"Obviously, purple is the best color." My favorite Shrimp quote, and I agree completely. I have replicated missing drawer pulls with polymer clay, but this is a far better process. Thank you, Mr. Mike.
I think that came out quite well, but I can think of three suggestions re leakage: 1) A hot glue gun. 2) A couple of washers and or some plumber's tape 3) Employing a small Dutch boy to stick his finger in it.
“Utterly futile ventures” describes plenty of the day to day things we do as humans. This was great fun, I’m so glad you let us see the reality of all your experiments and projects.
That was absolutely fascinating. Watching mistakes, and purposefully learning from them is a lifetime quest for the human race. I always think we learn more from finding a solution to a problem, than by the slick delivery of perfection! At times, I became aware that I was making the same face as one of my grandchildren when they watch a science lecture or something! And I was nodding when you suggested a reason why something is happening. It was so satisfying all round. Obviously purple is the best colour - you’ll be making one for her majesty in purple I expect, because it’s the Jubilee colour! I loved the fake copper one, and all the effort that went into it, and on the door of the little white cupboard, it showed it’s true character. A fine little fellow and to be honest, you really must make him another one so there is a matching pair. Thanks for all your videos, but this one was especially brilliant.
Wow, I really love the faux verdigris on the copper seashell. It's so beautiful! I really enjoy collecting miniature statues of angels and mythological creatures done in cold cast resin that have a faux patina on them, so that little seashells finish is something I really adore ❤
Here's my suggestion: just fix your mould! Silicone sticks to silicone almost indistinguishably. If you mix up a small amount and use it to "glue" the mould back together, you could then make a new cut that intersects with where you want the screw.
Thanks for the note about camera angle & fingers looking in danger of the knife-- that's absolutely the kind of thing that could give me anxiety, I appreciate not needing to fret 😂👍
A couple of ideas to help seal the mould. Could you use one if those disposable gloves to help uniformly compress the mould? Maybe sticking the mould into the glove, narrow end first then cutting off the fingers to reveal the top end of the mould. Maybe some cling-film wrapped around it?
I'll fret if I want to ! I'm fretting a lot right now ! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME ! (Also nice save on that leakage, and great video as always, cheers !)
as you discover difficulties it is so cool to watch as it helps with myself knowing how and what to watch out for as this is something i have wanted to do. TY
PVC electrical tape is the best all purpose tape for sealing things in my experience, it sticks to everything without being impossible to remove, easy to mould to any shape, cheap and of course, waterproof. Works really well as a masking tape for jobs like applying silicone sealer to plastic fittings/tiles as well
Just finished some of my competitive exams, this video is a pure delight ! Edit : finished watching the video, the result is astounding, you did great on this one !
They are all lovely! I adore copper, and the resin looks pretty good. I once had a project with copper and I needed to fake a few smaller copper pieces. I found some paint that was colored with actual copper suspended in it. It looked surprisingly great and it aged like the other real copper parts. I bet if you hit that resin piece with touches of real copper paint before your green (or mottled) paint, it would look super pretty. I've also done the mottled look on stuff with a bit lighter, more of a turquoisey color on top of the green, and it came out good too. But anyway, thank you! They're all beautiful, and you have given me ideas!!!😃
Seeing as you made the mould out of a plastic cup, making a holder for the mould with another dissected plastic cup might have held the mould shut better and also contained any leak to a smaller area/volume.
You could effectively roto-cast with UV cure resin, get the resin covering the inner mould, then quickly light up the inside of the mold with a UV torch before it has chance to seep out, then later fill with a more standard resin.
The green really improved the look.For other stuff maybe acorns or other wild nuts.Luckily for failed experiments in cooking I have the perfect solution-chickens.lol.
Really watchable film. Nice one. Those latex gloves though 🤨 I’m glad you’re a weird IT guy hobbyist with an obsession with tinned food and not a proctologist.
The copper shell, in my opinion, looks the most appealing. Beautiful patina effect on the copper shell. Maybe give it a spray with some gloss, though that might be a bit risky venture on the outcome.
If you mould the screw in, you can maybe use the same plastic cup you use for creating the mold later on. This extra layer might help to prevent resin from leaking down. It will just fill the small voids of the cup but can't go further. But I would use a slightly smaller rod and not a screw to seal around the threads. You can free it up on the outer part but I would try to have a 1...2mm of a seal surface. Injection molding tools are made often similar. Tight near the cavity but with a bit of gap further away of the cavity.
Perception is a strange thing. When you sprayed the shell, I could smell the paint. I don't even know why, I barely ever use spray paint, the last time has been years ago.
