Casting Toads & Sucking Plastic | Vlog 002

[@Miscast]

Thanks for all the support on this series so far, its so lovely. Sharing something knowing you haven't reached a conclusion (like me becoming a vacuum forming master) is really intimidating and sometimes a bit embarrassing so I appreciate everyone being so kind with their advice. Whatever info you've got to help, throw it at me and I'll do my best to explore your ideas in coming episodes.

[@Almindale]

It's all part of the journey mate, thanks for bringing us along ❤

[@TheDemonGyro]

The vacuum forming was really interesting. I love watching how you problem solve. It's very informative!

[@jokersredace]

I enjoy watching the creative process. I'm curious if you've ever watched The craftsman. I believe he's done some stuff you're trying now and I believe he's also done some vacuum molds like blister packs. I hope I'm helpful a little. Good luck and keep on doing what you enjoy. ^-^ Ps it might also go by Steady Crafting

[@OneeyedJake744]

Looks amazing! How do I access the secret vault

[@PandorasStar]

Another fun and entertaining video, love those toads! You could do this for scatter terrain, imagine trying to a building with that silicone!

[@Berserkerworks]

So many little toady births this episode, and such a proud toad dad.

[@GoobertownHobbies]

This was very useful to me in understanding how your garage is laid out. The vacuum forming bits were really fun to watch, that contraption is so janky, I love it!

[@Miscast]

Are you plotting a heist goobs?

[@GoobertownHobbies]

@@Miscast ;-)

[@NerdCraftHQ]

Same! I had been curious about that. I am always interested to see how other people lay out their workspaces.

[@Pyre001]

This man is absolutely dedicated to making giant toads in a small scale. Great stuff!

[@mossknight6118]

6:25 I have to admit, the triumphant music starting exactly on time with the toad popping out of the mold was pretty funny

[@fojjed]

This man needs to be loved and protected at all costs

[@hmuffin4036]

This very well may be some of the comfiest content on the platform. Editing is as always really cool, with a nice narration and music to boot. Thanks a lot Trent :*

[@Babyluigikarting]

Just here to say I love your Nurgle Toad. That is all.

[@euansmith3699]

"Casting Toads vs Sucking Plastic" would be a great title for a low-budget martial-arts monster movie. This was another great video. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and creativity.

[@Mighty_Average]

Another great vid dude! I used to work in a modelmaking studio and I can give you soooooooo many tips on vac forming: 1 - use styrene! its lovely and pliable when hot and keeps the heat for a decent length of time without any bubbles. 2 - you've got to get a super tight seal, any gap and it won't work how you want it. 3 - when you heat it, take it to the point when it just begins to sag and no more, if you're wearing gloves just give it a light tap, if its springy and slightly jiggly then you're golden. If its too saggy when you do it then you'll get those curtain-like wrinkles. 4 - try not to mould anything with an undercut or you'll never get it out. If your gonna do it with the toad you'll want to do it with a mould that you're happy to lose cause its not coming out any time soon! 5 - these things are great for replicating terrain. Think of your rock moulds that you made plaster moulds in. They were 100% vac formed. they're also great for making lightweight props. I used them for gun parts for a project back in the day.

[@Miscast]

Awesome! Thanks for the ideas, I'll experiment. I'm trying to source other plastic locally, if I can get styrene I will.

[@markfriesen1435]

I learned vacuum forming in design school and all these tips apply. We used a simple shop vac for the vacuum, but you need to have a smaller air box or you’ll never get enough pressure. Sandwich the plastic between two wooden frames that are just slightly larger than your air box and you’ll get a great seal. Keep the vacuum going until the plastic has cooled or it’ll relax from the reverse pressure. And yeah... as mentioned, no undercuts unless you want to destroy it cutting it out. Enjoy! Learn! And share it with us please!

[@ConjuredCraft]

The "Oh" as the cast comes out. Relatable content.

[@mitchells.madness]

The satisfaction of putting it on the shelf, but not wanting to let it go. Ooh the best

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Is it a coincidence that CAST is in the channel name and you have become such a casting specialist? I just noticed this and its like seeing the arrow in the FedEx logo for the first time

[@finnianjoyce-velez8079]

These blogs showcase what I love about your channel. There’s this sense of creative genius but it’s off the walls insane. You’ve got 8 projects going and every time you explain something it sounds like you’re on the verge of a break through for some the rest of us wouldn’t have begun to think of. The best part of these videos is that you don’t think like everyone else and it allows you to persue crazy creative endeavors

[@Barquevious_Jackson]

Watching this at 4 AM unable to go back to sleep, good use of my time.

[@TJtheBee]

Oh hey, I’m doing the same thing!

[@samuelstilger3252]

Hey man, I've been working on creating my own tabletop RPG. I've got something special but I hit writers block a lot. These vlogs just inspire me to keep going, one day at a time, instead of being overwhelmed by where I want to be eventually

[@SalmoneTattico]

i want to know more about your game!

