Hey, so I'm looking into trying to cast some things in resin, but I've heard that humidity can mess things up. I live in Florida and it's humid as HELL. I've heard that some people get a de-humidifier for this problem. I originally planned on doing my casting in my garage, do you think a de-humidifier would be okay to put out there? It's relatively closed off, so I think it might work?
Man I wish I had a clear, easy answer for this but the best I have is Ideas. But I’m happy to share them. In fact I’ll just make this my Tip & Tuts Tues.
As background I’m in the hella humid Houston area myself so I understand. All my casting is done my garage also. I do have a pressure pot for casting.
First thing is there’s two important items with resin: humidity and heat. Read all about it below the cut.
Humidity:
Humidity you’ve brought up already. Humidity, as you know, is water being held in the air that makes everything moist, sticky hell. An important thing to note is that the hotter it is, the more water air can hold without issue, and the less humid it is. This is the dew point. The cooler it is, the less it can hold- to the point eventually raining or misting. This is why in the morning the humidity will be higher and at peak heat, lower. Right now around 10am it’s between 75-85% humidity here and around 2pm it’s 45-55%. The hotter it is the less humid.
In resin, my understanding of it, is that the moisture gets into the mix and can mess with the curing process. This can be all the way from not curing at all to clouding. If you look at my alligator you’ll see that despite my best efforts, there is is some clouding in the resin visible along the curve.
Right now, as I don’t have a great set up outside (more about plans later) I’ve been pouring and coloring inside in a venting bathroom. I then cast outside in the heat of the day when humidity is lowest. This does mean casting outside where it’s easily 110+ in my garage and runs into the second problem still..
Heat:
Heat also effects resin pretty heavily. Resin’s chemical curing process itself produces heat. Extreme heat- aka what we live in- can ruin resin and mess with curing times pretty heavily. Resin is happiest at the mid 70′s (boy would I like that temperature.. ever). Store your resin inside!
Curing wise here’s what I’ve seen:
At high heat, resin mixes together quickly- about a 15 count. You can tell with the resin I currently use (Smooth On 326) because it becomes cloudy when it first starts mixing and then clears when it’s mixed. In cold temperature- I was casting out at high 30′s, low 40′s last winter- it can take a 45+ count to clear.
In heat resin’s work time and cure time is also greatly accelerated and like wise decelerated in cold. Right now in the heat I can only do one color casts or it will stop being workable before I can’t even get it in the pressure pot and then be full of bubbles. It’s… limiting.
Possible Solutions:
All honesty here this is just the research that I’ve done so far- which is not entirely finished- and the plans I have. Please keep that in mind I may have some things wrong!
Humidity:
As you’ve said, dehumidifiers are a great option! These suck the moisture out of the air, lowering the humidity. There seems to be three important factors with dehumidifiers:
amount of cubic feet they’ll handle
amount of water that it will suck from the air per hour
capacity size/draining ability of the water storage tank
The bigger the space it can pull from and the fast it pulls the more expensive it can be- up to a good few hundred dollars. If you can limit the space it has to pull from and be ready to start it long before you want to cast, the cheaper and smaller you can go.
Heat:
Really the only option for this that doesn’t add more humidity is an AC unit. Either piped in air or a little stand alone unit like goes in windows. Again, ACs are rated and priced similarly by:
amount of cubic feet they’ll cool
amount of cooling it can produce per hour
My Plan:
My garage is not at all well sealed and it’s far bigger than I need to deal with! My car doesn’t need to be dehumidified, for example. I intend (and really need to get on this plan when it’s less brutal to work out there) to basically make the framework for a ‘room’. You can make frames rather simply or buy them pre-made. Instead of solid walls though, It will be wrapped in velum- a heavy plastic used in construction sites or labs. This will help keep it mostly air tight.
I’ll have a humidifier in it- preferable self draining- and a small standalone AC unit. I’m debating since it’s in and out if I need to work on ventilation. The AC might handle it and be enough with my mask. If not, a small exhaust fan is easiest but not air tight at all. There’s a slim chance I might get my hands on a used fume hood and all of this is easier.
Basically this will become my small casting room that I can do my best to combat this lovely weather that I live in. I hope this helps some!
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CASTING FOR BEGINNERS: the cheap, easy, quick way!
I used this method to cast accessories for a Black Adam and Dr. Strange commission! This is a VERY basic, affordable way I've found to cast small accessory pieces. Most of these items can be purchased at local craft stores with coupons. There are ways to make molds that last a longer time and can be used hundreds of times, but this is a quick starter way for people who are intimidated to try! Once you get used to this simple process, you can jump into more difficult casting & molding supplies!
What you will need to cast accessories:
— 3D Gel
— Cool 2 Cast
— Your accessory to duplicate
— Disposable mixing cup
— Spoons
—Disposable cardboard or small container
1) For your accessory that you'd like to cast, you can have something pre-made, or sculpt your own. I sculpted mine out of Sculpey brand clay and baked it, so it's ready to go (there are plenty of sculpting tutorials, so we'll skip that step, here!)
You will need a small disposable box or container that your accessory fits in, with about 1/2" room on all sides of it. This will become your mold container. I used the bottom of a plastic food container.
2) In one of your disposable cups, mix the 3D Gel according to the instructions. Warning: this tends to set VERY fast! Work quickly! Mix it up and pour it into your mold container. Gently push your accessory into the 3D Gel. Tap it in until it's set all the way in, but not sinking. Let set, about an hour will do!
3) At this point you can remove the entire mold from the mold container...this allows you to flex it a little to pop your accessory out. Your first part is done, you have a mold! I like to let it dry out for another half hour before using it, at this point.
4) Mix the Cool 2 Cast according to the instructions. This doesn't set as quickly, so you can take your time a little more. Once well blended, begin pouring into the mold. I like to work it into any cracks and deep spaces with a spoon to make sure you're not missing any details. Tap gently on the mold to help work up any air bubbles, and let set.
5) Once your item has set, you can remove your new accessory! Usually flexing the mold a little will allow you to pop it out, though you may need to use a small pointed object to begin prying your casting out. Gently remove, and it's done!
Using this method, you can make one copy at a time, but it's cheap, minimal effort, and you can use this mold about 10 times. Note: I've found the 3D Gel molds get too hardened to use after about a week, so make sure you make your castings in that time frame so you don't have to make a new mold and save money!
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For those of us who have no idea how to cast hollow BJD parts, here's a tutorial that shows you how to do just that!
This tutorial comes to you from Vivcore's Dolly Daydream
Vivcore shows you how to make and key a mold (keying=making sort of dent/hole things so you can match up two-part molds. I didn't know that until now), what to do to get hollow casts so you don't have to go the more dangerous route: DRILLING. Vivcore also includes a brief note on resin pigmenting.
While you're there, be sure to check out Viv's other tutorials, on sculpting and stringing, as well as her nifty supply list!
