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Resin Cast Terrain Tiles - All colors and translucent!

Talyn

New member
Just wanted to show a little project I did yesterday. I made silicone 2 part molds of a 2 hex, 1 hex and water terrain tile. I can now make resin cast copies of these terrains in any chosen color or translucent color. The resin can be colored and dyed for solid or metallic colors with acrylic paint.

I did a few clear blue ones and added blue reflective glitter for a cool effect. I plan on doing a few water tiles in metallic silver like metal plates, and probably some lava tiles as well. They are exact duplicates of the original tiles and fit and work perfectly with real terrain.

Here are pictures of my first few test pieces.

cast_terrain_1.jpg


cast_terrain_2.jpg


cast_terrain_3.jpg


cast_terrain_4.jpg
 
Amazing.

How fragile are they? I know that some resins can be brittle when thin, and that would be fairly thin.
 
these are fairly strong. For these I used urethane Smooth-on Smooth-Cast 325, after curing overnight, they can be bend a little but they go back to their original form, so they arent going to chip or anything. Alternatively, I ususally cast in cheap polyurethane automotive fiberglass resin which is stronger, but a little more brittle. The stuff you see in the pictures is strong but also flexible, so it wouldnt ever crack.
 
How much does it cost to make the Molds and tiles.
Im looking for a cheaper way to get more tiles without buying more MS.

also, how hard is it to make the molds, and what do you use?

CH4071C
 
molding silicone i use is $25 plus shipping for more than youd need, trials sizes. Check out smooth-on.com. I use smooth-sil 920. Youd also need mold release if you make a 2 part mold. I wouldnt suggest doing it if you dont have some experience, it can get costly if you mess up.
 
idealy my mold would have been done differntly and cleaner, but i was running out of silicone at this point, it was actually for another project. The biggest problem youll run into with casting these is because of how thin they are, youll get bubbles. This isnt as much of a problem when making them solid colors as the bubbles are mostly on the bottom, but since these particular ones are clear, you can see them through.

cast_terrain_5.jpg


cast_terrain_6.jpg


cast_terrain_7.jpg


cast_terrain_8.jpg
 
Those make better ice & sparkly water. Might as well make a multi colored Crystal World type of terrain to.

As for the bubbles.. you need a vacuum chamber.
 
cant afford a chamber. and like i said, i can do solid colors too, this isnt just limited to clear terrain.
 
Those are awesome, if you ever decide you want to trade any after you get going drop me a PM. Perhaps we could work something out.
 
Well solid colors are a given since even if you could not add the pigments you could always paint them... I've just been pondering crystal-cavern type of terrain for a while ;). Maybe the crystals that contaminate the wellsprings. And I like the large tiles used as ice more than the water level... the cracks shape on the taller hexes really pull it off.

I am pondering using this to reproduce my Gate if I ever finish the gate. I will just have to remember to keep the gate 2 part moldable because I do not want to mess with more than 2.

I also have some other ideas I could use this for :) I've been pondering buying stuff to make molds for a while, just that there were so many types brands version numbers... I needed a specific number to start with, so I am going to start with what you listed. (Ive already had a class where we made molds).
 
Talyn said:
idealy my mold would have been done differntly and cleaner, but i was running out of silicone at this point, it was actually for another project. The biggest problem youll run into with casting these is because of how thin they are, youll get bubbles. This isnt as much of a problem when making them solid colors as the bubbles are mostly on the bottom, but since these particular ones are clear, you can see them through.

Supposedly if you put just a tiny bit of talc based baby powder on your mold before casting it helps eliminate bubbles. Or you can get a paint pressure tank for a good chunk of change.

R~
 
Do you have any images of your tiles interlocked with official terrain tiles? I know you said they work perfectly together, but there are no pictures to illustrate this.

Nonetheless, very cool looking!
 
That is the grooviest custom idea I've ever seen. :) What are the chances we could get a tutorial on how to make a mold?
 
Great job, Talyn!! Those look amazing and appear to fit nicely with the official hexes.

Newb.
 
how did you pour the resin so that your 2part would work correctly? i've been racking my brain thinking of how to do this exact thing(since i like to use hexes on all my customs and i'm running a bit low on singles) but i always come up with i'd have to do an injection mold, which i did not want to do(mostly due to the cleaning of the extra sprue) and speaking of bubbles i learned that if you do an injection mold, if you keep two air passages(one for the injection) then the second hole will help the release of the bubbles.
 
i pour more resin than needed into the bottom part and then lay the top over that, which pushes out the excess, but has enough to form the top texture of the tiles. Alternatively, i could have molded the top and sides as one half and then pour the resin into that and then place on the back piece, which would push out the extra resin and make the insets in the backs.
 
Why not do a 2 part mold with break away tree parts?

A hole to poor in, a few routes for it to spread to each part, and a hole for air to escape... the way its done in this demonstration/tutorial that everyone might find usefull...
http://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/molding_casting.htm

Is there a reason... or you just did not do it that way?

Can this silicon be cut up and reused in a future mold to fill in space like other silicon mold or is there a chemical in it that prevents it?
 
These are excellent. I've been hesitant to repaint my existing hexes so they are double terrain(like sidewalk/asphault), but these could be a cheaper alternative. Also, it would be neat to create a mold of a hex with the indention for the destructible building. Then perhaps it could be set up with different configurations from the current one. :ponder:
 
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