[@NerdCraftHQ]

Your pause and face after you improved the frame were hilarious. The table jumped. Well done, friend

[@ScratchBashing]

This format is a big win. Thoroughly enjoying these vids

[@MrKhaern]

The black finish is spot on, it looks great. The belly looks sooooo smooth

[@st4lsell123]

Behold. What the hobby really is. Toady warts and all. Absolutely in love with these vlogs. 100 percent.

[@aylaktavsan]

Seeing the table bent because of vacuum really made me laugh. Also seeing someone professional making the same mistakes as I do sometimes feels really good. I love these chill vlogs. o/

[@RPArchiveOfficial]

This was goddamn perfect. The video format bleeds your personality, it's useful and entertaining and it's got a hell of an aesthetic. Spectacular job mate. Can't wait for the next one :)

[@mitchellgillies3439]

I actually love this format, especially the wee moments like you pausing the section on-screen with "oh you haven't seen this bit yet" Super charming

[@jasons.2807]

The beginning starting off with trying to painstakingly get a mold is so genuine, I love it.

[@foxtorche]

Maybe you should try with a bit lower, but continuous vacuum with that table, instead of turning the valve all the way and have one big suction that bends your table. And you could use a heat blower while the plastic is already on the toad, instead of that fire hazard machine, so you wouldn't need to transfer the plastic and turn the valve in quick succession. I guess the whole vacuum table just looks sketchy a bit, but i really loved your optimism on the progression.

[@HipposHobbyHours]

Dude yes, this is real hobbying, thank you so much for showing us this. This is me sitting at my workbench, paralyzed by my 20 unfinished projects and hyped for 5 new ones I just got ideas for. I do love some cool start to finish video's, but this, this is something else. I love the style, rhytmn, pacing, you trying new things, just you, doing hobby stuff filming it for us, thank you so much!

[@MiniatureHobbyist]

I really love these style of videos where we get to see everything, as much as I like a clean work area I love your studio as it really looks like you have lots of awesome things on the go =)

[@chromedog68]

I honestly never thought I'd see a more dodgy vac-forming setup than the one I have used in the past (cobbled together from an electric bbq and a small air hockey table). Congratulations. You win the "Sudden trip to ER at 3am" award. :D

[@pimhollander1419]

I enjoy watching you tinker away on projects you love. Makes me want to tinker and I can relate to the feeling when things finally come together and “click”. Sometimes it sucks, but when it is the vacuum that sucks, then everything is alright.

[@Bluecho4]

Professional looking frog you got there, Mr Miscast. Take a picture of that, run it through five different photoshop filters, and stick it into the Arcane Ugly book as a bit of art.

[@andresparedes-vincent2851]

I love that you have a cozy little nook right next to your workplace, super jealous

[@garrett4784]

the little stream of thought bit at 11:20 was great to watch. I love your creative process man, and you make me wanna go imagine stuff. Thanks for making these.

[@kajetanchrzaszcz]

found my favourite hobby - mini terrain and minis, thanks to you and few other artists, helps with my anxiety. thank you 🦋 keep doing what you're doing

[@shortperson7276]

Very satisfying when the toads get out the mold

[@KnightsOfDice]

Great to watch your journey with the vac former. It's probably already been mentioned but ditch that tank and hook up a regular house vacuum cleaner ... you will get a smooth, longer draw of the air, but that does require having the right thermoplastic for vac forming otherwise it will cool to quickly. That joy you feel when looking at a new cast of something you have molded never goes away ... such a wonderful feeling!!

[@Gamarishi]

"Have a little faith" you, sir, be sure that i do have a lot of faith in you! haha I have to say, seeing you that excited in the end was gold

[@Nat1videos]

I really like this Vlog format

[@turnipslop3822]

The music and chill at the end is such a nice vibe to finish on. Great to see you experimenting and enjoying your creations. Be proud of those little toads my dude.

[@NiallyWially]

Loving the new style of video. It lets your personality shine through a bit more and truly I feel that’s what sets you apart as a KZbinr. Can feel your excitement. Great stuff. Keep it up.

[@riverdelavidawilliams9624]

These vlogs are absolutely my favorite thing you’ve done so far, look forward to next weeks edition!

[@Annies_mini_marvels]

I could watch these all day

[@TabletopTitans]

This has me inspired to give casting another go!

[@Balambambuny]

Oh, so "vacuum" former" is the proper name. I've been calling it "sucking table"

[@SerPounce23]

Well.

[@lobsterharmony]

its not genuine vacuum if its not from the right region of space.

[@robbie.205]

Love to just watch you work and the methods you use. Getting something finished isn't important for me to see, it's the journey and the processes you do or don't do that I enjoying seeing done. Keep going, keep stay strong.

