective metal like weight shine and feel. Some usual metals that are used for coldcasting is aluminium, copper, brass and bronze.


So to start things of - these are the materials that will be used for this tutorial. (AKA just the powder, a mold, mixing cup and resin). The powder I'll use in this tutorial is copper.


Start of by mixing the resin together (Keep in mind that you need a lot less resin than usual due to the powder taking up a lot of space)


Here comes the tricky part of this tutorial - how much powder you should use. The general ammount should be somewhere between 30-50%, this differs between each material though. There's a lot of trial and error to this, if you use too much you may risk the finished cap/ stem being too brittle. A thumb rule that I personally use is to pour in powder until the pile that builds up surfaces the resin. This is just for the cups that I use, so you have to try this out yourself to master the technique.


Mix mix mix



Just pour it in and close the mold - now wait.


Here's what the cap looks like right after demolding. Now to polishing!


After wet-sanding for a couple of minutes, here's what the finished cap looks like! To find out how a copper powder-coated cap looks like compared to a coldcasted one, be sure to check out • Casting - Powdercoating tutorial
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:47:59 by Zorberema »

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #55 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:35:30 »
I wonder what the mystery cap is.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #56 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:39:08 »
I wonder what the mystery cap is.

Powdercoated copper golem - you'll see in some minutes when I release that one ;)

Offline pinkizhip

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #57 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:49:14 »
Thanks for the instructional! I see that you do not use a spruce for your stem? Have you tried it with a spruce for the stem before however this gives you the best results? (or was if just the obvious choice :confused:) I'm currently trying to ensure my stems get filled but don't know if this is just a not using a pressure system issue or if there is some way I could do it better.

Thanks in advance for any more tips you have  ;)
Check out our Artisan keys at Primecaps.ca

Offline Zorberema

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Powdercoating tutorial
« Reply #58 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:49:31 »
• Powdercoating tutorial

Heyo! In this guide I'll go through the process of powdercoating - in other words painting the mold with a fine shiny powder resembling a metal.


These are the materials that will be used. As you can see, the powder I'll use in this tutorial is copper.




Just throw a little bit of the powder in the mold and close the mold up. Now shake the mold in all directions to make sure the powder sticks to all the sides. This type of powder is very fine and will stick in a very thin layer to all surfaces. Pro tip: Do not wear fragile clothing while doing this as the powder sticks very good to everything, not just molds



Now open the mold up and pour out the left over powder. If you had enough, you will always have a small pile of left over powder. If not - that most certainly means there's some patches without color.



Last part - just fill the mold up and close it. You want to have the resin colored as close to the finished color as possible. In this case I use resin with powder copper mixed into it.


This is what the finished cap looks like! To find out what its counterpart - the coldcasted copper - looks like, just take a look at • Casting - Coldcasting tutorial
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:54:03 by Zorberema »

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #59 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:50:45 »
I wonder what the mystery cap is.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #60 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:50:58 »
Thanks for the instructional! I see that you do not use a spruce for your stem? Have you tried it with a spruce for the stem before however this gives you the best results? (or was if just the obvious choice :confused:) I'm currently trying to ensure my stems get filled but don't know if this is just a not using a pressure system issue or if there is some way I could do it better.

Thanks in advance for any more tips you have  ;)

I always pre-fill my stems, and I've found that sprues while doing this in MX stems often causes more problems than it causes good. Keep in mind that this is just for my specific resin and workflow, so always try out different stuff yourself and see what works for you personally! :)

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #61 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:51:19 »
I wonder what the mystery cap is.

Get outta here

Offline romevi

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #62 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:52:03 »

Offline pinkizhip

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #63 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:53:23 »
Thanks for the instructional! I see that you do not use a spruce for your stem? Have you tried it with a spruce for the stem before however this gives you the best results? (or was if just the obvious choice :confused:) I'm currently trying to ensure my stems get filled but don't know if this is just a not using a pressure system issue or if there is some way I could do it better.