I think this latest casting is the most beautiful yet. I have an aesthetic preference for the more muted luster on the coppery one and on the pewter before polishing. Also, T-Rex tape is great stuff, but if you wrap it entirely around the mold so that it sticks to itself instead of (not sticking) the silicone, I think regular gaffer tape would probably be adequate.
Personally Orange is a better colour. I do think you should try casting or freezing a sea shell lollypop using liquid nitrogen or something similar to achieve a fast freeze and aliviate any leakage problems. Great video as always best wishes keep em coming
To keep the mould closed/constrained, you can put it back into the cup the mould was cast from; cut a hole in the bottom of the cup to pour through, and the entire wall of the mould will be held in place by the sides of the upside down cup. With the post you have installed in the side, you could cut the cup in half at the height of the post, cutting a little semi circle in each half for the post to fit through, then you can reuse the cup rather than having to cut it open each time you need to remove the mould with the post in place. Hopefully this made some sort of sense!
as copper weathers, it turns first into black copper oxide and then into the green copper carbonate we all know and love. it might add more dimension to first apply then wipe off black paint and then repeat it with green paint as you did in the video. I do like your result though
Probably not the best for if you wanted handles for things, but you could cast a magnet inside so it sticks to metal. It'd be a neat way of making fridge magnets and whatnot. I suppose if it was a strong enough magnet you could use it as a handle for a relatively light door/drawer/whatever. Just my first thought for avoiding the screw problem.
I just had a really funny mental picture of people trying to open stuff, just to consistendly end up with the handle in their hands 😄 Neodymium magnets are wicked strong though, so this could actually work. Ones suitable for this task would be expensive enough though, to only make sense for specific purposes.
I'm sure others have already suggested this, but maybe try making the mold so that the screw is somehow held suspended at the top, like the shell is positioned such that the screw would stick out of the top fill hole. Maybe you fill the mold, then insert the screw down into the mold, and some mechanism holds it up so it doesn't sink past where you want it. Does that make sense?
Would you be able to link where you got those pigment powders from? They're beautiful! Also, I think you should try to make a set of dice or marbles out of your waste resin, I think you'd end up with a really unique set. You could even do a video sewing a drawstring bag from scrap material for them and try embroidering it etc :)
I love this series of casting the shells. Now I have no excuse for not making something similar for my front door which everyone struggles to pull shut and I've lived there 12 years haha Maybe give the copper one a spray of varnish just to give it a tiny bit more shine? Could be satin finish not full on gloss maybe 🤔
Been wanting to say it for years, but I rarely comment on youtube... you are so similar to the actor that plays Kryton from Red Dwarf... perhaps you could buy a silicon Kryton mask and try making a mould to make a pewter cast of it as a display piece. WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT!
A silicone mould of the outside of the original container you used to make the shell mould with would hold the mould together. (you'd probably still need to drill for the screw/bolt)
I kind of want to see a set of sea shell chess pieces now… I know you made that as a possibly throwaway comment the first time you used this mould, but I’d like to see what kind of chess set you’d make.
I am half inspired to do this my self but no big sea shells in my area and I don’t play chess a lot ( I know basic rules and tatics) but would like to make a set for a streamer I follow that plays chess
I was thinking the same thing, the screw hole is not the right size, forcing the mold open. I was also thinking, wouldn't it be easier to place the leaking mold into a container, then use that container to pour the resin back in, rather than using a spoon? Either way, I like how you did the corners.
i did a little googling and lower viscosity resin is the way to go for detailed molds like that but u really need to seal up the cuts u made in the mold which i couldn't find any information on, i would normally suggest hot glue but that doesn't stick to silicone so i would just say cover it in tape b4 putting the wire rings around the mold and that should be enough to properly seal it up.
You can also get metal powders to use as resin fillers, which will tarnish like the real metal. That means you can artificially age them by using a mixture of vinegar and salt. As for the screw, the resin will also leak along the thread, so even widening the hole won't stop it from leaking. Hot glue might work, otherwise you could try RTV silicone.
I wonder if you'd be able to electroform the shell form rather than metallic resin? Then you could get a natural verdigris and the wear patterns of daily use (or artificial wearing/polish) or even stopping the oxidization with a resin coat? Interesting results so far!
better surface on the sealing edges. try cut with an extremly sharp knife with a guide and gear clamps (hose clamp with screw) or a wide enough section of velcro to wrap the entire or more surface area being held. And I gatta mention the gaunlet glove for painting lol, thats safety of the highest degree
