Sculpting a Zombie from Monster Clay Part 3 - Pressure Casting

I look at using a pressure chamber to cast some busts of my recent zombie sculpture.
Etsy listing www.etsy.com/u...
Link for pressure chambers www.sprayequip...
Previous videos in this series
• Sculpting a Zombie fro...
• Sculpting a Zombie fro...

[@gungagalunga7761]

I hope you get along with your neighbors. One look over the fence and they might be calling Scotland Yard or MI-6. Masterful work!

[@thedarkpower]

Haha, thanks - they're used to it ;)

[@martino8114]

My sons recently surprised me with the gift of several buckets of Monster clay. I love it… I am an amateur and old lol. And I have no knowledge-base in casting in fact I’m not confident at all this hesitant to try and ruin a sculpture in the process….lol. Although I must learn or the sculptures I have made with eventually get damaged anyway by my granddaughters 🤣🤣🤣…..

[@thedarkpower]

That's cool. Best way to do it is practice on a piece you don't care about first, then you can move on to the ones you do.

[@raywalteroutdoors]

6 minutes into your first video I've seen and I subscribed. You guys help us tremendously. Thank you

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude I appreciate it, glad they're proving useful.

[@raywalteroutdoors]

The Dark Power Yep, very useful. I checked out your etsy as well. Very good work!

[@TheOnlyRiktor]

bravo. A masterful cast for a masterful sculpt.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@terryhughes1649]

Thank you so much for uploading these vids. I've been stuck with the molding bit, trying to figure out where to cut my sculpture (scared to!) And the best aproach to molding it. Watching your process with the water based clay has given me the confidence and knowledge to proceed.

[@thedarkpower]

Hey thanks very much, glad they've proved useful :)

[@decoy2792]

Excellent work. I'm not even into zombies and I can't stop staring at it. That looks spectacular. Also, thanks for the excellent tip of sealing the mold tighter to minimize air bubbles and flashing. I've got to try that on my own.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! Glad it's proved useful :) Sealing the mould tighter did work but also introduced a little bit of distortion. I used 2mm mdf strips, but 1mm might be better if you do try.

[@ryankarakoudas8020]

EXTREMEMLY HELPFUL! Very informative, detailed, and clear step-by-step instructions with knowledge well as added personal input which is very useful. Thank you mate!!! Outstanding

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much! Glad it was helpful ;)

[@ryankarakoudas8020]

Very much so. Cheers!@@thedarkpower

[@TheBullterrierFan]

Fantastic. This is fantastic.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much :)

[@taylorgabriellemitchell1516]

Dude, your work is AMAZING!!! I have been sculpting for years, but always with polymer clay. After watching your videos, I am SO excited to try oil based clay and mold making/casting! I hope my sculptures can be as fantastic as your when I grow up! :D Thank you so much for sharing your techniques!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks for watching! Yep polymer clay is great but there are plenty more ways of tackling sculptures. Good luck ;)

[@artsculpture1024]

So great! I use polyurethane and seldom pour them solid but polyester resin sounds like a good idea as I am pouring a lot of resin pieces for my van, the problem though is if they are solid it adds a lot of weight, but good idea for flat pieces that are more relief. I once added extra catalyst and it smoked and crackled and turned black, almost ignited into flames. Good thing I was outside.

[@thedarkpower]

I've not used polyurethane so much, although I have go some good results when I've tried it. They can get abit heavy if they're solid, you can't roto cast if you're pressure casting though. They do get really hot though yeah so I could imagine them catching fire at some stage!

[@mallypaints]

Amazing sculpts and thank you for sharing your knowledge. You are a great teacher!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much! :)

[@CarlEvz13]

Your work is amazing mate! I love your channel 👍

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude, thanks for watching.

[@vegasprepperone]

Boy would I love to feature that zombie in my home haunt

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks. Available here if you'd like one www.etsy.com/uk/listing/985173936/zombie-resin-bust-unpainted?ref=shop_home_active_3&frs=1&sca=1

[@easyemu1511]

Very nice. I'm going down largely the same road though with different subject matter. Again I really appreciate the time and detail you go into with these videos.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I appreciate it ;)

[@sadville13]

Very awesome series my friend!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! :)

[@charlesneeley6329]

Amazing craftsmanship! Keep up the great videos as well, cheers

[@DerekKinsman]

Brilliant. Following your Etsy shop and will pick up a kit or two. Love the behind the scenes vids. I wish there was more of that happening. I assume you already know, but after you degas the silicone you can make the mould under pressure to keep the air bubbles super small.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much! That is a very good idea. For the base on this one, I whacked it back in the vacuum chamber to further pull out any trapped air. I didn't do that for the main body as it wouldn't fit, it might fit in the pressure chamber though.