Thanks in advance for any more tips you have  ;)

I always pre-fill my stems, and I've found that sprues while doing this in MX stems often causes more problems than it causes good. Keep in mind that this is just for my specific resin and workflow, so always try out different stuff yourself and see what works for you personally! :)

Thank yee for giving me another option to try.  Off to make a new mold *runs out of the room*

Check out our Artisan keys at Primecaps.ca

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #64 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 14:54:50 »
Thanks for the instructional! I see that you do not use a spruce for your stem? Have you tried it with a spruce for the stem before however this gives you the best results? (or was if just the obvious choice :confused:) I'm currently trying to ensure my stems get filled but don't know if this is just a not using a pressure system issue or if there is some way I could do it better.

Thanks in advance for any more tips you have  ;)

I always pre-fill my stems, and I've found that sprues while doing this in MX stems often causes more problems than it causes good. Keep in mind that this is just for my specific resin and workflow, so always try out different stuff yourself and see what works for you personally! :)

Thank yee for giving me another option to try.  Off to make a new mold *runs out of the room*

Haha, good luck!

Offline alveeno

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #65 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 15:56:52 »
Last time I tried coating my mold in powder, the cap had powder over it still after it cured. Do you wash or rinse your caps after this?

Offline brizzzle

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #66 on: Fri, 28 October 2016, 21:36:01 »
great stuff zorb! this is definitely stirring up some ideas.

Offline coozney

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #67 on: Sat, 29 October 2016, 02:21:11 »
As someone who wants to try out making artisans eventually, I'm sure this guide will be super useful when I eventually get around to trying it out!
                     
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Offline TheVengeance

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #68 on: Sat, 29 October 2016, 04:08:41 »
I use Zorb's techniques. I even totally copied his mold box design.

Prefilling stems is the way to go, you don't need a sprue.

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #69 on: Sat, 29 October 2016, 17:31:23 »
I use Zorb's techniques. I even totally copied his mold box design.

Prefilling stems is the way to go, you don't need a sprue.

Glad to hear you like the way I do things, but I would always recommend trying different things out for yourself as well! There's so many factors that play in to what works - resin, silicone, workflow, pressure etc. etc. Also personal prefference. There's always things that you can do better/ in other ways than me, so try for yourself as well! The stuff I post here may not automatically be the "way to go", it's simply the way I do it! :D

Offline alveeno

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #70 on: Sat, 29 October 2016, 21:34:01 »
I never pre-fill my stem :O

Offline cocie3

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #71 on: Thu, 03 November 2016, 12:50:59 »
Very nice tutorials Zorberema!
I'm very new to the artisan keycaps (hell, i'm new to costum keycaps at all!), but the ones you make are truly amazing!
Would you be so kind to share the STL's of the mouldbox just like TheVengeance requested? (Or maybe i can get them from him haha?)
I would love to give casting caps a try, so that would help me alot!
Keep up the amazing work!

P.s. What kind of silicon do you use to make the moulds? And what type of resin to make the caps?

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #72 on: Thu, 03 November 2016, 13:24:10 »
Very nice tutorials Zorberema!
I'm very new to the artisan keycaps (hell, i'm new to costum keycaps at all!), but the ones you make are truly amazing!
Would you be so kind to share the STL's of the mouldbox just like TheVengeance requested? (Or maybe i can get them from him haha?)
I would love to give casting caps a try, so that would help me alot!
Keep up the amazing work!

P.s. What kind of silicon do you use to make the moulds? And what type of resin to make the caps?

Hey!

Thanks, glad to hear you like the tutorials :)

My N1 tip would be to try it out for yourself. My moldbox is made after what I have noticed works for me and the supplies I use, go ahead and try some generic ones out at first (LEGO/ cardboard works fine) and try to see and solve any problems you encounter! Your supplies may have totally different problems than the ones I use!

The resin and silicone that I use comes from this site: http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/. Specifically I'd recommend this kit: http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/#!/starter-kits/silicone-mould-resin-casting-starter-kit.html. Keep in mind that they're UK based though!

