Tips And Tricks For Making Miniatures

Рет қаралды 190,197

2 жыл бұрын

Miniature sculptures have the same issues and problems as larger works: bubbles and parting lines can be just as tricky when working on a small scale.
Thanks to Gergö for sending in these models. Character design by Dick Poelen.
Special thanks to these companies for their support of the channel:
The waxes I use on the channel are provided by www.freemanwax.com
I buy my rubber and resin from www.silpak.com
If you love miniatures check out this blog by Hayk. This video is featured along with lots of other good info:
www.hayksaakian.com/how-to-ma...
Here is a list of suppliers for the materials I use in my videos:
www.dropbox.com/s/kz6mhmf7v5v...
Do you have a project to suggest for the channel?
Here’s a .pdf with everything you need to know:
www.dropbox.com/s/pjb0l6fr7zj...

Пікірлер: 323

@MrQuickLine 2 жыл бұрын

Hi! Small edit to the credits: while Dick Poelen did the 3D modeling of these characters, they're unofficial replicas of the minis from the board game Root. Character design should be attributed to Kyle Ferrin, the original artist of the characters.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the clarification. Here is a link to a Kyle Ferrin’s website: lightgreyartlab.com/kyle-ferrin

@BEdmonson85 2 жыл бұрын

The more relevant question is... where can we buy these minis!!!? =D I'd love to print some for myself.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

@@BEdmonson85 Google Dick Poelen. He has the up on myminifactory.com

@k3lvinbr 2 жыл бұрын

the bubble on the ear of that second mouse kinda gives it some nice personality, he has more battle scars than the other ones.

@truegret7778 2 жыл бұрын

A large part of my career was in automated manufacturing, and one of the first mantras was "it might be the best product in the world, but is not worth a dime if it isn't manufacturable". I continue to learn from your videos - much appreciated!

@funclaysculptures3758 2 жыл бұрын

Robert, your channel has almost single handedly made it possible for me to move from selling my sculptures as one-off's to molding and casting them to sell multiples at festivals. Thanks so much for what you do. Just learned a new trick from you today. I never thought of fixing the little bubbles with the actual resin. GENIUS!

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you find my videos helpful!

@Miscast 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic!!! Thanks for covering miniatures

@OldManRogers 2 жыл бұрын

There's just something wonderful about watching a master artisan at work

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

More to come, miniatures are a big world!

@elpretender1357 2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Excelent, we will wait patiently for more on the topic. Keep up the great work

@Philographicks 2 жыл бұрын

Robert’s amazing to learn from, isn’t he Trent? Your stuff is awesome too.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Trent, I just subbed your channel. Great stuff!

@tronarts7945 2 жыл бұрын

I wish you were my Grandpa

@RocketPunchHero1 2 жыл бұрын

Robert, I hope you know just how much we appreciate you.

@nathanielrobles3284 2 жыл бұрын

Really like that this video covered it all up from making molds to casting and seeing the results. Thanks as always!

@pherja Жыл бұрын

One of the charms of old toys, trinkets, eraser figures, etc. are that they had to be sculpted to work in a mold, usually an injection mold. So they don’t look quite right… and that’s the charm. So I definitely love doing small, highly detailed figures, which I 3D print as is. But I also like doing the old style… where the mold dictates the shape to a degree. It gives a very sentimental feeling to the toy. ❤

@blender_photography Жыл бұрын

So much wisdom in a single video. Thanks for sharing.

@OMGITSMIKE Ай бұрын

I never subscribed to a channel faster, amazing fountain of entertainment and knowledge for a veteran in the hobby biz.

@kscott2655 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this detailed video. I knew about undercuts and venting, but seeing the way you've described recognizing those problem areas and the ways to solve them is very nice.

@b2ill911 Жыл бұрын

I’m only just beginning making molds. (Have not done one yet) I feel comfortable getting going thanks to your channel. I love your attention to detail and the way you explain. My lady and I really enjoy watching you work. Thank you!