[@celticarchie]

That's a lotta Zombies... we're gonna need a bigger chainsaw!!! ;P

[@adsertheblade]

Great video. The pressure pot you have is a very expensive one. You can also use a painter's pot that costs £80. You nee to buy a few fittings to convert it, but that will set you back only a further £5, if that. Mine works fine at 60psi.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! Yeah as I was new to this I didn't want to take any chances! I'd probably be more willing to try some custom solutions now I have abit more experience.

[@adsertheblade]

I was lucky. I know a few people with vast experience, so I was able to get great tips from them. I guess my comment is for anyone starting out, who might not have too much knowledge to tap into.

[@thedarkpower]

Yep definitely worth knowing. Cheers!

[@adsertheblade]

@@thedarkpower happy to help

[@FallingN2Destiny]

Fantastic....you deserve sooooo many more subscribers!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! They're slowly increasing ;)

[@dramamask]

Outstanding work!!! Looks like I may have to invest in a pressure chamber myself. :) Great video, as always and you are very talented! :)

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much, I appreciate it :) Yes I can certainly recommend the pressure chamber. There's nothing worse than spending hours and hours on your sculpture only for the cast to look awful!

[@dramamask]

Yes for sure as regards to the molding/sculpting. You know what you're doing and it looks like you want to get everything right and kudos to you! I appreciate you showing possible pitfalls, etc. The best way to learn! :) I very much admire what you do and look forward to what you put out here! :)

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I appreciate it. Just had a look at your channel as well - some great stuff on there, I've never tried concrete before.

[@dramamask]

Thank you Mr Dark Power! I'm going to be making a silicone mold and resin casts from a mask I sculpted a while back and the info on your channel will be invaluable. I'll most likely put a vid up if it works out well and also if it doesn't - I don't mind showing the odd fail or ten. :D Btw, concrete is cheap, cheerful and forgiving! :D Also, I want to make an animated intro kind of on similar lines you have made, so am looking forward to seeing how you created that. ;) I think you have already put up some 'how to' animated sequences. :) I really enjoy your work and am very much in awe of what you do! You're very gifted! :)

[@dramamask]

For sure! Looks like you have it nailed and your work is amazing!!! :)

[@mickstannard3485]

nice one buddy..really enjoyed the video..sculpt and cast myself but not up to pressure casting..budget wont allow !!..lol..nice tutorial tho..nice sculpts as well..keep em coming..!!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks dude and thanks for watching! :)

[@resin_Hd]

Very cool! You have an Etsy order. ;)

[@thedarkpower]

+Kevin Kilkenny Thanks!

[@cabalse]

Love your work :)

[@thedarkpower]

Thank you! :)

[@georgeyoung613]

Trully amazing sculpture! Thank you for passing on what you have learned and sharing your creativity. Quick question, could you please post a link to your store so I could buy one.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much I appreciate it. Link here www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheDarkPower

[@wayneambridge4112]

Hi love the zombie you done have u got any small zombie that could be use for a chessboard

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks, no I'm afraid I've not made any that small.

[@zombiemillionaire6397]

Can I buy one of the molded zombie busts?

[@emilypace4403]

Hello, could you tell me what polyester resin you use? And can you send me a list of materials you use as I am starting to make monster clay sculptures but I’m not sure what silicone to use for my moulds. Thank you

[@thedarkpower]

Hi. For this video I used polyester resin and T28 silicon from Alex Tiranti. I've moved on to using quick cast polyurethane resin and silicon from DWR plastics which I'd recommend. If you're thinking of doing many casts you may want to get a higher quality silicon so I'd recommend asking Benam for some advice on Smooth-on silicons. Those are are all UK companies.

[@TheFishingExperience916]

Is that what smeagle looks like after falling into lava ?

[@thedarkpower]

Haha, yeah he does have a touch of Golum about him.

[@wayneambridge4112]

Ok thanks

[@kevanbeemsterboer1531]

Could you possible sculpt a figurine with a pose and then show the molding process for it? I've made a ton of sculptures of video game character and the like but have not clue how to mold them.

[@thedarkpower]

Yes I do plan to do some full figure sculptures so watch this space ;)

[@craftygeekent4620]

These videos are great! You have such talent! I was wondering, though, the base has a hollow spot for the copper pipe. Does the mold have a plug to create the hollow?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks very much! Yes that's right there's a plug that created the hole, it's part of the mould though.

[@xzzx5858]

thanks, awesome info

[@mystforest]

Thanks for sharing! Can I use the pressure pot on it's side, supported? I have seen it where there was someone who had wooden cradles made to support it. and had a shelf inside of it build. Great work!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I haven't tried that but I can't see why it wouldn't work. I would urge caution though as these things are potentially explosive! ;) I do plan to build a shelf unit that I can put inside for smaller moulds.

[@untourchezmax9415]

Hey Man, thanks for your work on these videos ! I have a question for you. In order to remove air bubbles you use pressure chamber but does it work with a vacuum chamber ? Maybe the silicone mold is too closed to let the bubbles go out easily ?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! I have tried to vacuum degas resin, but it doesn't seen to work as well as it does on silicon. I'm not sure why, maybe something to do with the density of the material. So I vacuum degas silicon when making the mould, then pressure cast to remove bubbles when casting.