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #73 on: Thu, 03 November 2016, 13:29:17 »


My first pressurized cast!!!

So happy with the turnout of this! Thanks to the help of the amazing N3rdly I've finally gotten my 3D printed backsides (
More
) made in a high-end printer, so that is a huge improvement as well! This Sparkey was made with coldcasted aluminium - came out really cool in my opinion!

Offline Bambino

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #74 on: Thu, 03 November 2016, 15:36:44 »
Nice work dude, that new belly looks like $ynth-level quality, if not better :thumb:

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #75 on: Thu, 03 November 2016, 18:58:00 »
Nice work dude, that new belly looks like $ynth-level quality, if not better :thumb:

Thanks bambino! :) Yeah, really pleased with the turnout - came out really smooth!

Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #76 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 12:15:56 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!



Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

Offline Fictiouz

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #77 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 12:19:08 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!

Show Image


Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

ZORB OMG! I'M AT WORK AND AM FREAKING OUT. THAT'S UNREAL!  :-* :'(
Halifax, NS Meetup | "I know you'll come back to me, I'm like a good kind of herpes, I'm impossible to get rid of." - 27
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Offline Zorberema

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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #78 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 12:20:47 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!

Show Image


Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

ZORB OMG! I'M AT WORK AND AM FREAKING OUT. THAT'S UNREAL!  :-* :'(

Hahaha, glad you like it buddy - it's all yours!  :))

Offline Fictiouz

  • That "White" Guy
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #79 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 12:26:50 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!

Show Image


Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

ZORB OMG! I'M AT WORK AND AM FREAKING OUT. THAT'S UNREAL!  :-* :'(

Hahaha, glad you like it buddy - it's all yours!  :))

He looks awesome I can't believe how the multi-shot turned out; it's so impressive. He's so punk looking :))
Halifax, NS Meetup | "I know you'll come back to me, I'm like a good kind of herpes, I'm impossible to get rid of." - 27
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Offline tomboy

  • Posts: 90
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #80 on: Fri, 04 November 2016, 17:13:52 »
Sparkey is quickly becoming one of my favourite designs ever! I'm in love  :D

Offline The_Boom_Boy

  • Posts: 76
  • Location: Western Australia
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #81 on: Sat, 05 November 2016, 02:37:36 »
The new cast looks insane i am loving the flat black one it shows so much character!

Offline suicidal_orange

  • * Global Moderator
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #82 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 14:53:32 »
He's cute, looks how I'd imagine a dragon would if they came from tadpoles instead of eggs :thumb:
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Offline coozney

  • Posts: 18
  • Location: Minnesota
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #83 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 22:03:23 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!

Show Image


Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

Looks great!
                     
KBP V60 Mini          Corsair K70 RGB

Offline Elth

  • Posts: 374
  • Location: California
  • Easy now fuzzy little man peach
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #84 on: Sun, 06 November 2016, 22:34:58 »
First multishot of Sparkey! :D Colorway is "Fictive"!

Show Image


Eyes + mohawk + wing "bones" - Black

Wings + Toes - Grey

Body - White

Holy crap Zorb, that little guy looks amazing!
TGR Jane V2 | TGR 910 | TGR Jane CE

Offline Komatoz

  • Posts: 96
  • Click Clackity Away~
    • Komatoz Kaps
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #85 on: Mon, 16 January 2017, 07:41:39 »
Thanks a ton for sharing your tutorials!! I am looking forward to getting better at my (currently super noob) artisans and hopefully get a fraction of your results haha.

Your stuff is AMAZING!!


Btw, if I may ask. What white pigment and color dye ink things did you use for the MARBLE tutorial? I am totally clueless on what kind of dyes/inks/whatever they are called, are supposed to be used in keycap casting.
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Offline lovechan

  • Posts: 139
  • one for all,all for one,I'm lovechan,doing better.
    • HLZZ Keycaps
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #86 on: Mon, 16 January 2017, 18:48:52 »
When will the next sales start? :))

Offline Zorberema

  • * Maker
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #87 on: Tue, 17 January 2017, 01:40:26 »
Thanks a ton for sharing your tutorials!! I am looking forward to getting better at my (currently super noob) artisans and hopefully get a fraction of your results haha.

