Bulking out resin casts

[noneedforaname]

Im currently thinking about having a go a makin some scenery which i will want to cast multiples of for gaming club use with sale a possibility if there was enough interest.

Now ive only cast small volumes of resin before and was wondering to save resin wether it would be possible to use something like preformed polystyrene craft boxes to bulk out the insides or wether it would be better to cast the sides as seperate plates?

Any advice would be appreciated, i worry that the resin might melt the polystyrene or shrink away as it sets?

 

[darkartminiatures]

I\'ve been thinking about this for some larger terrain that I\'ve been pondering over. You could either cast seperate pieces or make a two part mould. The second part of the mould would fill in the inside saving you resin and making it lighter for postage
Hope this helps

 

[freakinacage]

i would be prepared to bet money that the resin would eat the styrene. multipart is the way to go i reckon

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Resin\'s the cheap part of casting. It\'s the mold that get\'s really spendy. That said, here\'s how I\'m doing a freeway overpass support for Armorcast. Two part clam shell. Saves resin and makes it lighter.

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Some fast setting urethane\'s wont eat polystyrene foam but do a test on a small sample before. You could also use blocks of wood.

You can also get fillers for resin made of different materials, pulverized walnut sheels being one. Fillers can save on resin if its a large piece.

As Shawn said, the resin is the cheap part, its the mold that could cost you.

 

[Einion]

Instead of a preform or something of that kind have you thought about adding filler to the resin itself? Marble dust or metal powder drops the cost of a resin casting, pretty significantly, although there\'s an upper limit to the amount you can add.

Einion