TOPIC: Any Mold users out there?

5 more molds arrived today!!!  I had to get wooden flooring, cobblestone flooring and wooden shingles for some of the new buildings I am in the process of making.  I also went ahead and got one of the round towers and some accessory blocks for one of the other molds I have.<br /><br />Must find a way to get more hours out of the day!!!

You can hire the local street urchins to cast your molds so all you gotta do is put them together

I kinda like the mixing and pouring...fun to break them out of the mold and see how the pieces turn out.<br /><br />So far there is not a thing about this hobby that I do not like - just a little nervous on the painting still.

And next you get to have fun mixing and matching molds...somewhere I've got pics of the wizard's tower I made with the circular tower, domed roof and spiral stairs going up it...<br /><br />As soon as I have room to work again, I can't wait to get back to my artistic outlets. Just gonna have to find craft shows or hit up friends for booth space at cons or sommat.<br /><br />Have to tell Bruce I helped get someone else addicted. Glad yer having fun with it.

Whoa, I came to this late--I've been missing for awhile.<br /><br />I used to have 15-20 Hirst Arts molds.  They are a really neat product.  I was gung ho when I first got them, but it simply became to much of a chore to cast them, glue them, and paint them.  By the time I was done with some pieces, the prices for the Dwarven Forge stuff looked pretty dang good.  <br /><br />I ended up selling my molds last year in the Gen Con auction.  The value of them held up pretty well, some garnering over 75% of their original cost.  <br /><br />For casting material, I suggest Dental PLaster, like Die Keen Green, or Excalibur.  Both cast smoothly with little verry little bubbling and have a really high PSI crush rating.

I'm using Merlin's Magic Mud - Dental Plaster...good stuff - very few bubbles and dry in 20-25 min.<br /><br />I have 10 molds and have a wish list of 10 more for CON.<br /><br />I love the hobby, but it does take a load of time.  But hey, that makes it fun.  I suspect I will be back on my second big build after the TD season is over.<br /><br />Thanks for the input all!

My husband actually bought some molds for the first time this GenCon. We haven't had a chance to do anything with them, yet, but may be looking for some hints and advice soon enough.

Very cool - the Hirst Mold page is VERY helpful as far as making unique pieces, how to paint and basically everything else in between.<br /><br />I picked up my 10 new molds so my collection has doubled to 20!  WHOO HOO!  Now I just need more time to play!<br /><br />If you have any questions, try the Hirst site and try me...I'm not as experienced as many on this forum...but I will try to help where I can.

ppssstt....buy Dwarven Forge...<br /><br /><br /> =D

What I saw on the DF table was very tempting...but if you are looking for the thrill of the "build it yourself" (can also be a huge time sink and hassle...) well the mold it yourself outlet is pretty cool!<br /><br />But yes - buy Dwarven Forge!

If we buy Dwarven Forge do we get a discount because we're loyal True Dungeon players?   =D<br /><br /><br />I know Jeff will probably curse me with a Deck of Many Things card for saying this but I would suggest you go with Hirst molds if you are short of money.  A single Hirst mold is generally cheap ($34 each) and are more labor intensive (you have to master the art of mixing and pouring the plaster and you have to paint them and depending on the plaster used you may have to use a dremel tool to grind off the flash) but once you have the mold the relatively cheap cost of plaster makes it worth while.<br /><br />If, however, you've got the cash and/or if you don't like the labor involved then Dwarven Forge gives you a ready to use product that is very high in quality. <br /><br /><br />Take care and have a great day....<br /><br /><br /><br />ciao,<br />john.

Merlin's Magic is easy to get any extra off...just use a file and scape it down...but once you get the timing down of when to scrape off the excess...having to file becomes a thing of the past...