Your stuff is AMAZING!!


Btw, if I may ask. What white pigment and color dye ink things did you use for the MARBLE tutorial? I am totally clueless on what kind of dyes/inks/whatever they are called, are supposed to be used in keycap casting.

Glad to hear you like and got help from the thread, appreciate the support! :)

The base white that is used is a polyurethane based paste colorant from West & Senior. Link: http://easycomposites.co.uk/#!/resin-gel-silicone-adhesive/pigments-and-dyes/polyurethane-colour-pigment/white-pu-colour-pigment-for-casting-resin.html

The marble colorant is a highly concentrated tinting pigment from Easy Composites. Link: http://easycomposites.co.uk/#!/resin-gel-silicone-adhesive/pigments-and-dyes/translucent-tinting-pigments/translucent-tinting-pigments-for-clear-casting-resins-set-of-10.html

I'd suggest looking around for what suits you - these work great for me but there will always be different materials that suit better for different types of resin etc.

Good luck with the making! :)

When will the next sales start? :))

https://countingdownto.com/countdown/zorbcaps-sale-7-the-great-unfreezing-countdown-clock

Offline lovechan

  • Posts: 139
  • one for all,all for one,I'm lovechan,doing better.
    • HLZZ Keycaps
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #88 on: Thu, 19 January 2017, 23:12:59 »


When will the next sales start? :))

https://countingdownto.com/countdown/zorbcaps-sale-7-the-great-unfreezing-countdown-clock
[/quote]

Entered! fingers crossed.  sparkey~sparkey~sparkey~ (╭ ̄3 ̄)╭♡

Offline ummummhm

  • Posts: 3
  • Umm Hm - What does that do again?
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #89 on: Fri, 20 January 2017, 20:16:14 »
Amazing tutorial on the process. My only experience with casting has been with lost wax, sand casting, or anything molten metal related. It's great to see a way to cast without burning things!! I'm curious what the inital setup costs are if you want to make your own artisans. I know some hobbies can be fairly expensive but you seem to have optimized your process. This is really great work!

Offline Meika

  • Posts: 45
  • Is this easy mode?
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #90 on: Sun, 22 January 2017, 10:13:36 »
I actually just bought powders myself (gold and silver) and when I used it, I mixed it with the resin and I was like "wtf is this, it doesn't do anything!" god I feel such a genius right now lol Thanks to your tutorial I now have the right idea to use it lolol

One question though if you don't mind, after the resin have cured and you have popped out the keycap, does the powder leave any residue at the mold or do they all stick to the resin? I just wondered if it would be a pain to clean after.

Thanks!

Offline Zorberema

  • * Maker
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #91 on: Sun, 22 January 2017, 10:48:07 »
I actually just bought powders myself (gold and silver) and when I used it, I mixed it with the resin and I was like "wtf is this, it doesn't do anything!" god I feel such a genius right now lol Thanks to your tutorial I now have the right idea to use it lolol

One question though if you don't mind, after the resin have cured and you have popped out the keycap, does the powder leave any residue at the mold or do they all stick to the resin? I just wondered if it would be a pain to clean after.

Thanks!

Glad it helped! As long as you get out the extra bit of powder after it's all coated you'll be mostly fine! I have had small pieces stick sometimes during the first cast after a coat. No big chunks or anything, but you can see it glitters in gold a bit on the surface. Could use that for some cool effects though, so as long as you're aware while making a cast after a powder-coat you can use it to your advantage :)

Offline Meika

  • Posts: 45
  • Is this easy mode?
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #92 on: Sun, 22 January 2017, 12:56:40 »
I actually just bought powders myself (gold and silver) and when I used it, I mixed it with the resin and I was like "wtf is this, it doesn't do anything!" god I feel such a genius right now lol Thanks to your tutorial I now have the right idea to use it lolol

One question though if you don't mind, after the resin have cured and you have popped out the keycap, does the powder leave any residue at the mold or do they all stick to the resin? I just wondered if it would be a pain to clean after.

