Collins Does a Weekend Challenge

Firstly, DON’T USE SAND!

Secondly, prepare for mess, lots of mess.

WARNING!

when you mix ISO and ModPodge in the spray bottle you get a lovely gloop, thankfully it didn’t land on the diorama so crisis was averted. you have been warned though.

also, don’t smoke when ISO is being sprayed about, it is flammable after all.

Ok so the first play with resin wasn’t a roaring success but lets face it, the first time never is, and usually has an element of disappointment and shame in it.

I reached out online to ask for advice.

I can do a deep (25mm) pour with this resin but I need to keep it warm and viscose to allow the bubbles to float to the top and then use the burner on them.

I am currently running a second test with different tints in it to see how well I can put layers into it and see whether that will affect it.

the good news is the stick and the garden moss appear to look pretty good so I know that plan will work, at least in the short term, the moss could still rot. to combat this it has been on the radiator all day to try and dry it out, it won’t kill it or any bacteria on it but I will limit the moisture that gets encased in the resin. we will see. I thought about using poly fibre (cushion filling) but I really like the little leaves/spines that moss has and I cannot think of a way to replicate it yet.

Decided to do a shallow pour so I could get to all the bubbles with the burner more easily.

I added two ink colours to it this time to show where the layers join to see if it has a noticeable join line in the resin

Overall I am happier with my second attempt. I think it will be safer for me to do the pours in a few very thin layers.

I only need to build up to knee height on a stormtrooper and that is about 1cm… I haven’t got any Luke Skywalkers in this bunch!

The question now is do I put one layer of slightly tinted blue and then a few layers of clear, after all ‘water’s not blue’ is the new catchphrase over on the LukesAPS Facebook group. and they’re right, its reflective of its environment, but Scarif is basically the atolls of Mauritius and they have a lot of blue sky there. Just look at my research images.

I’ve done three layers in a cup test now.

First layer (lowest) was a blue ink layer with 2 drops of ink

Second layer (middle) was a aqua layer, with a 2:1 ratio of blue to green as the green is very very vibrant.

Third layer is clear with no ink.

Each layer was attacked with the burner but I must admit to spending much more time on the top layer. I found vibrating the cup (gentle shake and tapping) helped the bubbles get to the top where they were then easy prey for the burner.

I think I will do one layer of green/blue and the others all clear. and that’s based off looking at photos of Mauritius. I know it changes with the weather and that the water in the image I like is grey blue but I want to give the theme of warm sunny climes.

My test pieces were a lot faster to cure to a point that I was happy to put another layer on. This first pour is taking it’s sweet time.

To encourage the heat cured resin along its merry path I have put an oil heater under the desk and put a cardboard box over the model. This will increase the air temp around the model a lot more quickly than simply leaving it near a radiator.  I will need to check it often to make sure no bubbles take hold!