This was really useful to see not just for Legos, but for seeing how tight tolerances in general translate to resin! Just the result I was hoping for since I'm going to cast screw threads.

I saw several people use a Lego plate as the bottom of their mold. Those became the registration marks for the second half of the mold, and you don't need to worry about tape or glue holding onto the silicon too tightly.

I’ve seen people use Lego to build the casting box. By using a sheet plate to put your pieces on and build a box from other Lego, you get registration bumps automatically. The King Of Random uses that technique to cast candy and chocolate Lego pieces.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Many people have commented that they use Lego bricks as mold cases. But I don’t own any except Legos that little set I bought for this video. So I don’t have experience in using them for that

@3DJapan

Жыл бұрын

What's great about that is that they're reusable. Take them apart, build a different box next time.

It might be fun to create Lego macros: use Lego to build a component of a larger model and then capture that in a mold with all the exposed connection surfaces preserved. Then that component could be cast in resin over and over again. Now you could build your Lego model with a combination of these macro modules and regular pieces. Imagine a castle with a lot of symmetry and repeated structure: build each chunk once and amplify through casting, then assemble.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

The limitation there will be that the shrinkage is proportionate to the size of the part. I think the individual Lego pieces succeeded because they are so small. But it would be an interesting experiment to make what you suggest and see if it would work.

I use those Scotch mounting pads all the time. I’ve found a mist of ease release on the adhesive solves any bonding issues, and the thing is so sticky it’ll still grab your model and create a nice seal.

We see the difference between silicone mold pouring and injection molding into metal. :-) Love your videos!

This is encouraging. Along with your Crafsman collaboration, I was thinking about revisiting a project I shelved. I pulled out some old K'Nex figures (made of nice pieces with ball-socket joints and a ton of articulation) and was going to make a 2-part clay-up mold with them but never got around to actually pouring any resin. A squish mold looks like the better option. Good to know that the tolerances on rubber/resin, while not quite up to Lego's exacting standards, would probably be perfectly fine for the K'Nex parts.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, this project has motivated me to make some more close-tolerance-parts projects.

I've been planning a mould with that hinge set up so I'm glad to see it works.

i honestly didn't think that was going to work. I figured the shrinkage was going to be too great. Nice work Robert!

i've always wondered this myself, thanks for the video!

That was an amazing casting! All those tiny little crevices and not a single bubble in the silicone or the resin! Very impressive! I’ve been hoping you’d do a Lego casting, those little things are just ingenious.

Really entertaining and informative, Robert. The de-mold on this one was truly edge-of-your-seat stuff!

I never thought about casting and I will probably never do it BUT your videos are super interesting and entertaining. I already watched a bunch today and enjoyed it. Thanks :)

This type of video makes me come back looking for more

I was really excited to see a new pouring technique. The explanation about scaling down the pour seems so simple and obvious, but I can't imagine coming up with it myself. It reminds me how much value there is in learning directly from a professional, no matter the craft. Thank you for sharing your expertise!

Very cool. Legos will never stop being fascinating.

I had 2 projects on my mind and both would require casting lego but killed them because I thought they will not fit each other. Thanks for testing it, now can resume it with confidence.

This was a really fun video, I like how you manage to come up with an interesting subject each time. Always look forward to them

@funx24X7

2 жыл бұрын

I enjoy how he learns things alongside his audience

Very cool. Legos will never stop being fascinating.

The alignment issues reminds of when i played with off brand legos when i was a younger

Loved this video. Though I would not be casting Lego, it was just so informative and summarized at the end improvements you would have made to the mold to perfect.

If anyone could make that work, it would be Robert. Despite that, I'm amazed that it did!

great experiment

Nice work.

I have used Lego as a mold box for making molds. It is very effective and creates there own registrations. This is a very interesting video as an alternative. 👍

Thanks for making these videos. I learned a lot. I cast some siple parts now. And I enjoy watching a lot. Thanks :-)

Man, you never disappoint! I always watch your channel even though I barely cast stuff.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Samuel!

You have taught me so much, thank you for taking your time to do these. I check a couple times a day on Friday to see if your new one is up.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Warm! I appreciate you watching my vids.

This is gonna be a huge hand in making colors of parts that don’t exist

@Robsaint_

Ай бұрын

Was thinking the same thing. I was after a black brick costume minifigure. But I think it would be even trickier to Han this method.