Thanks!

Glad it helped! As long as you get out the extra bit of powder after it's all coated you'll be mostly fine! I have had small pieces stick sometimes during the first cast after a coat. No big chunks or anything, but you can see it glitters in gold a bit on the surface. Could use that for some cool effects though, so as long as you're aware while making a cast after a powder-coat you can use it to your advantage :)

Since I still don't have any pressure equipment yet, here's another question  ^-^ my main issue with bubbles is they tend to stay at the stem (resin curing). Aside from the pre-filling, do you have any other advice? I tried putting gaps in my mold but it's still there. Is the pressure equipment the only answer? Thanks again!  :)

Offline ummummhm

  • Posts: 3
  • Umm Hm - What does that do again?
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #93 on: Wed, 25 January 2017, 20:20:08 »
Im not sure if this applies. But I know when creating plaster castings it helps if you gently tap the plaster filled mold on a hard surface to force the bubbles out. I had success with that in the past. Not sure if it applies to resin and plastic. :/

Offline Zorberema

  • * Maker
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  • Posts: 175
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #94 on: Fri, 03 February 2017, 03:35:59 »
Some new caps for a future event!


Aventurine Entling


White RGB Sparkey

Offline ArchDill

  • * Esteemed Elder
  • Posts: 1380
  • Location: OK
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #95 on: Fri, 03 February 2017, 03:39:46 »
Some new caps for a future event!

Show Image

Aventurine Entling

Show Image

White RGB Sparkey

Nice! Love the Entling.

Offline KeLorean

  • Posts: 167
  • Location: Space Coast, FL
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #96 on: Wed, 26 July 2017, 13:09:32 »
this tutorial taught me a lot thanks. i've been coming along with my resin casting but i still have a few questions.
1) is there a time limit to multishot casting? i was under the impression that after the cure time expires the resin won't stick to new shots of resin. have you had any problems with that?
2) are u degassing the resin when multishooting for the initial shots and then pressure chambering the final shot?
3) most of my casts are smooth, but sometimes a fingerprint shows up and i always have to remove sprue connections. do u ever sand/polish resin? if so what is the technique and materials used?
Click it OR Ticket!

Offline darkrocker

  • Posts: 4
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #97 on: Fri, 28 July 2017, 01:44:52 »
It's the best tutorial for me.
I used to make caps for several months and your tutorial makes me know something that I didn't (the marble part).
I have some questions, can you please help me to answer:
1. Multishotting tutorial: we add the different color by layer right? this means you do 1st the layer for the eyes, then 2nd for teeth, 3rd for leather strap,... right? Because based on the image in your instruction, it looks like you put all the clear resin into the mod, then use the toothpick to fill the layer.
2. Multishotting tutorial: Do we need to wait until complete cured (hard) before adding another layer?
3. Marbleing tutorial: just have the question about the colors. As I see in the image, 2 part are transparent color, then you add a drop of opaque color and mix right?
4. Marbleing tutorial: And what kind of color should I use, i used to test with transparent color and it has no problem. but when I used the acrylic color or pigment I have the problem that the color is not solvent 100% to the resin. Can I have your advise here
5. The resin i made usually not hard, it still a bit soft. about 70 - 80%. I don't know the problem coming from: I try to change the mixing ratio from 3A: 1B to 2A: 1B and it not resolve the problem. I also try to mix a cup of resin, then I use apart to make key cap, another to coat on the small wood. the cast on wood is hard 100% but the keycap is still 70- 80% hard (although it comming from the same mixed resin). If you have an experience on this problem, can you advise me?