@earthangelfairies2907 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing! I have been trying to figure out how to cast my 1” wooden carved fairies and how I can carve them for ease of casting. Now I get it. Brilliant chunkies too. I’m gonna try it again. Thanks so much!

@galvosaur 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so incredibly happy I found this channel, you've answered a lot of mold questions I've been scratching my head at for the past year, thank you for making this content Robert!!

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you found my channel. Thanks for watching!

@animes25 2 жыл бұрын

so, in short, you just need a 3d software to fix all the problems from an already done sculpt, or do it the old way with wax, you are a genius

@HalidonDioramas 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video, so helpful! I create miniatures but had never given any thought to design with casting in mind, have been using two piece moulds with poor results, cannot wait to do some redesign and try the method you just showed us. Thank yo Robert, you have an awesome teaching style, it is very much appreciated 👍

@rorylaubscher3208 2 жыл бұрын

You’re an absolute artist. Thanks for being such a good teacher.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

I appreciate it Rory. Thanks!

@gustavogarcia1948 5 ай бұрын

I have seen a few people reference your channel when talking about molds, and now I know exactly why. You are a true expert in your craft, a master. I have just subscribed and have become one of your new apprentices on this channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Saludos y bendiciones desde Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico!

@TheRBTech 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Mr. Tolone. Your videos and lessons are as amazing as your molds.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Eric!

@meloniegreen1480 7 ай бұрын

Living Legend. I appreciate you sharing your wisdom with so much patience and room for us to learn. Thank you💐

@Sin4Profit 2 жыл бұрын

This dude plays Root

@mikeoliver6742 2 жыл бұрын

And is VERY serious about it.

@grimmissis 2 жыл бұрын

absolutely brilliant explanations of what you’re doing and WHY

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you found it useful, thanks!

@OldManRogers 2 жыл бұрын

"Look at these parting lines" *literally invisible* XD

@johnkelley9877 2 жыл бұрын

I cast my own model tanks I scratch build so I learned a lot from this tutorial. I still have bubbles but now I know how to fix and repair them. Thanks for sharing this.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped John!

@svartann 2 жыл бұрын

another masterpiece! Thank You!!!

@BIGJIM1934 2 жыл бұрын

Cutting a small vent into the mold will solve that issue quick as a bunny. I've cut vents into a mold after the fact on several occasions. Nice work as always 😊

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, cutting a vent works but I hate doing it! Every time I make a casting the cut vent reminds me I failed to vent the mold properly in the first place!

@rdr6253 2 жыл бұрын

You Sir are master of the craft. Amazing job as always

@roger.agburn 2 жыл бұрын

I would love a video where you design a miniature from scratch to go through the process of how to design for casting. Anyway, I love this one, too. ^^

@nekrataali 2 жыл бұрын

Tom Mason and the Mini Sculpting Super Show here on KZfaq has tutorials on making minis from scratch. He's a professional sculptor that's worked with a lot of different companies over the years, including WizKids and Reaper. He has to take casting into consideration on almost all his projects because he knows they're going to be mass produced.

@lincolnmv4043 2 жыл бұрын

Yeeeeessss! Thank you! Loved the episode

@tonyclavelli1228 2 жыл бұрын

I only find myself casting about once a year, and every time I do, I come to your channel to watch you problem solve and connect sprues. I've never found anyone else who does such good, replicable processes! thank you so much for this and all the others

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you find the videos useful Tony!

@gme258 4 күн бұрын

I've found surgical retractors to be useful when cutting large molds. I regularly use some cheap stainless weitlaner type self retaining retractors.

@SG25 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the great videos! Do you have a video where you explain how, when and where to add vents?

@scavengerjoe1012 2 жыл бұрын

Consistently awesome since I first seen you over a year ago!

