Ok the resin looks good, no leakage. It still hasn't completely set though.

Questions:

Not a major problem, but the resin has come away from the sides slightly. Is this bad? If so, what can I do to fix it?

How long should I wait before pouring the second (final) layer? As I said, the surface after 15 hours is still a bit tacky.

Chas

Ah but that's the beauty of it, diorama making runs at a lesser pace than exams, schedules and the rest
I must congratulate you for the dust covering plastic film, something I regularly forget in the heat of the moment


the resin will retract when drying so at this moment it will be easy to remove from the edges with a scalpel -providing you put something to protect the wood. But then with a picture it would be easier to tell. Usually i wait when the resin is hardened but still soft, it is much more easy to clean the edges in one go without damaging the wood (if that's the problem)

Tacky? you mean it's dry and just leaves fingerprints on it? no problem pour your second coat, but then it SHOULDN'T be tacky, check again the right proportions resin/hardener, you may have not put enough hardener (I don't mean you have to put too much either! then it's getting even worse with some cracks in the resin and etc.)



Exactly, you do, water is the Russian Roulette of dioramam making -alternatively, the solvants contained ion the resin can seriously damage your health, so I would urge you to play with it *outside* no matter how cold is it.
Good luck!

G'day JB,

I'm not so worried about the first layer, it's when I come to the second layer with the wooden blocks clamped down (as you showed in your diagram) that I want to minimise shrinkage.



That's what I meant, tacky was the wrong word. It sounds as if I'm ready for the second coat, except I'm going on camp out into the bush with my P.E class. I won't be back till Friday, so hang in there for more updates.

JB, remember it's summer out here, daylight saving, theres no better place to be than outside! Actually I poured the resin in my shed with all windows and doors open, fan turned on to increase circulation and in addition, I wear a quality mask. Don't worry, I'm not going to die.

Thanks for the advice,
Chas

G'day,

Here is the issue I had with the resin coming away from the base. In real life this is only about 3mm.

Today I had time to clamp some wood ready for the final layer. As you can see, I am missing one clamp to use for the left-hand side. Looks like another trip to Bunnings!

What is the exact purpose of the grease? Is it just to ease the process of removing the wood? Does it prevent the resin seeping into the wood or through gaps? What type of grease should I be using, will any type do?

Chas

The serious fat to facilitate the release of the pieces you use as a framework, to prevent the resin from sticking to them.

I normally land use materials that are not as porous plastic or metal foil

Domi

The grease is for release. It creates a non-pourous barrier between the resin and wood. I'm like Domi, if I want an 'open' edge of water I use styrene sheets. Then I add a spray of kitchen nonstick spray.
I've seen the wood grease option work too, so don't get worried.
Is your final layer going to overlap the frame/base? The image with clamps looks like there is a small 'lip' over the base. If so I just realized you may have the resin pull away leaving a gap between the base and resin in a horizontal fashion. Depending on what happens you may be able to get some really small doll house trim and run the trim around the base/resin joint and cover any gaps that pop up.

Ok thanks guys,

I have a small jar of grease which I can't identify so I may have to do a test (and practise my ripple skills at the same time).

Scott, the lip you are talking about was a mistake As a consequence, I have no choice but to pour a slight overlap onto the frame. Oh well, it's all part of the learning curve...

Chas

Hi Chas,

This is coming along really well. It's a great concept and I'm very interested in how your water experiment turns out.

Cheers

Al

Nice work Chas,

For mould release I like to use Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) dissolved in lighter fluid. Put the mixture into a garden spray bottle and you are good. Spray what you don't want the resin to stick to with it. The lighter fluid evaporates leaving a very thin layer of the petroleum jelly.

T

Well it's about time I pulled this thread back from the depths.

I finally had time to complete the resin water today. I spent 3 hours watching it dry and then another 2 hours creating ripples!


I still need to add white-caps and perhaps a bit of clear resin to replicate foam.

Chas

(p.s Thankyou Alan and Angelus, sorry for not answering earlier...)

The water looks great. Even without the added details.

Matt

I've been playing around with gloss acryllic medium. It comes in a variety of "thicknesses" I have some which is very runny and some which has a lot of body to it. If you added small amounts of white paint to it I think you could get a convincing "wave breaking" effect.

That looks really great Chas

Quote: "I spent 3 hours watching it dry" LOL

I really see the picture. Picking in the resin every 5 minutes with a toothpick to see if it sets or not.

It was worth the wait!

Cheers
Claude

Thankyou Matt and Claude, glad you both like it so far.

Angelus, thanks for the info, I don't have any of this gloss so I'm just sticking to Humbrol gloss white.

I'm also planning to add some more wood fragments around the floating tyre. In the meantime, here is a close up of some small detail:

And a chain that I got from a craft shop for a few cents. Each link is only 2mm long!!

Chas

Nice job. The pour looks good. The color is a bit 'clean' and clear, but totally acceptable. I took a third look and the lighting is not that great and is probably affecting the photo quite a bit. I like the way this is shaping up. The rope detail is nice.

Keep pluggin' its coming along well.

Look good Chas
I am happy to see it alive again
Cheers
Seb

this is looking good Chas...I like the bird crap on everything! keep up the good work

chas i am impressed by the level of your work mate!

im really lking this dio

epsecially the poop

keep it up

It just goes to show that you don't need a lot of money to make a convincing looking base. Excellent work.

Scott, you are right, the lighting wasn't the best when I took those photos late afternoon. There is a lot more contrast in the water, darker patches etc.

Thanks Seb, Mike and James, glad you are enjoying it.

Brett:

Cork: $2
Balsa: $2
Brass rod: $2
Casting resin and catalyst: $20
Picture frame: $15
Rubble: Nothing
Tyre from die-cast toy: Nothing

So yea...things are on the cheap side this time (so far)!

I removed the sidewalls today and unfortunately for me there was a little bit of leakage, not too bad though. I will post pictures once I have it looking 'presentable'. By the way, what dissolves resin? Is there a chemical I can use for clean-up?

Thanks,
Chas

Really nice work Chas and im lookin forward to this!

Martyn

To dissolve resin nearly nothing since it is a highly crosslinked polymer network Chas.
But maybe I am wrong you need to give me more details what kind of resin did you use etc.. and I will find a solution for you.
Cheers
Seb

Yo Chas,

Great work, clean build up from the bottom off.

I very mutch like the colors you use...very realistic. With the water in it, gives it a nice contrast.

Nice work.

Greetz Nico

Thankyou Martyn. Thanks Nico, hopefully you will enjoy the colours more once I have the better pictures up.


Hi Seb, the product is Diggers Casting and Embedding Resin. It contains 33% w/w styrene, is that any use to you?

Chas

The water looks great already, this will be stunning ! G.