This is no longer the case.
While chatting up Bill at the GW store, Dewey, one of the NOVA OPEN gurus, introduced me to some magic casting stuff appropriately called Merlin's Magic. In a fit of total awesomeness, he provided me a few scoops of the stuff to experiment with at home. The stuff is just awesome. I managed almost no bubbles in my casts, and the stuff turned out to be really durable One obvious mistake I made was to not wait long enough after casting before removing it from the molds.
In terms of painting, the stuff really seemed to soak in the paint. When I intentionally chipped the edges, the soaked in painted covered the damage well.
Merlin's Magic is great. I can't wait to use it as a base for some desert base designs.
How cool would it be for people to be able to experiment with Merlin's Magic at the NOVA OPEN? A great little hands on session where people leave with casts of terrain would help out gaming tables all over the place!
I will have to check that out! I tend to cat my own, well, everything. If it works as well as you say, this would save me tons of time!
ReplyDeleteMerlins magic is dental stone. If you know of the hirst arts molds, it is one of the things he suggests for casting. It can be brittle though, especially on thinner pieces, so for big bases, they will may shatter if you ever drop them, but for smaller bases it is ideal. It is extremely strong tho, but not quite as durable as resin.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that it worked for you. Thanks again for the great hobby conversation and tips; some of them I used this weekend. Tylermenz is right, but the only time I've had a problem casting with Merlins is when I tried to cast the Hirst graveyard fence; they are real thin. I have to give credit to one of the other NOVA volunteers who started last year and came with a stack of Hirst arts molds; it's been great the last two years learning and discussing the varying aspects of the hobby with everyone that comes out to help. By the way, looks like we are adding a few more painting classes (hands on with a miniature provided), a Hirst arts class (hands on with takeaways casted items) and a make your own display board class.
ReplyDelete