Hirst Arts Moulds

[War Griffon]

Originally posted by GamersQuest

Originally posted by War Griffon

Gamers Quest do a few in the UK but their prices are nearly twice what it would cost me to buy them direct, the only real factor that is stopping me besides money for 20 molds (might as well have a discount as well as free shipping ) is how mush customs will hit me for when they get this far and that is not a nice thought

Umm - sorry missed this thread - but what is it we are supposed to be doing at Gamers Quest - as we don\'t stock Hirst Arts - and I\'m worried now incase my pricing is all wrong - arrgghhhhhh

My appologies Yes I got it wrong

Very sorry about that, I am obviosly spending far too much time on the web buying bits of this and that that I got this one completely wrong, and I do hereby appologise to Gamers Quest for getting this wrong and causing any confussion to others.

Martyn (Who is afterall human and prone to mistakes).

 

[GamersQuest]

No worries human Martyn - no need to apologise - I was just worried I had committed a cardinal sin ( in my eyes anyway!!) and tried over charging for imported stock

Jxx

 

[War Griffon]

Originally posted by GamersQuest
No worries human Martyn - no need to apologise - I was just worried I had committed a cardinal sin ( in my eyes anyway!!) and tried over charging for imported stock

Jxx

No worries on that score J I\'m quite satisfied with the pricing and service from Gamersquest

(Sat tapping fingers waiting for 2 Ilyad figures to turn up)

Edit: don\'t take that last bit seriously I can wait honest it\'s just whether the postman will survive or not

 

[finn17]

That\'s true...

Originally posted by airhead
Logan, if you do not want to go to the expense and effort of purchasing and casting the molds, there are several Hirst Arts authorized resellers ( and even more un-authorized ) that will sell bits or kits for a given structure.

And I have experimented with a couple of these. Basically I found the cast bricks far inferior to the ones I cast up myself, partly because they appear to use flour instead of dental plaster and secondly, you end up having to buy the mould anyways to cast up the additional bricks you need to replace the ones that are miscast or simply crumble.
There may be some good guys out there...but I have yet to find them

How are you getting on with your mould?

 

[mickc22]

better late than never

This is the stuff I use when casting my Woodland Scenics rocks/boulders etc

they don\'t (or didn\'t ) have a web site last time I looked,
it sets pretty quick & almost rock hard, & the more you buy the cheaper it gets too

 

[ralfmetal]

.

1) Who\'s actually used these? How easy are they? Are the results worth it?
2) Those of you in the UK, what do you cast them in? Apparently dental plaster is the best stuff. What\'s the difference between Crystacal and Crystacast (apart from the very obvious price)
3) How much plaster is sufficient? Is 5kg plenty? 25kg seems waaaay too much but is it in the long run?
4) i\'m getting about six moulds. If anyone in the UK had been wanting to order any moulds but was put off by the shipping, let me know. Shipping\'s free on 10 or more moulds. I\'m getting some anyway so it\'d be a way for some of you to pick them up post free so to speak. Just let me know \'cos I\'ll be ordering in the next few days

Crystacal or Kaffier d is a stone based plaster (very strong slower setting and smoother) plaster is a little more fragile but lighter and cheaper....be careful if you order large batches of plaster as they can partially hydrate and set on you real fast.

 

[Logan]

Like most things, experience is a great teacher.

I\'ve cast about four or five lots now and learned to be just a bit more patient. I\'m using Crystacast plaster that I got from CFS supplies (I think). I\'ve basically got into the mindset of casting blocks up in my spare time just to build up a stockpile (although I\'m finding the casting and IN PARTICULAR the \'releasing\' of the bricks tremendously therapeutic)

I\'m barely getting any air bubbles at all. It\'s just basically trial and error but it has been really, really easy. I hope to post some kind of basic result in the next few days.

Plus I\'ve got my sister and brother-in-law up over the weekend so it\'s a good excuse to nip out and cast up some bits... lol

 

[War Griffon]

Logan how many molds did you buy in the end and how much did custums sting you for?

 

[Logan]

WG

I bought 7 moulds (basically all the gothic set).

Bruce only charged $10 shipping cos he fitted them all in one envelope..

As for customs...not a penny.
My lovely wife answered the door. I asked her to \'look nice and smile\'... I guess it did the trick.

Logan

ps - 12:20pm. You can tell the in-laws visit is going well...

 

[finn17]

This is a trick I use.

Get a bottle if dishwasher \'Rinse Aid\' and one of those cheap 50p sprayers you use for greenfly in the garden. Fill the sprayer with water, add a teaspoon of rinseaid and give it a shake. If you spray your moulds with this (shaking off the excess) before filling them with plaster, you\'ll find it flows much better.

I also bought one of those white nylon chopping boards and put a small foot on each corner to use as a \'pounding table\'. Basically, you fill your moulds on this and then bang the board with the heel of your hand a couple of times and all the bubbles disappear.

Wait till you start actually start glueing them together, that\'s the best bit...

Another tip!!!

Get some cheap LEGO. I bought a job lot off eBay. It\'s great for making custom right-angles to build your blocks against. You\'ll see what I mean when you start glueing

Good luck!

 

[Logan]

Originally posted by finn17
Get a bottle if dishwasher \'Rinse Aid\' and one of those cheap 50p sprayers you use for greenfly in the garden. Fill the sprayer with water, add a teaspoon of rinseaid and give it a shake. If you spray your moulds with this (shaking off the excess) before filling them with plaster, you\'ll find it flows much better.

I also bought one of those white nylon chopping boards and put a small foot on each corner to use as a \'pounding table\'. Basically, you fill your moulds on this and then bang the board with the heel of your hand a couple of times and all the bubbles disappear.

Wait till you start actually start glueing them together, that\'s the best bit...

Another tip!!!

Get some cheap LEGO. I bought a job lot off eBay. It\'s great for making custom right-angles to build your blocks against. You\'ll see what I mean when you start glueing

Good luck!

Thanks Finn

I shall take those tips on board sir.

I\'m actually starting building tomorrow and looking forward to it immensely having had the \'opportunity\' to cast up more bricks than I originally anticipated.

 

[finn17]

Great stuff!

I use cheap wood glue, but experiment to see what suits you. Make sure the bricks are dry before assembly however. Particularly if you are using wood glue/PVA as otherwise it is likely to collapse as it dries.

 

[mickc22]

Almost forgot...

...the Stone plaster is available in most Art shops, if they have a casting/moulding section. But I found it to be almost twice as much as getting it straight from South Western......
I don\'t think the shipping was all that bad either