Sculpture Bases Update - Casting with Black Mica Powder

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[@bruinflight]

Your sculpts are brutally wicked! Excellent job and THANKS for educating us with your techniques on casting A+++

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! Very kind :)

[@Kammmm]

Love to see your dedication to the process. It's great you share with us your trial and error! The bases looking really wonderful Joe especially those with the black mica powder.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Kamm, yeah they do add a certain something to a sculpture I think :)

[@bots2beasts]

Thanks for sharing your experiments.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks dude, thanks for watching! :)

[@christopherdivirgilio9861]

Creativity sure is messy. haha Clever fix, mate. In some cases where I've had tricky overhangs that capture air, I've pre-applied the resin with a brush into those areas before filling the mold. Also, a little handheld back massager comes in handy to vibrate some bubbles out. Worth a go. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Christopher. Yeah I was wondering about vibration. You can get paint mixers that vibrate so I wondered if that might help. I reckon combining all these techniques might yield the perfect cast! ;)

[@RichardThompsonCA]

Great tip, thanks for posting!

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks!

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

Would be interesting to see if laser toner would work. It's basically black baby powder in consistency. Now if you could also electrostatically charge the mold surface to boot.

[@Craftlngo]

I was thinking the same

[@thedarkpower]

Yeah I was wondering if people might suggest alternative powders, thanks - I'll have to give it a go. Nice idea on charging the mould. I'll have to build a Van Der Graaf generator :)

[@Craftlngo]

@@thedarkpower be careful with laser toner. It's said to be harmful. If you're interested, here on KZbin is one Channel that is all about creating high Voltage, low Current devices. It's called _Plasma Channel._ Maybe Jay can give you some tips, where to get a generator.

[@sdmcustoms]

I really love the hellraiser skull I bought my only comment is I wish it was signed or numbered ,they're truly collectors items and I think that would make them more collectable,even if it's just scratched in the bottom somehow thanks again, it's top quality

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks for ordering one, I really appreciate it. You know it hadn't really occurred to me to sign or number them, but that's a nice idea. I was thinking of coming with some sort of logo I could have stickers made to add to the packaging. Will have to see what I can do. Thanks for the support!

[@kurogiza]

That's an excellent result. I use cornstarch instead of baby powder (but I'm aware most baby powder has cornstarch instead of talc these days). I've got to try the graphite though, it looks amazing.

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks Chris, yeah I was surprised how effective the powders were. I need to start using them more often I think.

[@unicorncycling806]

From what I see, the graphite one looks absolutely amazing. Can’t you make both versions and make it optional on selling?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks, yeah I do like the finish - that's a good idea, I'll have to amend the listing with that as an option.

[@Micky-74-v6f]

Looking great! Have you tried metal powders?

[@thedarkpower]

Thanks! Yes I have previously, but not for these ones.

[@kamelsr]

Do you use a pressure pot to get the air out when casting?

[@thedarkpower]

Often, but not for these particular pieces.

[@jeffreywarrenpark9149]

Rather than just banging the side of the mould, to shake away the loose powder, use a little compressed air. WARNING:It Will create an immediate cloud of whatever powder you use. So, do it somewhere, preferably outside, that you donxt mide the powder residue getting everywhere. AND ALWAYS wear your dustmask when doing this!!! ALSO, as and additional safety measure, make sure NO open flames are nearby. Many, but not all, powders are HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE when widely dispersed into the air. This is especially potential with aluminum & starch! Even though, they are completely benign in their normal, condensed form. For a solid black powder, you can also use chalk pastels or carbon in powdered form. Both, are much cheaper than the black mica, and very readily available.

[@thedarkpower]

Cheers dude - I've seen the mythbusters episode where they ignite a cloud of powder. It's shockingly flammable! Luckily I don't typically have an open flame and these are only small quantities. I've been blowing into the mould which works well enough, but you do sometimes get a faceful of powder ;) Good idea on the black powders, thanks. I'll have to give them a try.