Halo 5 Cortana data chip

[Tarchinoko]

Hey everyone! so Ive recently been working on a small project which as the title says is the cortana data chip seen in the trailer for halo 5


First thing I did was draw up a 2D design for my rendition of the piece, I then imported it into solid works and made myself a nice 3d model to be sent off to shapeways! problem was that the shapeways print turned out great on one half but the detail on the other half was lost so i molded the good half of the chip, cast it twice and stuck them together then molded that as a master



Id like to ask if anyone can tell me exactly how I can polish one of these for a better metallic lustre? Ive never really cold cast before, I used about 1:2 iron powder to casting resin when casting these

 

[CFR]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

Have a look at this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAC5y9nFU0

 

[Tarchinoko]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

I watched the video and I do everything in it and more, not only do I apply the powder directly to the mould using a brush but I also then cast into the mould with plastic that has the powder mixed in and yet I still get a very dull finish that only looks slightly metallic so im wondering if theres a special method to buff the castings? lots of places say use 0000 steel wool but I cant find that where I am, I wouldve thought that high grit sandpaper would work just as well but all the sand paper does is make the casting a lighter colour

 

[CFR]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

What kind of finish are you looking for? Have you tried car wax buffed to a shine or Gloss clear coat?

Alumilite has a forum for asking questions and they seem to respond quickly. Maybe someone there can help.

Alumilite - Q & A Forum

 

[Luke0312]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

A few tips:
Dust your mold lightly with the iron powder to get more if it towards the surface, since that is what you're polishing.

Mix your powder with part B and once mixed, let it rest for a while. This will give it time for some of the trapped air to rise and pop. The introduction of the dry material into the liquid puts a lot of air in there. Since you're only mixing with one half, you're not in a rush because of setting resin.

If you find too much of the powder is settling towards the bottom of your mold before the resin kicks, you might want to heat the mold prior. If you do, it's even more important to avoid air in the mix as it has less time to escape.

You can polish it with steel wool to bring out the luster. The finer the better. Too much abrasion might get you into trapped air bubbles or through too much of the iron powder. You can also use a polish compound to get more shine. I like using stove black polish, it darkens the metallic color and leaves a bit of aging in the crevices.

Given that iron will oxidize, you might need to seal it after polishing.

The color of your resin makes a difference. I use aluminum powder a lot, I find with a dark resin it usually is too dark, but with a white/off-white resin, I can polish aftterwards with the stove black and get a good steel look to the piece. The final finish is just trial and error to find the look you like.

 

[Tarchinoko]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

wow thanks those are great tips! I was having trouble with lots of micro bubbles just under the surface of the cast pieces so that letting it sit thing sounds like it would help a lot! Im just testing it out right now with iron powder until my aluminium powder arrives

 

[CFR]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

If you intend to do a lot of casting in future (especially clear casting), a vacuum pump and chamber may be a good investment to remove bubbles from the resin. In doing clear parts I first vacuum both parts of the resin (amazing how much gas is in solution premix), mix them and vacuum again (keeping mindful of pot life) and then if the mold fist in my chamber I vacuum one more time and then put it under 50 PSI while it sets (my chamber is both a vacuum and a pressure chamber). Dusting a mold with baby powder (wouldn't work in this case with the metal powder) also helps eliminate bubbles. I put some in the mold and brush it around with a soft brush and then brush the excess out (blowing with light compressed air is an option BUT baby powder is not good to breath). As noted pre-heating molds helps the cure especially small or thin parts. If it is important that my small parts are bubble free then I will vacuum the resin before I pour.

There is also a product called rub n buff. I used the copper and it helped the look of the part I was making.
Rub 'n Buff The Original Wax Metallic Finish | MisterArt.com

 

[The Schlitzie]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

0000 steel wool really is the way to go. Have you tried the grocery store or hardware store? I suppose you could get some online. After that I use Nexus 1,2 polishing compounds. You can get sample bottles for only a few dollars and they last forever for small projects.

 

[Tarchinoko]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

hmm seems im just going to have to order in some steel wool from overseas then I live in Hong Kong so materials for this hobby are pretty hard to source here, we dont have anything like amazon and a lot of companies that stock this stuff dont have websites

 

[Tarchinoko]

Re: Halo 5 Cortana data chip- HELP WITH COLD CASTING

I think I have the casting method a bit better now! These look much better seam wise and Ive definately reduced bubbles significantly!

 

[Tarchinoko]

I got my aluminium powder and steel wool!