The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #455: Enlarging Resin Hoverboards

This week, I'm talking about the use of a solvent (mineral spirits) to enlarge a silicone mold to enlarge resin pieces. I'm making copies of Logan's hoverboard, Lightning, from The Thirteenth Hour with this technique.

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #455: Enlarging Resin Hoverboards

https://archive.org/download/podcast-455/Podcast%20455.mp3

This week, I’m using a technique I learned from the Crafsman Youtube on the use of mineral spirits to enlarge silicone molds, which essentially allows you to enlarge resin pieces you have to sizes that are about 30 % bigger.  The mold, when bathed in mineral spirits, becomes puffed up and allows to you cast a larger piece from the swollen mold.  If you are happy with the size, you can make it permanent by making a mold of the new piece.

I did this for a small clay sculpt of Logan from The Thirteenth Hour’s hoverboard, Lightning.  I wanted to create a handful of larger ones for future action figures.  

This is the bigger hoverboard I got from the mineral spirits inflated mold.  You can see I’ve started demarcating a section that will be sanded away to make room for a piece of sheet metal so the figures’ magnetic feet can stick to it.

The gray hoverboard above is the original clay sculpt.  Use of the mineral spirts technique increased the size of the hoverboard by about a third.

Though I could just cast a bunch of copies using the inflated mold, the mineral spirits will evaporate in a few days, shrinking the mold back to its original dimensions.  The process started after a day or so, which is why the original mold looks misshapen above.  So, it’s usually a good idea then to make a new mold from the new sized piece.

Two part silicone ready to mix for the new mold.  

The silicone has just been poured into the mold.

Underneath, you can see what it looks like.  The excess silicone will be trimmed.

Once cleaned up, the new mold can be used to make copies.

Here’s the near-final product prior to sanding, priming, and painting.

Thanks for listening!

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Check out the growing line of Thirteenth Hour toys and other products on the Thirteenth Hour Studio Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio).  There are a number of custom figures from retro films being sold for charity that available there as well.  For example, the hunter action figure from A Shadow in the Moonlight is now done and available on Etsy!

There is also a growing collection of Thirteenth Hour stickers on The Thirteenth Hour Studio store on Redbubble!

Check out this collaboration with past show guest Jeff Finley on handpan: 

Follow along on Spotify!  There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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