Nice job. I think you nailed it! As usual.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Richard.

Great job robert

thank you for this video.

Wow that's a Clean mold

Wow! That spagetti-drizzle-technique is a lifesaver! i will use that on a lot of stuff. Thanks for sharing your secrets, never seen that one before.

@C4reful

2 жыл бұрын

Btw, mold-release works wonders on stickytape.

I love this guy!

I've designed and resin printed Lego blocks. They did fit perfectly with real ones but became loose after a while. I might have to try again with different resin.

These videos are fantastic. I've used these a few of methods in a manufacturing setting for low-quantity high-end electronics. One thing I think I'd like to see someday from this channel might be insert/overmolding or two-material molding. I in particular have had to make molds around cable-connectors in which I had to precisely hold wobbly wires and fill with epoxy. This was an extremely interesting learning experience. I'll enjoy anything you put out, but that's my 2¢.

i usually do it the other way around i use lego bricks to build my frames/boxes for casting other things and beauty of the beast is i usually ger a grid of registeration lego pins but i also was making sprue and vents in most of my forms to evacuate the air faster...and i most likely doing something wrong every time :P

You surprised yourself! 👏❤️

On the plus side, you now have a supply of tape that you know sticks to silicone well. You know, in case that comes in handy, I guess.

@aaronhelmsman

2 жыл бұрын

Good way to bond two molds together I guess

@glowpon3

2 жыл бұрын

You never know when you have to break the rules, that includes "silicone only sticks to silicone"

Ok. I have to say it. I have seen a lot of people make a mold case out of Legos, but this is the first time I have seen anyone make a mold case for their Legos. 😆

Wow I always thought that casting legos would be a painful process.

It is probably economically infeasible to cast your own Lego pieces. A genuine basic 2x4 Lego piece just a few cents each. The material of self casted piece alone costs more than a few cents. It is a fun exercise thro. A testimony of economy of scale.

You are amazing.

Hi Robert, so im ready for my first mold making, but what resin do i use? I really don’t know. Im going to make some He-Man action figure parts. Or do you already have a cool video about resin? Greets

That double sticky tape looks great. It’s good for something.

To the last bit of "sculpting lego compatible parts": Now that is where the shrinkage WILL seriously come into play. The bigger the piece, the worse shrinkage gets, proportionally.

That's awesome! Also. Stop failing at thinking you're going to fail! (Registrations) I honestly didn't think that was possible without a metal mold or something. I believe they are made with injection molding. Every video I watch on your channel I learn something new. Maybe one day I'll give it a try!

What's the blue rubber silicone product you used? I've found comparable materials online, but I'd like to know exactly what you used if you're willing to share. Ty!

Another great video, Robert. When you dribble the rubber to create the second half of the mold, starting at 5:58, why couldn't you have been less careful, just pour it in haphazardly, and then put the mold in the vacuum chamber (or pressure chamber), to insure the rubber gets into everything?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I could have done that but I was afraid that there might be a small amounts of air trapped between the Lego pieces and the first half of the mold. Remember I had to put them back into the mold and I’m always concerned that the model wont go back perfectly. If I had trapped any air the vacuum would have popped them out, or at least moved them a bit.

👏👏👏Hi Robert. Thank you, great job. 👏👏👏 pls more videos like this

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

Hit me up whenever you have ideas for videos. 👍

Another great video! Hopefully Lego does not shut it down like they love to do

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

So far I have evaded their wrath. 😳👏👍😄

would probably reccomend 2 part pvc for lego casting as lego is made with pvc to add a tiny hint of flex

Hi Robert. ' been watching a ton of your videos lately and started making a few molds myself. Thanks for being awesome. One question for you - there seems to be a lot of consumables in the process. Do you re-use your mixing containers at all - or do you have to buy new mixing cups each time? Any tips?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Time over materials. It’s a judgment you have to make in your workflow. For instance, mixing cups. If I use a new cup every time I mix a batch of resin I save a little time. And there’s a variety of small issues with used cups. Minor, but they are real. Cups are dirt cheap and my time is expensive. So I prioritize time and blow through cups. What my customers are paying for is my time. But in actuality, as a toy prototype maker I use very little materials. My city gives me three big bins for trash and they pick up once a week. I put out one bin of trash and one recycling bin maybe every month or two. The biggest waste hassle I have is empty 5 gallon buckets of resin. You’re not supposed to throw those out. You have to bring them to a special disposal center. Even then, I just go through a few buckets a year.

