Zomtober looms but Mortal Arrow's War Snails have not been forgotten. I recently got some 3 1/2" (about 90mm) acrylic discs through eBay. After roughing up the top of one with sandpaper, I set about building it up as needed with putty.
The green is green stuff (no surprise there). The grey is plumbers putty which has a short working time but, unlike green stuff, sets rock-hard and can be sanded. This quality allowed the edges to be finished cleanly.
The snails enjoyed an extended stay in a solution of Dawn and water. I followed this with a one hour soak in a 50/50 mix of Super Clean Degreaser and water as suggested by Steve Gabriele (AKA stormbringer72). This had the unanticipated effect of softening the resin. I had stuff from four manufacturers in play: two (Scibor and Secret Weapon) were unaffected, Studio McVey was slightly affected, Mortal Arrow was heavily affected.
Cut to the chase: it seems that the material eventually regains much of its original hardness once removed from the solution. No harm, no foul.
While it was soft I was able to easily remove various resin bits that were a byproduct of the casting process. In particular, a lot of extraneous material was removed from the spiral shell's interior, allowing it to sit properly on the body.
Things as they now stand:
Those are funky snails Finch
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
DeleteIt will be fantastic!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed.
DeleteI liked the snails when they announced them, just haven't picked any up yet.
ReplyDeleteWhile the minis were softer, did you re-position the eyestalks, or otherwise move the positioning of the miniature around much?
Thanks for sharing them, I'll definitely keep an eye on your continuing progress.
Allan.
Hi Allan,
DeleteThe resin didn't become so soft that it could be bent. When I first got the minis I removed an extraneous bit of material so the spiral shell could sit on either of the two bodies. I then took some pictures.
Based on this I know that originally the resin was very hard and brittle (as I gather resin should be). It took considerable effort just to remove that small bit.
Once softened, a hobby knife (or even my thumbnail) bit into it easily. Kind of like cutting into a block of Parmesan cheese.
Mold-seams were an issue until the resin reconstituted itself. Initially dragging a blade along them caused fraying, almost like working on a Bones miniature.
I hope everything goes smoothly on the paint-ups, and progress doesn't slow down to a snail's pace [groan! I'll get my coat.]
ReplyDeleteBut it looks really cool already, and such an interesting subject.
Thanks, Roy. Hopefully this project doesn't leave me shell-shocked.
DeleteOh he is wonderful already, great start Mr. Finch.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michael.
DeleteAwesome. Worth baring in mind about them going soft at least they rehardened!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I discovered a useful technique as much as I came dangerously close to ruining the minis.
DeleteLook forward to seeing them in all their slimy glory!
ReplyDeleteI shall press forward, Gordon.
Deletelooks good! anything above room temp will begin to soften resin (so no leaving it the sun) but once it cools back down to about 70 degree it will harden. you can manipulate arms, eye stalks, warped wings, ect. by running or soaking resin pieces in hot water ;) most resin miniature makers such as Forge World suggest this is normal and safe.
ReplyDelete*Super clean also probably played a part in the softening but should't harm, just make sure you don't use full strength ;) all resins are different and will react different. My experience has been mostly with Forge world and Gale Force 9.
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ReplyDeleteThis snail looks like it's going to be a truly awesome project. By the way were you referring to Discworld by Terry Pratchett? I'm a huge fan of the series and his books are the only ones that can make me laugh out loud in the midst of reading. Though I have all his books I am barely halfway through the collection and don't recall a snail. My bad. But then again, if you aren't referring to Terry Pratchett's universe then D'oh! on me. :)
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