# Can I use Apoxie sculpt to cast a single clear part?



## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Hi everyone:

Sorry if this has been covered before. I did do a search and couldn't find anything. The question is this:

Can I use Apoxie Sculpt to make a mold for a single, small, plastic part (in this case, the ARC reactor chest piece of the 1/9 scale Dragon Iron Man) and cast it in clear resin use my Apoxie Sculpt mold? 

If not, I guess I have to decide if it's worth the money to buy the supplies I need to do it right. Thanks for the advice!

Brad.


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

Dr. Brad said:


> Hi everyone:
> 
> Sorry if this has been covered before. I did do a search and couldn't find anything. The question is this:
> 
> ...


I would think that the clear resin would stick to the Apoxie Sculpt. The only way I can think it might work would be to line the A.S. mold with Saran Wrap before pouring but that would end up sticking to your cast part. If you don't mind that I'd give it a try.

A good alternate way to make this part would be to use Amazing Mold Putty. Its an easy to use two part RTV material that is practical for making a small run of parts. It lists for $20 but I usually use a 40% of coupon from Michael's or Hobby lobby and pay $12.

http://amazingmoldputty.com/


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Just get some Mold Putty from Hobby Lobby. APoxie Sculpt will dry rock hard so you wont be able to flex it and get your casting out


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Okay - I've got a coupon for Michael's so it looks like it's "Mold Putty" to the rescue!


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## Mr. Wabac (Nov 9, 2002)

I would go with the RTV putty as a first choice.
If you have some time (and were willing to waste some resin) you could look at buying some Silly Putty for a dollar and try using that.

You will likely get some mold distortion, but Silly Putty is basically silicone-based so (in theory) it should work.


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## wjplenge (Apr 14, 2011)

You may want to check for reviews on the putty you plan to use, I recall seeing reviews on Amazon for a mold putty (I don't recall which brand) that caused clouding when it was used to cast clear parts.


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Thanks - I'll do that!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

casting clear resin parts is not easy in itself. There was a recent discussion on Hyperscale about it by some professional resin casters.


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Rats. Well, I have to give it a try! I really want to use a clear piece for the reactor....


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## Spockr (Sep 14, 2009)

Dr. Brad said:


> Rats. Well, I have to give it a try! I really want to use a clear piece for the reactor....


When you say 'clear' do you mean _transparent _or _translucent_?

If you want transparent or water clear you might consider using polyester casting resin *BUT* it really is bad stuff. It contains harsh chemicals and has a strong solvent odor. If you decide to use it ventilation is a must.

Epoxy casting resins on the other hand are more translucent that clear and are usually low odor. If you are planning to back-light the reactor a translucent material will diffuse the light more effectively than a material that is water clear.

This gallery show some experiments I did with Polyester resin so you can see an example of what I mean by transparent.
http://s876.beta.photobucket.com/user/Spockr/library/Clear Resin Experiments

This gallery shows torches I make using an epoxy casting resin for examples of a lighted translucent material.
http://photobucket.com/TerrorTorches

Does this help?

Regards,
Matt


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Thanks Matt! That is very helpful! And actuallly, translucent would be better than water clear.... Great work, by the way!


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## Rotwang (May 25, 2011)

Polyester resin has a lousy shrink rate- something like 7%.


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## northjason (May 10, 2003)

Mr. Wabac said:


> I would go with the RTV putty as a first choice.
> If you have some time (and were willing to waste some resin) you could look at buying some Silly Putty for a dollar and try using that.
> 
> You will likely get some mold distortion, but Silly Putty is basically silicone-based so (in theory) it should work.


That's an interesting idea for doing small one-offs. Seems I always buy too much product for my own very small needs, and it goes bad when I don't use it for a year or two.


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## northjason (May 10, 2003)

So, got interested, did a google search, and found this:





Looks like silly putty will work. Another article suggests pushing your part into the putty, then putting in in the fridge. I'm betting the freezer would firm up the putty much better, so that you could pull your original without distortion.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Looking at the Dragon Iron Man it seems easy enough just to shape this disc from the end of a clear plastic or plex rod. You could shape it on a Dremel tool. Just polish it, dip in future, glue in place.


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## Dr. Brad (Oct 5, 1999)

Yes, I definitely could shape the disk, and I'll do that if the casting doesn't work out. But there are surface details on the piece which I'd like to preserve, so first .... silly putty!  Thanks for the link, Jason.


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

I've used to silicone putty from Michael's, and while expensive, it does work as advertised. Note though, that the molds will be very flexible. you may want to back them up with something before you do your casting.


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