@warrenparsons2952

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Thanks for the reply. Good tip! :)

If you think the fact they fit together so well is as cool as it is then you should watch a video documentary on how they actually make their Lego bricks and the Machinery they actually use and then you would know why it's something that fits together so precisely and why knock-off Brands don't and are so cheap and why real lego cost what it does at least part of the reason for the cost of real lego.👍 Anyway thank you very much for your video i really enjoyed watching it thank you very much and im definitely going to subscribe to your channel 🙂👍✌

That means u can create custom coloured Lego bricks

Can the molds be re-used?

Hi, I just wanted to ask what are the main pros and cons between a pressure pot vs a vacuum chamber? Which would you recommend? Could you make a vacuum chamber without bolts in a similar way to how a pressure pot works? (I can't imagine the physics are the same)

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

A vacuum chamber is self closing. So all you need is a strong vessel like a cooking pot, a rubber seal and a strong lid. Those are usually made out of a piece of thick clear plexiglass.

I use compressed air and it pops parts out of the rubber really easy. Also, you need the white Scott towels, they are far far better than the blue.

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

Why are the white towels better than the blue ones

@opieshomeshop

Жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone They are stronger. The blue are weak and fall apart and rip to easily.

I recently switched to a silicone brush for beeswax; it doesn't burn and the dried wax can be peeled off pretty easy. there may be some downside i haven't run into yet, but it's worked pretty well so far!

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Good idea. I’ll have to give it a try.

@stephenrowan5144

2 жыл бұрын

I bet that would be good for ‘drizzling’ the silicone also.

Considering even off brand dollar store Lego is compatible with the brand bricks, seeing these cast and working wasn't too much of a surprise. That said, seeing just how perfect the LEGO print is on the pegs when zoomed in? The detail and clarity in that hairline printing is impressive.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Resin casts are smaller than the original, the question is how much.

@ABaumstumpf

Жыл бұрын

The sad thing is that those are brick-companies are so much cheaper and now even better quality than Lego it self. (At least Lego is not as low quality as it was 20 years ago anymore.)

This video has convinced me that I need a pressure pot.

Is the resin cheaper than Legos? I still need to make my life size castle...

With the cast Lego bricks I think they would warp when pressed in to the injection moulded bricks because their shore hardness is completely different. The resin would ever so slightly flex and ware out quicker too I guess.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

They might. I have no data on how they would hold up over time.

Have you tried using legos to make the mould case? I see a few youtubers using them and would like to hear your opinion

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

It works, but I have no direct experience with it. I didn’t play much with Legos so I don’t have any handy. And because I have a woodshop it’s much faster for me to use wood.

@JakeStaines

Жыл бұрын

I used to do this all the time just because it was what I'd seen others do, and... eh. Even with the tight tolerances of Lego the silicone rubber leaks between the blocks a bit and you get this weird inverse-brick flash pattern on the outside of the mould, which can sometimes get in the way and push it out of shape as you secure the mould for casting, leading to registration issues. There's not much extra silicone there, but if it opens up the parting face a bit it can cause leakage or severe flash. It feels like making the mould box out of Lego is convenient because you can just build the box quickly to the size you need and re-use the bits for the next one, but I switched to sheet styrene in the kind of double-herringbone/pinwheel arrangement and never went back. I've seen some people use hotglued Correx with success and that's even cheaper than styrene - I expect Foamex would work too and that's not just pretty cheap but also dead easy to cut with a craft knife.

Hi Tolone, I just realized that in this mold, there is no vent whatsoever from where pressure usually comes in. Is this possible in squish mold to not have vents? If yes, how do you prevent resin shrinkage? Thanks!

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

You can add vents where necessary. But they won’t help with resin shrinkage.

@Starexe97

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone noted! thanks for the info!

Do you think doing a cut-mold would have improved the registration?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

In this case I wanted the parting lines to be around the base of each lego and indeed they were very good. I was hoping that a quick and easy registration system would suffice. But a good key system would have solved this issue.

Could you cast a low temp metal like bismuth in that rubber? How hot does the resin get?

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

It should be able to. Some bismuth alloys will melt on a hot day in Phoenix, others melt at higher temps. The Econosil-25 rubber that I use is rated up to 350F. Above that it’s better to use a high-temp silicone when casting pewter, etc.