Offline Zorberema

  • * Maker
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  • Posts: 175
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  • IG: @ZorbCaps
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #98 on: Sun, 30 July 2017, 16:27:18 »
this tutorial taught me a lot thanks. i've been coming along with my resin casting but i still have a few questions.
1) is there a time limit to multishot casting? i was under the impression that after the cure time expires the resin won't stick to new shots of resin. have you had any problems with that?
2) are u degassing the resin when multishooting for the initial shots and then pressure chambering the final shot?
3) most of my casts are smooth, but sometimes a fingerprint shows up and i always have to remove sprue connections. do u ever sand/polish resin? if so what is the technique and materials used?

1. Yes, you want to to cast the second shot before the first one has finished curing (but still hardened enough not to flow into the second one). This varies from resin to resin, so the best option would just be to try! You do not need to be super exact with it though, just make sure it does not sit for many hours.

2. No, I only pressure the last shot. The resin I use have very good abilities to let air out when not enclosed. The most important part when pressurizing is after putting the backside of the mold on.

3. Haven't experienced that myself except with one transparent resin I tried. The issue with that one was that it was not made to handle walls as thin as the keycap, which caused the cap to cure much slower than I'd like. I'd say look into getting another resin and not going for polishing every cap!

It's the best tutorial for me.
I used to make caps for several months and your tutorial makes me know something that I didn't (the marble part).
I have some questions, can you please help me to answer:
1. Multishotting tutorial: we add the different color by layer right? this means you do 1st the layer for the eyes, then 2nd for teeth, 3rd for leather strap,... right? Because based on the image in your instruction, it looks like you put all the clear resin into the mod, then use the toothpick to fill the layer.
2. Multishotting tutorial: Do we need to wait until complete cured (hard) before adding another layer?
3. Marbleing tutorial: just have the question about the colors. As I see in the image, 2 part are transparent color, then you add a drop of opaque color and mix right?
4. Marbleing tutorial: And what kind of color should I use, i used to test with transparent color and it has no problem. but when I used the acrylic color or pigment I have the problem that the color is not solvent 100% to the resin. Can I have your advise here
5. The resin i made usually not hard, it still a bit soft. about 70 - 80%. I don't know the problem coming from: I try to change the mixing ratio from 3A: 1B to 2A: 1B and it not resolve the problem. I also try to mix a cup of resin, then I use apart to make key cap, another to coat on the small wood. the cast on wood is hard 100% but the keycap is still 70- 80% hard (although it comming from the same mixed resin). If you have an experience on this problem, can you advise me?

1. I do not quite understand the question here. Yes, they're added layer by layer. Not sure what you mean by the transparent resin!

2. No, more the oposite, see the (1.) answer above!

3. No, the opposite here as well. I mix the resin completelly with a opaque colorant, then I add one drop of transparent colorant. As my trans colorants are so concentrated, it makes for a good and smooth marble effect.

4. Hmm, my only advice here would be to add it in smaller ammounts to a few different places in the mixing cup, instead of one big in one place.

5. Sounds like the same problem as the above commenter. Look into your resin properties and see what it says; gettin another resin is the only advice I can give you!

Offline romevi

  • Formerly romevi
  • * Exalted Elder
  • Posts: 8941
  • Location: The Windy City
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #99 on: Sun, 30 July 2017, 19:10:52 »
I'll zorb your erema.

Offline Zorberema

  • * Maker
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #100 on: Mon, 31 July 2017, 07:46:59 »

Offline luismonterieart

  • Posts: 30
  • https://miluxkey.com
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #101 on: Mon, 04 December 2017, 02:46:20 »
Thank you so much for your tutorials! Its was easy to follow and everything work on my first attempt! :-*
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Offline kenji

  • Posts: 18
  • one day at a time
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #102 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 13:28:42 »
Amazing sculpts and great tutorials! You made super clean designs and easy to follow instructions.

Have you tried sculpting/casting with a synth or are you only sculpting directly onto blanks and using your mold boxes?

Also, I may have missed it but what are some good ways to reduce bubbles when I cast without a pressure pot?



