Medusa Stat

[cloakfiend 995]

Got this scan from some website, the dude has loads of good stuff, so i thought id take it clean it up a bit and print it out. Not finished and i now see a few things im going to modify but with 2percent in fill it did ok! Support also was ok but i had to glue in some support joins to strengthen them mid print as they got a bit wobbly. 1d18hrs@0.06. Looks like it will clean up nicely. My lizard is going to need manual support (as the fingers and spikes need help) or dissolvable, just a time choice really. This one should look great with a patina! unfortunately my platng soulution is shot as i rushed the mix! Will updated as i go along...

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Cannot wait to see more of this ?

 

Again, bowing to the UM alchemy wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Awe ?

 

[cloakfiend 995]

The amusing setups in alchemy! Well my ones anyway, no need for expensive equipment, this ones oversize as usual. I never have enough room. The statue is specially printed for the height and width of the 3lt container though so that wont be a problem....for now.

[cloakfiend 995]

Here are a few pics of the mods i made, basically mirrored the wings on his feet and helmet because i didnt like the ones on the model, I think the scan may have gone weird and I missed it Just lopped them of with some pliers. Drilled some tiny holes for support when gluing. worked great. Will acetone it tonight and should be ready in a few days!

 

 

[cloakfiend 995]

and after acetone....

I did a few brush-on attempts with this one and as a result there are a few residual lines fro the repeat processes overlapping one another, but nothing major. The surface looks super smooth so im happy, I might do (acetone) the base again as the lines are still slightly visible due to it being almost completely flat. It should look totally cool plated, cant wait. Even the undersides look look after the wash, a bit of light sanding will work wonders!

 

I'd say the most bizzare thing about acetoning your work is that it camouflages how it really looks. If I'd only show acetoned prints you would probably say they look poor quality.

 

That is the big deception and what I genuinely think put people off doing it.

 

Iooking at my pictures I bet you cant even tell whats going on! I certainly cant! Bright red is one of the worst colours to photograph and save as JPEG.

 

The next time you'll see it, it should look real good. I'll do closeups then, its a waste of time doing closeups of red prints on my smartphone.

 

Edited August 9, 2018 by cloakfiend

[cloakfiend 995]

Just gave this one a quick prime to see the problem areas, might have gone a bit heavy with the paint as it gained a skinlike texture, but should be ok. Sometimes it dries quicky, sometimes it takes ages. I guess many thin coats is far better than one thicker one. Its hard to do many coats though as you need zen patience and not give into the temptation of over spraying which is very easy. I give into temptation too easily. I could have spent more time on the faces but im going to distress it later anyway so maybe for the next version.

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2018 by cloakfiend

[cloakfiend 995]

Ill be pulling this out of the plating solution soon...  i wonder how its done? I hope its ok, i noticed a few issues as it was going in. There were holes in joins i missed and this means the plaster of paris inside will most likely contaminate my solution which is a shame. I was planning on using the same solution to do way more...... we shall see. 3ltr plates are posing problematic and amnoying. 2ltrs is fine. I may need to change the voltage a touch.

[cloakfiend 995]

Dammit I think I really need to crank the voltage for 3 litre, especially as its cold outside now......finally. even though the heat did help plating somewhat. im gonna leave it in for a few more hours...

[cloakfiend 995]

Well turns out I was right about the volts, I ramped it up to pretty much double what it was before and it appears to have covered areas that simply weren't covered before, even after 4 hours, so I was simply being over cautious, but when volumes change then other factors will obviously also have to be adjusted. The night has come and the cold has set in as well, so thats another factor. I still am not sure what temperature does, I think it improves the speed or something? There also seem to be loads of crap floating around at the bottom, even though I put nothing else in there, its as if small sheets of copper are forming on their own whilst going round. Ill give it two more hours and then I'll whip it out, I need to go to sleep soon I got night shifts coming up and need to get a few wins rest.

[cloakfiend 995]

im so tempted to whip it out...again, but if you do that and let it dry, then dont put it back in without degreasing or removing any oil or impurities, I double coated this one with a cheap and expensive conductive surface, the expensive surface has done a bit and eroded away leaving the cheap surface which is more tricky to plate. I like doing this as it can save a complicated plate like this with many cavities and intersections. cavities are a pain as they often creates air pockets and no plating solution reaches them leaving them untouched but there are a few tricks to avoid this happening.....ok ive had enough im getting it out now.....any mistakes will be hidden by the patina!!!!! cos this is definitely getting one! trouble is it may destroy the plate as i feel it may be a bit thin due to the temp......

[cloakfiend 995]

Ok enough plating is enough and I now know the problem with all the crap at the bottom of the beaker. The new copper I bought is not the same as the copper i had before. Its red? after sitting in the bath, the copper looks as if it flaking off? could be a polished surface, but I reckon its impurities in the copper, as it appears to be happening all over not just on one surface. theres defo some rubbish in there and its not pure as stated online, Ill be demanding a refund. 

 

Anyways you don't care about all that, you just want to see the finished model right?..... so not all parts plated but most of it did luckily.....Ill leave it for now and patina it tomorrow, I may make some parts shiny and leave other parts green. when you pull it out of the plating sol, you have dry it fast! or else it will immediately start tarnishing and then the plate can crack of and spread to parts which were ok. mainly the gaps need to be drained of liquid. The lizard sculpt is going to be a nightmare to dry, I may need to resort to the hair dryer method. I will not be adding the new copper this time round. Ill have to try to order some more from the last place. In my opinion dont buy offcuts, as you dont know what you are buying. I got lucky for a while but knew id get some dud stuff eventually. 

 

The sword is a lot less flexible than before so I know that a decent amount of copper has hit it. Other parts wont be so lucky, especially hard to reach areas. Damn fake coper didnt help though.

 

Edited August 26, 2018 by cloakfiend

[cloakfiend 995]

And some post photos......i took way too many here is just a few. Very happy with the results.

 

 

 

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Wow, that is really sweet! And the metal and patina work for the subject matter very, very well!

 

?

[geert_2 557]

I like the black painted too. It adds some darkness to the theme of the scene.  :-)

 

[cloakfiend 995]

Thanks, and Yes mecha black primer looks nice on most things. Its durable and has a nice satin sheen.