Custom SRC Display Bases...

[magengar]

This is an experimental project...
a display base for my SRC Mazinger-Z figure.

I mixed some Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty with water (3 parts of putty powder to 1 part of water) which gave me a very thin consistency. So, I continued adding more powder until I got the thicker consistency that I wanted, and slowly poured it into a plastic sandwich bin.

If this were a Resin mixture, I would have tapped the bin with a pencil to get rid of any trapped air-bubbles. But with this putty, it's a little more thicker to release air-bubbles from inside it, so I just remove any large air-bubbles from the surface and leave it alone. Once the putty is cured I can sand the surface or wet-rub it smooth to get rid of any remaining trapped air-bubbles from the surface.

According to the product specifications, this water putty is supposed to cure fast.
Of course, that depends on the size of the mass object you are making and your mixture of putty-to-water ratio. The putty should cure at normal room temperature.
Freak that sh*t, I let the putty cure for two days. It's hard enough to handle, yet I can still wet-sculpt it however I like, with tools and my fingertips dipped in water to moisten the surface of the putty so that I can add some texture to it.

This display base is too shallow. I wanna cast a taller display base that will allow me to sculpt Mazinger-Z's name in kanji on the front of the base.
Once all the detail is sculpted onto the surface, I can then let the base cure for a couple weeks so it's rock-solid. Then I can paint it with some acrylic to seal it so it will be used to cast resin copies in a silicone mold.

You can find this putty at Home Depot, and at your local hardware store.
If you have questions about this putty, or want more info, visit this link
waterputty.com/









zozo-mag

[gravewolf]

I made a few bases too using the same method but I used plaster of paris. If you get the right amount of water to plaster ratio it dries as hard as a rock.

[magengar]

I agree, plaster of paris works good for these projects;
although it's a little more expensive than the water putty.
I paid $7.50 for my 4lb can of the water putty four years ago,
and I'm still using that same can!

zozo-mag

[gravewolf]

Lol, that putty really has a long storage life. Plaster of paris needs to be properly sealed, stored and devoid of any moisture to have a long storage life.  I remember paying fifty cents (in us dollar) for a kilo of plaster so I guess it's cheaper here.

[TheMazingerZ]

Jan 26, 2014 7:53:54 GMT -5 magengar said:

zozo-mag

LOL!  What is wrong with your SRC Mazinger?!  It seems to be suffering from Genu Recurvatum!!!  

}D

[magengar]

Jan 26, 2014 10:37:20 GMT -5 gravewolf said:

Lol, that putty really has a long storage life. Plaster of paris needs to be properly sealed, stored and devoid of any moisture to have a long storage life.  I remember paying fifty cents (in us dollar) for a kilo of plaster so I guess it's cheaper here.

Just like plaster, the putty has to be properly stored in a cool dry place in an air-tight container.
I had my can stored inside a box, and I had recently unpacked it after moving into my new apartment.
If any humidity or water touches it, it would activate the curing process.

The putty can be moistened to continue sculpting it after the initial curing stage.
But once it's cure rock-solid, it can then no longer be sculpted.

I also must mention, as soon as you're done tooling the putty you must clean your tools
immediately.  Water or acetone, and a stiff wire-brush, will help get the dried putty
off your tools.  Once the putty dries onto your tools, it's a b*tch to clean off.
The first time I had ever used this putty I had lost files, because I was too lazy to
clean the dried putty off of them.

After the putty has cured rock-solid for sculpture, you can paint it.
I strongly recommend that you seal it with an acrylic coating to protect it
from humidity of any kind.
Seal the putty object with acrylic BEFORE using it inside wet silicone mold-making materials.

zozo-mag

[magengar]

Jan 26, 2014 13:24:28 GMT -5 TheMazingerZ said:

Jan 26, 2014 7:53:54 GMT -5 magengar said:

zozo-mag

LOL!  What is wrong with your SRC Mazinger?!  It seems to be suffering from Genu Recurvatum!!!  