Offline Jtheme

  • Posts: 6
  • Location: United States
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #103 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 15:30:57 »
Amazing sculpts and great tutorials! You made super clean designs and easy to follow instructions.

Have you tried sculpting/casting with a synth or are you only sculpting directly onto blanks and using your mold boxes?

Also, I may have missed it but what are some good ways to reduce bubbles when I cast without a pressure pot?

I'm no Zorb, but I tried everything I could find online to get rid of bubbles with no success.  At least not with polyurethane resins.  I was able to get clear casts when using an epoxy resin and a blow torch.  However, I ultimately purchased a pressure pot.

Offline BlindAssassin111

  • Posts: 1106
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Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #104 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 15:36:12 »
I'm no Zorb, but I tried everything I could find online to get rid of bubbles with no success.  At least not with polyurethane resins.  I was able to get clear casts when using an epoxy resin and a blow torch.  However, I ultimately purchased a pressure pot.

I am looking at casting a full set of keys in either a clear resin or slightly tinted as I want a set of shine through set of alps caps. How clear did your epoxy caps come out? What pressure pot did you buy?

Offline Jtheme

  • Posts: 6
  • Location: United States
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #105 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 16:20:20 »
I'm no Zorb, but I tried everything I could find online to get rid of bubbles with no success.  At least not with polyurethane resins.  I was able to get clear casts when using an epoxy resin and a blow torch.  However, I ultimately purchased a pressure pot.

I am looking at casting a full set of keys in either a clear resin or slightly tinted as I want a set of shine through set of alps caps. How clear did your epoxy caps come out? What pressure pot did you buy?

My epoxy caps came out crystal clear, you just have to wait a really long time with epoxy.  And you'll want to find an epoxy that doesn't yellow like "ArtResin".  I ended up getting the C.A. Technologies 2.5 Gallon Resin http://www.finishsystems.com/resincastingpressurepots.html I didn't want to make my own or modify something else.  I wanted to make sure this thing wasn't going to blow up in my house ha!

Offline BlindAssassin111

  • Posts: 1106
  • Location: Behind you
  • I design keyboards and stuff.
    • Viktus
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #106 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 16:26:32 »
My epoxy caps came out crystal clear, you just have to wait a really long time with epoxy.  And you'll want to find an epoxy that doesn't yellow like "ArtResin".  I ended up getting the C.A. Technologies 2.5 Gallon Resin http://www.finishsystems.com/resincastingpressurepots.html I didn't want to make my own or modify something else.  I wanted to make sure this thing wasn't going to blow up in my house ha!

Sweet!! I can't wait to do this project, even thinking of making my own double shot shine through caps for alps. Since no company will ever make them, I need to do it myself.

Offline 9999hp

  • Posts: 157
  • Location: Present
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #107 on: Thu, 07 December 2017, 19:55:34 »
Youre tutorials are excellent, thank you for sharing.

Offline ju6ju8Oo

  • Posts: 129
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #108 on: Sat, 17 March 2018, 20:26:26 »
what's the Unimold system?

Offline Vloshko

  • Posts: 165
  • Location: Cali, Colorado, & Israel
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #109 on: Sat, 17 March 2018, 22:34:34 »
If I ever get my hands on a simple Entling I would like to do some electroforming with it like I do with some of my glass art. Selecting only specific parts.
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Offline gr4v3m4n

  • Posts: 112
  • Location: kaps land
    • my store
Re: Cap-making with Zorb!
« Reply #110 on: Mon, 26 March 2018, 17:00:23 »
hi there, i just got a pressure pot and i’m encountering some problem.
i’ve tried casting under pressure 3 times now and for some reason my resin doesn’t want to cure, it just stayed in elastic mode i’ve tried to balance the mixture using scale still the same result. does pressure affect the curing prosess? cause i have the same problem with my silicone curing under pressure, seems that it took longer to cure. i dont know if my silicone and resin is expired  cause i just bought them.
i cant get access to most common type of resin you guys use like smooth-on or alumilite so i just have a non branded d-80 resin and i use rtv silicone.


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