removing resin castings...

PatlaborUnit1 wrote:

some of my busts are strange that way too, no way to get to it with a razor saw or on the big belt sander here at work. I will drill those out with a 1/4 inch drillbit and gnaw away at it with my sprue cutters. I have so many pairs of sprue cutters I use some just for doing jobs like this, then sand. A word on sanding: I always try to do any resin sanding under water at the sink. it clears the sandpaper/pad/foambacked sander and keeps the dust down to zero. I make a HUGE mess witht he belt sander and not only do I not want that in my lungs but its hard to pick up without a shop vac. David

well santa arrived with the dremal so i cut the plug off and did the sanding underwater,that was a great tip,its all cleaned and waiting to dry b4 i primer.

this is my first figure so it will be a fun learning experiance.

thanks for the tips,happy christmas to all.

some of my busts are strange that way too, no way to get to it with a razor saw or on the big belt sander here at work.

I will drill those out with a 1/4 inch drillbit and gnaw away at it with my sprue cutters. I have so many pairs of sprue cutters I use some just for doing jobs like this, then sand.

A word on sanding: I always try to do any resin sanding under water at the sink. it clears the sandpaper/pad/foambacked sander and keeps the dust down to zero. I make a HUGE mess witht he belt sander and not only do I not want that in my lungs but its hard to pick up without a shop vac.

David

Hans von Hammer wrote:

I never meant  sand the entire sprue off with a disc... I cut it off as close as I can with dykes or a razor saw, and then use the disc...

hi,the plug on the bottom of the bust is at a wierd angle and you cant really get to it with a razor saw etc as you risk damaging the edges of the bust, so it's gonna have to be the cutting disc.i can always fill the bottom thats not a problem.

cheers chaps

I never meant  sand the entire sprue off with a disc... I cut it off as close as I can with dykes or a razor saw, and then use the disc...

ludwig113 wrote:

...i'm gonna go for a dremel and cutting disc...

Quicker for sure, but you will be creating ten times the resin dust.

smokinguns3 wrote:

...exacto razor saw blades you can get them at lhs...

Works for me.  I saw or nibble off the runners, then sand.

Hans von Hammer wrote:

sanding disc in a variable-speed drill...

A powertool allows you to screw up faster.  

If you choose to use a power disc sander let me suggest a dedicated disc/belt sander instead of the power drill attachment.  Most power drill disc sanding pads are flexible.  This may lead to uneven sanding.   And unless you have a fixture to clamp the drill to the workbench you will really need three hands to do the job effectively (one to hold the drill and two to correctly/firmly hold the item being sanded).

When power sanding resin be sure to use eye protection and some means of preventing inhaling the dust generated.   A surgical/dust mask is fine, a respirator is overkill but use what you have.

Regardless of your choice of power tool to remove the pour plug,  use it to only rough sand the removal of the pour plug.  Leave a bit, then progress to a sheet of wet-n-dry sandpaper attached to a sheet of plexiglass with contact cement.   Wet sand the remaining plug.  Wet sanding controls the dust generated.

The suggestion of using a razor saw is also a good one.   Remove the bulk of the pour plug, then wet sand as above to carefully approach the finished dimension.  

It is easy to sand off some more.   Its more difficult to sand off less