}D

LOL... I was going for that Revoltech crotch thrust pose.

zozo-mag

[mojacko]

nice....what type of Mazinger Z is that behind the SRC / beside the kit??? looks rather small but the proportion are dead on.....

[magengar]

Jan 26, 2014 17:44:13 GMT -5 mojacko said:

nice....what type of Mazinger Z is that behind the SRC / beside the kit??? looks rather small but the proportion are dead on.....

That little Maz is the Hero Collection Mazinger-Z figure... it comes with accessories such as the Missile Punch waist and the Missile with a jet-fire effect, Iron Cutter forearms, and a Jet Scrander with a separate belt clip.

--------------

About the putty... if you want to keep the putty object and you want to colorize it,
you can dye it or tint it with powdered colorants such as Tintex fabric powder dye,
Rit dye (powder or liquid form), and powdered Tempera paints.
Add the colored powder to the putty powder and mix it thoroughly before adding water.

You want to stir the putty inside a disposable paper cup.
DO NOT dump leftover unused putty down the toilet or in a drain,
because it will cure inside the drain and clog it. lol ...Seriously!

If adding a liquid colorant to the putty, use Food coloring or Water-colored paint
as you add water, and stir it thoroughly.

Keep in mind that the putty powder is kind of Tan-yellowish colored as you see
in the photo above... so, if you add a blue dye to it and then water, the putty will
turn green (since Blue + Yellow = Green).

After the putty is fully cured with the color you want, you should then seal
the object with a clear acrylic sealer to preserve the color and protect the
putty object from humidity... especially if the object is to be used outdoors.

In any case, when you stir the putty with water, you must stir it thoroughly
until the mixture is smooth and creamy... there should be NO lumps or clumps
of putty in the mixture.  Use a fork to beat the putty as you stir it fast.
Then use an old butter knife or a plastic spooon to continue stirring, and scrape the bottom
of the container to get all the putty mixed.
You'll get a lot of air bubbles, but most of them will go away if you pour the
mixture slowly into a mold.

Tap the mold with a pencil, or a vibrating tool, to make the air bubbles rise
to the surface.
The putty will cure thick in a couple days... then you can remove it from
the mold... use a damp sponge to smooth the dried bubble holes away
from the surface.

Then you can use tools to sculpt textures into the surface and smooth
it damp with your fingers dipped in water.  Wear rubber or latex gloves
if you don't want the wet putty residue on your fingers.
After you're done, wash your hands thoroughly with dish soap, and then
some antibacterial soap to be safe.

zozo-mag

[B-]

I have the hero collection Great Maz,Getter Robo and Getter dragun.I like the Mazinger but the thick horns ruin it,I huess you could wetsand them down to a proper circumference

[TheMazingerZ]

Magengar confused the name of the figure. The smaller Mazinger figure (without a Pileder) standing next to the Mecha Collection MOdel Mazinger, is a Bandai Eternal Heroe figure. It is a Super Robot version of the same Mobile Suit In Action (MSIA) line for Gundams.

}D

[magengar]

Jan 26, 2014 21:26:16 GMT -5 B- said:

I have the hero collection Great Maz,Getter Robo and Getter dragun.I like the Mazinger but the thick horns ruin it,I huess you could wetsand them down to a proper circumference

I'm glad you mentioned those other robots, because I realize I got the item name confused.
This is actually the Eternal Heroes Maz figure...




Still, I agree... just like the Heroes Collection Mazinger figure, the horns on this little guy
need to be sanded down to the proper size as well.
I also need to make a couple of Pilders for him... although I favor the Hover Pilder
more than the Jet Pilder, I gotta have both ships for the aesthetic of this figure.
Some of its material is hard rubber plastic... the rudder on the Scrander is bent all
dog-eared; I'll have to use heat to straighten it. 

I also wanna make a set of larger wings for the Scrander.  The wings shown here are
too small for him, but that's to represent the episode in which Maz had a wing cut short
by kikaiju Karma-K5... Maz later flew at the enemy so he could trim his other wing
short in order to match both wing sides and balance his flight path.