[@eliaskackur6576]

Best video so far I think. Loved the atmosphere and the brainstorming of spells.

[@owentrimble6358]

Actually loving the new format, hope you enjoy it too! Stay happy and healthy and don't let your channel burn you out

[@chrislee7704]

So so cool! Your videos are probably the most entertaining and relaxing in the hobby, legitimately feels like we're there chilling and working through the creative problems with you and that's really nice. Don't change a thing and keep going

[@williamscarvie4498]

Loved this vlog. The chaos of the projects in progress felt soooo familiar. Congrats on the excellent cast!

[@benweinberg3819]

Lil black toad looks lovely! For the vacuum former, maybe using the frame more in the center rather than on one edge will help get more uniform suction on all sides? Can't wait for 03!

[@SparkSovereign]

It's so wonderful to see you so happy about this!

[@wesbrooks5]

i like the deviation from typical miniature channels. i fully support the exploration of new content ideas

[@Miscast]

That's really great to hear. Thank you!

[@TLuijpen]

Enjoyed this very much....laid back experimenting and finding things out!! THX for taking us along

[@frederikwochner2653]

You’re probably my favorite hobby youtuber. Thank you for being so cool

[@willtreasure7029]

Vlog format is working really well so far!

[@samuelkane1717]

There are a bunch of DIY vac former guides on youtube and elsewhere that may help you trouble-shoot your own. I think you are correct that you aren't getting a good seal, and I believe it's because you are trying to hold the frame down with one hand on a single edge. There are a few simple solutions that may help: 1) Build the frame out into more of a box or pyramidal shape with a flat surface on the top you can apply even pressure to. Similarly this could be accomplished with a sort of angled handle attached at the 4 corners of the frame, but the precision required to get adequately even pressure may be a lot of extra work. Alternately you could combine both techniques into a sort of potato masher style frame + vertical handle setup. 2) Attach one edge of the frame to a lever that is attached via hinge to the side of your box such that in one position it holds material centrally over your heat source and in the other position it is centered over your vacuum area. 3) Similar to 2 but with a sort of swiveling crane arm instead that pivots from the heat source to over the vacuum bed then lowers directly onto the piece. Something like they use for multiple screen-printing (kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3qqknyBmtd-sMk) but you'd need only 1 arm+frame. 4) Mount the heat source above the vacuum bed and raise/lower the frame straight up and down via extendable/telescoping rails (drawer slides, perhaps? Nested PVC piping?) so you can raise and lower it one handed directly from the heat source onto the bed. This may give the added advantage of additional work time by supplying somewhat diminished heating during the forming process. If mounted too closely to the bed however, this may make the entire process uncomfortable or even dangerous. 5) Foot activated switch for the vacuum so you can focus on using your hands to hold the frame in place. On the subject of vacuum, I think your setup may be overkill. I believe Punished Props uses a simple shop vacuum, which would be very easy to foot activate with commercially available products.

[@Miscast]

Thankyou! I'll experiment and watch your suggestions :D Lots to learn!

[@maxwalker66]

Toad pops out of mold: "And there was much rejoicing."

[@jordannelson2249]

It’s so fun to see you so excited about what your working on! Love it

[@Misha..K]

Your new video style makes me happy while watching 😊💜 "Nothing's gonna explode todaaay" 😄

[@willmccleland2383]

Great video and awesome to see you taking a more relaxed approch that shows when things go wrong too it feels like we are coming on the journey with you!

[@SugarCandyMiniatures]

This is so fun to watch- I love seeing the process, but wow that vaccum-former might be more dangerous then your hot wire cutting tool XD. Be careful around those things Trent, we need you to stick around. Can't wait to buy a toad!

[@tayvar7425]

This made my day, the toads look amazing)) great job miscast 🤍

[@benhayden9198]

Brilliant! Just keep doing what you love, THATS the magic!!! 🤘

[@DrewSan11]

Another banger, 2 for 2.....is there no stopping this young hero. Now we're cooking boss!

[@Sycoinc]

the vacumm form diy is golden haha

[@silfreed1542]

Miscast, also known as the toad alchemist. I'm really enjoying the mad scientist approach to producing more toads :)

[@Miscast]

lol thanks :D

[@gnometroll1717]

I'm enjoying this vlogs a lot Tent. Something that I missed in the comments is that lovely books/reading spot you have, makes me wanna look for second hand furniture since I'm moving and I have nothing. Keep sharing this awesome journey, we are loving it.

[@nl3055]

I love everything about these Vlogs. You look so much like a kid in this one (I mean you look happy and excited by your project, it made feel happy for you). It is so interesting to see the process (the fail and the success part of it). I hope you are happy with these videos because I enjoy them very much and I hope to see more of them. But I'm sure they take a lot of work to make so take care of yourself.