@BlazeBytez72 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome work. Lovely molds 👌

@DerivativeWorker 2 жыл бұрын

Steady hand of a master crafter

@FrostyFreeze541 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You!!! Great videos!

@dero4378 2 жыл бұрын

aww these guys are adorable!

@ShonicBurn 2 жыл бұрын

You sir deserve a billion Subscribers.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

A billion would be nice of course, but I might have to settle for a couple hundred million.

@rowanstephenson3192 2 жыл бұрын

Great stuff and really helpful thank you Robert 👍

@knessing7681 2 жыл бұрын

very insightful and educational. thanks.

@MercedesMia23 8 ай бұрын

I really appreciate your videos! What silicone do you recommend for candle molds?

@jazminourens4830 Жыл бұрын

Sir, you’re video introduced me to whole new ideas. Thank you

@bozzaga 3 ай бұрын

Awesome Video, what kind of Cast Material would you recommend for big figures up to 25cm tall?

@AvocationNation 2 жыл бұрын

Love the channel, thank you!

@FlatThumb 2 жыл бұрын

Wow those are some great miniatures. I know nothing about this process but was fun to watch.

@MWSculpts Жыл бұрын

Super cool thank you for sharing

@DavidClunie 2 жыл бұрын

Functional dice (polyhedral set of 7) next please! Would like to see how you would vent those.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Super tricky because of the embossed numbers. There’s just nowhere to place the inlet sprue. And if you put a vent at the logical top of the die you will have a tedious cleanup on each casting. In theory you could use injection just so the sprue and vent would be really thin. Or use the two-part smoosh mold technique.

@jaquelinepaul7384 10 ай бұрын

Thank you. I love this video. You're easy to listen to. You must have been a teacher at some point... I sure learned a lot in this short little video.😊😊

@lumitic774 2 жыл бұрын

printed these this week! nice timing

@VertexPolyFort 2 жыл бұрын

The KZfaq algorithm has blessed me with this amazing video

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@georgebebawi7314 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as usual .. thank you

@thegrafxguy1 2 жыл бұрын

very nicely done. you are a master at your craft!

@albertorodrigomolinasortiz471 2 жыл бұрын

Always impressive, sir. Finally found a place in my city that sells resins, and I'm dying to try casting some stuff.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely give it a go!

@CoreniaBug Жыл бұрын

Very helpful!! :) Thank you for taking the time to share!! :)

@consumer365 2 жыл бұрын

Robert is the Bob Ross of reproductions. Thanks for all the info my friend I finally set up my first cut mold to do 4 pieces at a time. Super excited thanks again.

@DisgruntledPigumon 2 жыл бұрын

Bob Ross did easy work. It’s like calling him the McDonald’s drive-through employee of reproductions. Robert is a 1000x better than Bob Ross.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

@@DisgruntledPigumon Thanks Pigumon but I have to confess that I love Bob Ross. You know who I love even more? Bill Alexander. He was Bob Ross‘s teacher and mentor. Bob basically learned and copied everything he did - to the point where Bill became very bitter by Bob’s greater fame and success. It’s a fascinating story and I get a huge kick out of watching them both.

@gerbendenheeten6905 2 жыл бұрын

After making a cast, what stuff would you use in the mold (I believe the term is release agent?) before making a second one? Or isn't that necessary with these small characters?

@randystuartjr.4217 9 ай бұрын

Very informative video! I was wondering if you could give me some advice. I'm currently trying to mold a 4 legged dog that has a base, in a 2 part mold. I can remove the first half, but the other half wraps around the legs of the miniature and I have a hard time releasing it without destroying the mold. I have a picture but I'm not able to post it..could you shed some light on what I'm doing wrong?

@lynniewood 2 жыл бұрын

Oooh this was so helpful! Thank you!

@pseudodavid3273 2 жыл бұрын

I never thought I would say this, "shove in the chunkys" is a GREAT idea that had not even occurred to me before your video!

