The Cartographer Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) So, this project has been on my "want to do" list for quite a while, and I've finally gotten around to sharing pictures of my progress so far. I'll start by saying that I've had zero experience working with silicone or resin before now, and this is my first ever attempt at making a mold of anything. Anyway, I wanted to make a Mata Nui stone/totem, similar to what is seen in the comics and mini movies to represent the Great Spirit. I started with a small model to test the process, and it turned out pretty good. The pieces I've made so far have been cold casted with aluminum powder. Once I've had a bit more practice, I'm going to try casting cement pieces for a more authentic stone look. For my first attempt, I coated the inside of the mold with a thin layer of powder before casting, which (I believe) resulted in a pocket of air/powder at the base of the mold (the top of the piece). I decided not to pre-coat the mold for the second cast, and the result was a much darker version without any major hiccups. By the third try I was able to eliminate much of the seam and tiny air bubbles that were present in the first casts, but it's still not perfect. In the album, the first picture is of the last cast (unfinished). When I have a little more time I will try to put up some thumbnails so there's not as much clicking to do. For now, here is the link to the entire album (good luck ): https://flic.kr/s/aHskjhP8aa Update: This past weekend I had a little time and decided to create a new totem mold to allow the cast to sit upright. The process is partially documented on DeviantArt, but the final photos are also posted below (I am going to see how the autoscaling works, and may just end up linking back to the album). I'm pretty happy with how the new mold came out. I fixed a few things that bothered me about the first one, but of course the this one isn't perfect either. Personally, the eyes are not as symmetrical as I'd like them to be (something I made worse by digging at them with a razor blade >.<), and the "nose" line seems a bit too wide to me. Everything considered, it sits upright and I'm happy. I also went hiking this weekend and found some pieces of natural coal, which I may try to use to create the shape the Makuta stone. That's it! Thanks for looking! Comments, questions and criticism are always appreciated! Edited October 13, 2015 by The Cartographer 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathy Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Very nice. Now go grab a shard of obsidian glass and pretend to be Vakama. 1 Quote Proud Graphics Artist.Current 2015 collection:I have them all green = all, blue = partial, black = noneOnly non-promotionals counted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 1st Shadow Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 This is pretty cool! Given their size, if you altered the mold to contain a ring at the top, you could potentially turn it into a necklace and sell them. I'd buy one! 1 Quote ~Your friendly, neighborhood Shadow ~Credit for Avatar and Banner goes to NickonAquaMagna~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rahkshi Lalonde Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 This is pretty cool! Given their size, if you altered the mold to contain a ring at the top, you could potentially turn it into a necklace and sell them. I'd buy one! I'd think no mould alteration is required, since they could just drill a hole in the top and screw in an eye-hook. o: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixFootBlue Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 It looks great! Nice work :3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 1st Shadow Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 This is pretty cool! Given their size, if you altered the mold to contain a ring at the top, you could potentially turn it into a necklace and sell them. I'd buy one! I'd think no mould alteration is required, since they could just drill a hole in the top and screw in an eye-hook. o: Very true. Might even be sturdier than my suggestion. Quote ~Your friendly, neighborhood Shadow ~Credit for Avatar and Banner goes to NickonAquaMagna~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onuki Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 This is great! The mold is a perfect recreation of the old Mata Nui stones! It's accurate, but it still has that weathered, elemental feel. Keep up the awesome work when you can! 1 Quote The Latest and Fakest in Bionicle News Wanted: Chronicler | Wedding Announced | Bohrok-Kal Miffed | Staring Contest Continues Hakuna Vakama | Rau Convention Held | Globe Circumnavigated | Carver Offers Advice | Parade Possible Onepu Characterized | Koli Ball Shortage | Le-Koro Discovered | Toa Don Disguises | Top Toa Tied | Ko-Koro Welcomes Tahnok Hakuna Vakama Animation | Macku Goes Missing | In the Ice | The 1000 Word 2001 Poem | Kopaka the Toa | Honest Bionicle Trailers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Nui Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 That's pretty neat. It's very accurate in terms of molding, but the slightly different metallic color is a nice touch that I welcome. It's sure to give off a nicer reflection than it would with the more tan-ish color it has throughout old Bionicle media. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hip Historian Iaredios Posted September 29, 2015 Share Posted September 29, 2015 I wouldn't mind having one, I'd place it next to the little statue of Yoda I have on my shelf. Great job with these! now for the ultimate challenge: The Makuta Stone... 1 Quote A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu | Pushing Back The Tide | Last Words | Black Coronation | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos ن We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cartographer Posted October 5, 2015 Author Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) Thanks all, for the encouraging responses. I haven't had a lot of time lately to try anything different, though I'd like to make an updated sculpture to allow the totem to sit on a flat surface. Originally I wanted to have something that looked like it wasn't "made" to sit nicely on flat ground -- something that looks like it was created using a [perfectly shaped ] rock off the beach. Seeing as that won't be practical for display purposes, I'm going to recreate it with a flattened bottom. Very nice. Now go grab a shard of obsidian glass and pretend to be Vakama. I wouldn't mind having one, I'd place it next to the little statue of Yoda I have on my shelf. Great job with these! now for the ultimate challenge: The Makuta Stone... I really want to create a Makuta Stone to go along with this little guy, but I'm not sure how I'd go about it. I'm thinking I could use a translucent resin with a very, very dark red dye. If I could somehow sculpt a replica out of obsidian, that would be amazing! One of these weekends when I have some time, I'll try to at least get a positive made. That's pretty neat. It's very accurate in terms of molding, but the slightly different metallic color is a nice touch that I welcome. It's sure to give off a nicer reflection than it would with the more tan-ish color it has throughout old Bionicle media. This is great! The mold is a perfect recreation of the old Mata Nui stones! It's accurate, but it still has that weathered, elemental feel. Keep up the awesome work when you can! It neat seeing the different patterns created with each cast. It was my intention to use cement/concrete only, to give it a very stone-like representation. When I saw what cold casts looked like, I was very excited to try it. It's all I've used so far, and I love it. I did make one attempt at casting using cement, and it didn't turn out half-bad, but I hate the seams. The next mold will not have seams. The "whiskers" will be higher up on the face for the next mold, I think that's the only design major flaw. It looks great! Nice work :3 That's high praise coming from you! This is pretty cool! Given their size, if you altered the mold to contain a ring at the top, you could potentially turn it into a necklace and sell them. I'd buy one! I'd think no mould alteration is required, since they could just drill a hole in the top and screw in an eye-hook. o: I've considered jamming an eye-hook into the top of one, I'm not even sure if tapping a hole would be necessary. My mom asked me if it was supposed to be a cat. She wanted one made into a necklace, which I thought was funny. I've thought about selling them, but I'd have to nail down a process first, which probably won't happen anytime soon. I do have plans to make a sort of Kanohi display stand, but that's down the list a ways. Edited October 7, 2015 by The Cartographer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinCollects Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Beautiful! Great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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