[@TheHateSpeechChannel]

check out calibrated cups from cfs.net , thats what ive been using for years, when the resin is cured u can simply flex the cup and pop out the resin, the cup is ready to use again. a cup can last years if u are careful.

[@thedarkpower]

Wow, they look awesome! Thanks so much - it's been a real pain having to pre-mark containers to figure out my quantities.

[@TheHateSpeechChannel]

the only issue i have had for the cups is if u let a large amount of resin cure in it the heat can distort the bottom and weaken it slightly. also trying to get large lumps of cured resin out can be problematic, ive cracked a few doing this. i always cut off the carry handles also as they can sometimes get in the way when u pour. i was a bit confused by your method of pressurising the main chamber, u got it up to 60psi then closed the taps then continued to pressurise the compressor chamber is that correct? once the casting chamber is at 60psi and u have closed the taps thats all u need to do. if you get some persistent bubbles a little bit of talc also helps. edit its the 1180ml cups from cfs, the other ones are flimsy.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks - yeah I can see the heat being a problem. They look really useful though. I don't think I explained the pressure thing very clearly - I pressurised the pressure chamber to 60psi then shut of the valves so it remained at 60psi. That's all you need to do. The reservoir in the compressor however is at 120 psi, so that's why it carried on whirring afterwards - it was just repressurising itself back to 120psi. Once you close the valves though the pressure chamber is cut off from the compressor.

[@TheHateSpeechChannel]

The Dark Power - ahh ok i was wondering why you let it run after . back to the cfs cups i also use them for mixing and degassing silicone as you can see when the catalyst is mixed properly especially at the bottom corner. keep up the good work, enjoy watching ur vids.

[@thedarkpower]

+chris carter cheers dude and thanks for the tips, I'll definitely be picking up some of those mixing cups.

[@timvandeweerd3706]

is the original piece made of cx5? And do you know an alternative like Cx5 for lost wax?

[@thedarkpower]

Hi - I don't know what cx5 is. Is it a wax?

[@timvandeweerd3706]

@@thedarkpower kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4fTqJeaiJ6oo9k

[@themaninthesuitcase]

Would you mind sharing where the vacuum and pressure systems came from? I'm slowly tooling up to learn to mold and cast but am struggling to find decent vendors for the pressure equipment.

[@thedarkpower]

+Christopher Pearson sure - there's a link in the description for the pressure chamber. I'm afraid I don't know where the vacuum chamber came from as it was a birthday present! The compressor I got from Machine Mart.

[@hoochhenry]

do you have a link for the polyester resin and brand

[@thedarkpower]

I was using this stuff tiranti.co.uk/product-category/casting/polyester-resin/multi-purpose-resin/ however I've since moved on to using this which is far superior www.dwrplastics.com/beige-fast-cast-resin.html

[@artsculpture1024]

Wow! Polyester resin cures that quick?

[@thedarkpower]

Yeah it depends how much catalyst you put in but I usually get something like 15 minutes pot life then 20-30 mins to demould.

[@artsculpture1024]

I may try some again, it's been a while.

[@carrieabailey]

How do you know what pressure to use to remove all the bubbles?

[@thedarkpower]

I read up on it and watched some vids on youtube. Most people were doing 50-60psi. I had abit of an experiemtn and 60psi seemed to work Ok.

[@MONSTERMISFITS]

How can I get a couple of them zombies

[@thedarkpower]

Hi. Drop me an email here and I should be able to arrange that - I think I have some casts in the workshop www.thedarkpower.com/php/contact.php

[@MONSTERMISFITS]

@@thedarkpower [e-mail]

[@Dj-vv7sc]

whats the height of the sculpture?

[@thedarkpower]

They're approximately 12 inches.

[@kevanbeemsterboer1531]

What resin do you use?

[@thedarkpower]

I use this polyester resin www.tiranti.co.uk/EdgeImpactShop/subcatdivision.php?Division=211&Content=Multi+Purpose+Resin

[@kevanbeemsterboer1531]

Much appreciated, I love your channel and your sculpts are always an inspiration to try new things. I love using monster clay btw.

[@DanDan-pr8ww]

awesome stuff, have you sold any i wonna start doing are u on facebook

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks. Yes I've sold a few so far. I'm on facebook here facebook.com/thedarkpower/

[@deathisoutside]

video intacto de dislikes, genial !!!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@kevinm3751]

Whats with the background music? Makes absolutely NO sense at all and very distracting!

[@thedarkpower]

The edits sound very empty and boring without any music. You're the second person in three years to find it distracting so feedback has not indicated as this being a particular problem.

[@kevinm3751]

I guess it all depends on if you watch it to learn something or are just watching it to be entertained.

[@thedarkpower]

You can have both.

[@kevinm3751]

Considering it is done I have no doubt. Just that I found it distracting and went elsewhere to find my answer. Cheers...