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Works like a champ, just don’t mix rubber types! Many rubbers don’t play nice with each other.

@machineman6498 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this

@aaronhelmsman 2 жыл бұрын

Some great characters. Remind me of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques

@severalwhitespaces 2 жыл бұрын

Another great video. Thanks Robert. I'm curious, under what circumstance would you advise separating a figure like that from it's base and casting in two pieces? Or maybe hinging a piece to avoid holes / simplify a mold?

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

I would do that any time it makes the casting process simpler. It’s often helpful to take a character apart and cast it in pieces.

@sonipitts 2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Have you done/will you do a video on how to do that with sculpts like this? Especially the hinging option? I've not seen that before.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

@@sonipitts Not sure what you mean by hinging a piece.

@sonipitts 2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Whatever Allen was talking about in his original content. I don't know what he was referring to, that's why I'm curious. :-)

@juliogrimaldo7 2 жыл бұрын

Wooo! I learn a lot, Thank you!!

@treblam1 2 жыл бұрын

Great Job! Another Winner!

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Albert!

@mrbluesteen 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing detail

@GamingMediocrity Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for these videos. I'm getting close to completing my first set of castable models. Bubbles got me nervous.

@RobertTolone Жыл бұрын

Bubbles make me crazy!

@ikkiiiieee 2 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you finally found someone for this! Looking forward to more. Minis like this which are multipart might be next on the list?

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

People find me; spread the word I’m looking to cast miniatures for games like Warhammer, etc.

@ikkiiiieee 2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone shared it on the 'eavier metal fb group (main group for creativity in the hobby)

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

@@ikkiiiieee Thanks for sharing!

@YanniCooper 2 жыл бұрын

Coming here thanks to SteadyCraftin and looking forwards to watcing more of your videos, this was great!

@chaucer44 2 жыл бұрын

tHANKS FOR THESE VIDEOS! Where can I buy those wax heating tools, wax rods and sticky wax?

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

The waxer is a Foredom Wax Carving Pen. The waxes are from www.freemanwax.com

@lokiwartooth1138 2 жыл бұрын

I love watching your channel

@anamonterroso3498 2 ай бұрын

Love your work! Do you custom make molds to sale? I have two simple shapes.

@flkpnzr8303 2 жыл бұрын

Hey great video, but I would love to know, how you cut the bids mold. I can´t get my head aroud the bow. Greetings

@danthemakerman 2 жыл бұрын

I'm here because of the Crafsman aka Steady Craftin's video. You have a great channel with a tremendous amount of info! Thanks for sharing.

@machineman6498 2 жыл бұрын

Same

@Primal2229 2 жыл бұрын

Toy prototype sculptor... and subscribed. I was already interested because I do weapon casting for figures as a hobby. So this video and channel was right up my alley, but having done toy prototyping for a living? I am ready to learn.

@tedytarrify Жыл бұрын

New to the channel. Great content. Question; was the big tank a de-airing chamber? A vacuum chamber?

@OchoMiniatures 2 жыл бұрын

Love your content! But question when you add resin to fix a bubble do you cure it under pressure or is it a small enough amount you don’t worry about it foaming (assuming your resin is not so fresh)

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

If your resin is foaming then you would definitely want to put it under pressure to cure the bubble repair.

@DETHMOKIL 6 ай бұрын

CHUNKIES! brilliant! the small things you learn.

@joakescarnival8303 2 жыл бұрын

I would love to be able to get miniatures like this

@HuntLikeDavid. Жыл бұрын

Very cool. I'm getting into a board game Axis and Allies with massive customization unit scale is 1/72. Question how would I go about making a mold for large Scale production of units.. say make 20 to 50 at once without destroying the mold for reuse. Thank you

@AleisterFuchs Жыл бұрын

What is that heat gun tool/material and materials you are using for vents?