[@OliverWallaceStories]

I really like the vlogs buddy, and I'm glad you have decided to keep it joyful for yourself

[@jasong.3991]

Damn that corner is looking fire and that frog is lit

[@spadexalon5385]

it almost feels like an honor to be part of the 400 first people to see this lol

[@AutisticWombot]

Hey bud, keep the vacuum pump on so that you have a continued vacuum being pulled. That should help to draw the plastic down a bit better.

[@berthulf]

Vacuum forming requires constant, consistent pressure, not a sudden burst of it, so a good pump and a fully sealed unit are required. The tank isn't necessarily a bad idea, but is likely not enough on its own: try keeping the pump running, but you need to work out how to fully seal the sheets to the table first. I would also suggest mounting the heating units over the table so they can continue to heat the sheets whilst its being positioned and sealed down.

[@onuq3r4y478]

god its so so nice to see you struggle with the vacuum former. makes me feel a lot less pressure to nail everything from the get go :)

[@ElvesofZion]

Most of the vacuum formers I've seen have the heat above the vacuum table, maybe you could mount those heaters up. Thus does two things: with the heat above the plastic you don't have it potentially dripping into the heater, and it could shorten the time between heat and vacuum, giving more working time with it soft.

[@LittleHillsTabletop]

"Snaggle Tooth"?! You have such great quotes!

[@roses7075]

Yessssssss more toads! You should give the toads some kind of fun name, or maybe just give Toad Prime a name!

[@simeonbrown3712]

Great videos, Im loving the slowed down approach focusing on the creative process. With the vac former get yourself a cheap wet dry vacuum and hook that up. with vac forming you need to hold the pressure on while the poly cools, continuous pressure is more important than high pressure, unlike the casting. hope this helps with the bellista packs getting the toads ready to ship.

[@samgotts6934]

love this new form of video u look like you are having fun and enjoying yourself more

[@mortifactorsmiko4668]

I'm digging this new format of video. Keep it up trent.

[@Miscast]

Thanks! Will do!

[@FrankyDCrafter]

I’m so happy to see this. Hope you’re getting enough sleep.

[@Miscast]

Yessssss Franky hahah

[@E4mj]

you could probably create a hollowed out middle piece to save on resin for your toad :) -- which is looking great btw!

[@paulschmidt6267]

I wish you the best. Good look for future projects and that you can find a good way to balance out your Hobby and everything else.

[@thejonathan130]

I remember my dad built a vacuum former 15 years ago. It was much smaller and he used a literal vacuum cleaner and a heatgun. The box was about 1ft x 1ft and he had built the clamps into it

[@Skaos87]

great video, and cast :)! Regarding the vacuum forming (and just talking out of my ass here) I've seen others put their object (toad) on a little buck for higher details. This is because the forms tend to be less detailed the further you're away from the highest temp middle of the plastic sheet (beside other factors) and in your case you would also be able to fight against the hight of foam-border you created (which was super important already!).

[@W-Thom]

It looks really nice. Well done.

[@jackmulcahy5046]

as i said before i love the chillness, also i love the donkey mug

[@Jelkeludo]

Well this is a wonderful thing to start the day with

[@zoogoo404]

For demoulding; a little spray with an airgun in the side usually pushes em right out.

[@Miscast]

I'll try! Thank you!

[@DoubleAvids]

For the vacuum former I think you need a constant suction. So you have more working time to pull the plastic down.

[@BulkBrogan.]

Vibe-a-licous I love thinking of you as a funky necromancer bumbling around in a swamp creating your monsters

[@_graymalkin]

I've had a bit of success doing small vaccuming stuff at home using a normal vaccum cleaner connected to a plywood box a bit like yours, but much smaller. Using a regular vaccum will mean you can pull a pretty similar vaccum, but for as long as you need it for the plastic to form to the part.

[@jokersredace]

Man I love this channel. Every Time I watch it it makes me want to continue my own projects. Honestly I hope to one day get some of the success you've gotten. Good luck and keep up doing what you enjoy ^-^

[@saltfreegamer]

What a great video. Magic. 👍

[@brendomac848]

Keep it going mate, enjoy your stuff.

[@Ranca666]

What a lovely video, i enjoyed it a lot! Thank you!

[@snifferdragon]

if you boost the thing you want to vacuum form up a bit you could theoretically get it to work better and prevent the lack of detail at the bottom a bit more.

[@DehDrowing]

I am loving this new version of the content, quality as always

[@squidly162]

Love the new format

[@kruxigore]

@Trent, I think that "table" is too big. Maybe make it about a third that size and I think the top should be closer to the bottom. I also feel you may need an assistant to turn the valve on your tank (like super fast). Seems like you're losing to much air pressure before your polycarbonate cools. The vlog is awesome 😎

[@obokanVEVO]

Love your work! These videos always inspire me to try new things or finish old projects.