I bought this figure, in Used condition, from a fellow RJer back in early 2010.

----------------------

Back on topic, you can see footprints on the putty display base where
my SRC Maz was standing...

I had an overhead 100watt lamp on, and the heat from the lamp must've
burned an outline of Mazinger's feet onto the putty.
This gives me some ideas for burned-in detail with the base.

For now, though, I did some texture treatment to the base...



Here is the wafer bread fresh out of the oven. 

...NO, the putty base is NOT edible!   You'll die of poisoning if you eat this!

You can see this is the bottom of the base, and its surface had dried air bubbles and
pock holes all over it. 
I dipped my fingers in some hot water and splashed a few coats of water onto the surface
while smoothing it with my fingers.

While the surface was still damp, I scratched my name on it. 
I recommend that you use a needle for engraving your signature unto your putty objects...
...this engraving example looks like I had used a jackhammer! lol



...this is the top side of the base.  I used the flat edge of a computer case metal PCI panel
to carve those panel lines into the surface of the cured putty.
I rubbed some water onto the surface of the putty as I worked along.
The panel line in the center needs to be widened smooth... I'll wait until this first detail is cured.



The six tiny holes were hand-drilled into the DRY surface areas of the base...
...I wanted to simulate inverted rivets. 
You can see "white" walls inside those tiny drill holes.  When you see that "white" wall
while dry-sculpting the cured putty, STOP RIGHT THERE. Do not sculpt deeper unless you
wanna drill right through it.

The four larger circles in the corners were done by hand pressure-rotating the edge of a
Sharpie marker cap into the damp putty surface.

Be reminded: you can sculpt into the cured putty surface whether it is dry, or water-damped,
after 48 hours of the putty's first solid cure.
Between this time and two weeks ahead, you can continue sculpting into the putty.
By the second week, the putty should reach a cure that would be difficult to sculpt into.
I've left putty objects alone for months, even a few years, and by then they were
rock-hard solid like bricks.

Wet-sculpting: 
Pros:
-This has the advantage of shaping and forming the putty however you like,
with your fingers or with tools dipped in water, and water applied onto the surface
of the cured putty.
-This method is best used for large detail with shallow engravings, and for shaping
the object by cutting and gouging away chunks of damp putty.
Wet-sculpting is best performed within the first 48 hours of the initial cure.

Cons:
-Very small detail is difficult to define, and will not hold sharp edges.
-Small tip tools will leave a messy trail and a bumpy surface of strayed putty
along the detail; and could also damage other details nearby.
-damp putty residue will cure dry and become difficult to clean from tools
and clothing. 
-Wear an apron, or your worst throw-away work clothes when handling
this putty wet damp or dry.

Dry-sculpting:
Pros:
-This method allows for tighter high-definition of detail on a larger scale,
and good detail on smaller objects.
-No water is used, but a sharp hand tool is needed to gradually scratch the detail
into the surface of the putty.  Scratching can only go surface-deep without
digging deeper into the putty... if you see a "white" wall inside the surface of
your scratched detail, STOP RIGHT THERE.
-This method allows the cured putty to be drilled and tapped for creating
threads and peg-holes deep into or right through the putty object.
-A hot soldering iron with various tips may be used for sculpting and burning
into the cured putty. Gentle pressure must be used.

Cons:
-The cured putty can only be cut with a fine hacksaw blade if you plan to cut
portions away from the putty... gentle pressure must be applied to the blade
when cutting.
-Drilled holes must be dampened and re-cured with water to seal the exposed
putty walls inside the hole, then sealed with acrylic to protect from humidity,
if you plan to rope or string the putty object.
-the cured putty is subject to break and shatter if any extreme impact shock
and vibrating force is applied to it.

At the end of your project, when all the detailing is done and you are satisfied
with the final look of the object, you can go ahead and seal the object with
acrylic or you can prime it for painting.
The idea is to protect the object from moisture and humidity, that's why it
has to be sealed... especially if the object is gonna be used outdoors.


zozo-mag