@Grimoire6666 Жыл бұрын

Hey Robert was jut wondering - what are the little blue tubes you use for vents? I’m trying to track them down or something similar in New Zealand, amazing once again thank you for all the work you do

@RobertTolone Жыл бұрын

They called wax wires, or sprue wax, and are commonly used by jewelry makers. Check out jewelry casting supply companies in your region.

@Grimoire6666 Жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone thank you Robert appreciate the help

@bertcabana5563 7 ай бұрын

What 3d print resin for the prototypes and what silicone do u use to avoid uncured silicone issues wth 3d print resins? Thnks

@christianarnold2216 Жыл бұрын

Hi, awesome tutorials! I plan to cast my own sculpted miniatures in this scale first time. Could you share which shore density you are using for the rubber mold? Not sure if it was mentioned in the video. Have a nice day!

@RobertTolone Жыл бұрын

It is Shore A 25

@petez4608 2 жыл бұрын

Amazing channel. Just stumbled on it.

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome! Glad you like the videos.

@jarrettdement3245 10 ай бұрын

Would these principle apply to casting with liquid clay? I can't seem to figure out how to get consistent results with liquid sculpey.

@t.d.j.dejong6285 11 ай бұрын

Great! Is that a regular soldering iron? How hot is this pen?

@Anonymous-is2qb 10 ай бұрын

How did you get the matte finish? I'm looking to get a non-shiny finish but can't find any info in how to?

@eric3dee 2 жыл бұрын

Love seeing this. Question. If you were in fact doing a run of 100/ea. How many molds would you create?

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

10 of each character. That is more for casting speed than it is about mold wear. I would expect to get 15 or 20 good copies out of each mold.

@bubblewrapfred 2 жыл бұрын

Can I ask why the molds don’t last longer? Do they loose detail or is it because the splits grow until the mould is no longer a single price?

@sasserine 5 ай бұрын

Did you mark the bottom of the wood disc, to remind where to make the cuts?

@SG25 Жыл бұрын

What tool and material did you use to fill the holes on the miniatures?

@mAcroFaze 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this! Here I am casting another mold of a sculpture that's been giving too many issues, like you said at the start, it was sculpted... But not necessarily sculpted for resin-casting :P As a quick side note: Are you mixing resin without gloves or a respirator mask? :O

@TheAeonmaxwell 2 жыл бұрын

hit the like button rob?? NO!! ill smash it!!! great video!!!!

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@N5omn1ac 2 жыл бұрын

"invisible....thats what we want to see" lol.. Awesome video!

@digipaw1731 2 жыл бұрын

these are so cute! does the artist happen to have the files for the models up so people can download them to make thier own?

@KneeCapHill 9 ай бұрын

what was used to make the vents? What are those blue rods ?

@hot_fun_videos Жыл бұрын

hi , is there any other material can be used instead of Resin to fill Silicon Mold ? i want to duplicated 3d character but i cant use Resin for Health problem

@bastienmoliere8325 2 жыл бұрын

Hello thank you for your video :) Little question for me. I don't have a pressure pot. At the junction between my piece and the air vent / the funnel, I reveal lots of air bubbles in my resin when I sandpaper the air vent and the funnel (just under the suface. Am I doing something wrong? Maybe my flow si too slow of too high and I should modify the diameters? I have a perfect 90° edge between my piece and the vent. Maybe a curved fillet on the edges of junction could help ? Thank you in advance

@RobertTolone 2 жыл бұрын

It sounds as though your bubbles are rising up to that spot and the resin is gelling before they can escape. Either that or your resin might be foaming.

@terryaultman2339 Жыл бұрын

Hi Robert, you do amazing work! Can you tell me what kind of rubber you use? I tried to mold a piece that had been 3D printed and the platinum rubber wouldn't harden at the 3D printed part

@RobertTolone Жыл бұрын

Yeah, you want to use a tin based rubber forecast in 3-D prints. I use Econosil-25 from www.silpak.com