@annekabrimhall1059

Жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone That’s exciting! I’ll give it a try. Do you think you’ll cast in metal sometime for this channel?

Do you think the tape is silicone based? Maybe even the adhesive?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t know. Whatever it is, it’s strong!

@NM-wd7kx

2 жыл бұрын

If it's anything like the gorilla brand stuff sold in the UK then it sure feels silicone like, the stuff really likes certain surfaces (especially those with a slight key).

@chartle1

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone think about it. If you needed to stick that cured silicone to something. I think that's the double sided tape you would use. 😉

@SmithDrewSmith

2 жыл бұрын

I've run into similar issues with aerospace grade tape that is silicone based adhesive, so that's probably what happened. Most tape adhesive is acrylic based.

@chartle1

2 жыл бұрын

@@SmithDrewSmith I used baking parchment paper to make sort of a release for some high temp silicone. Guess what parchment paper is coated with. 🙄

Cast LEGOs to use in mold boxes. What do you use to make the mold box to the mold-box-Legos why more LEGOs of course. Which came first the LEGOs or the legos?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

👍😄

Can anyone tell me if the cost of dyi for this type of part is more or less expensive than just buying the bricks?

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

It is much, much cheaper to buy the original bricks! This technique could be useful if you wanted to make your own custom bricks that would fit with the lego originals.

Missed opportunity of not building the mold box out of Legos.

Can you tell us why the resin sitting in the mold longer hurts the mold?

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

I can’t give you the answer that a chemist would. I do know that there is an interaction between the rubber and the resin on a molecular level. That is why molds wears out. My resin manufacturer recommends removing the casting as soon as possible from the mold to prolong mold life.

That's a really expensive way to get more Legos.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

No kidding! Very expensive 😃. It only makes sense as a way to sculpt custom pieces.

RT: always check your materials don't react with each other Also RT: I didn't check my materials don't react with each other - again! :)

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

True! These days my channel projects ARE my material tests! The failures are more instructive than the successes.

You made the perfect name for them - bootlegos hah

"bootLEGOs" lmfao

I remember I tried 3d printing some custom legos and no matter what I did they wouldn't fit XD

@22hilding

2 жыл бұрын

I myself have been 3D-printing for just over three years now and still have a hard time calculating the properties of different plastics regarding shrinkage. However, I have never tried to print lego, but never had the need. I have a tolerance of about one tenth of a millimeter. Good enough, but not for Lego. I think that regular 3D printing, fdm / fff, will always have just these problems because the plastic we use heats up and then cools quite uncontrollably.

Now you HAVE to do a video on using LEGO®️ as mold case.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t have enough blocks to make mold cases! 😃

Bootlego

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

😄

Just this once I was hoping you would use LEGO blocks to make the mold box. LOL

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t have enough legos!

@roger.agburn

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone I also think LEGO(R) blocks are to expensive to use them for mold making. If I had a proper shop, I would always use scrap would and bees wax. Since I don't have one, I always try to be able to use plastic cups. ^_^

But buying LEGO(R) blocks is so much cheaper than casting resin ones. ;-P Just kidding, lovely video Robert.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I was never good at math.

I've found that certains brands of double sided tape, mostly the cheaper stuff, can inhibit my silicone cure in the contact areas.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Are you getting inhibition with tin or platinum rubber? I am working a video on cure inhibition and I’m looking for materials or brands known to cause it.

@evansn79

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Platinum cure - It's only ever so slight and can normally be scrapped back/cleaned with a bit of alcohol. It also seems to be much more common with high temp rubbers than standard silicone. Also on the subject of cure inhibition, Water washable 3d print resin from elegoo will stop silicone in its tracks.

Why not make the mold box out of Legos, rather than wasting wood?

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

I can’t remember the last time I bought wood. I get all of my wood by scrounging in the neighborhood. Dumpster diving and alley cruising. Plus, because I have a wood shop it’s very fast for me to make the boxes.

Good grief. I knew there might be trouble when you opened that tape. They use it to mount windows on tall office buildings. Just that tape, nothing else... makes it easier. It is also used to mount solar panels on the roof of vans and campers.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Haha, good to know!

Lepin Reform

The only thing I know about Legos is that original manufacturer adds some special something so that a piece of Lego would show on x-ray scan (plastic typically is invisible). Because pieces are tiny, and it's essential to see them in case a kid shoves one up their nose or swallows it.

Could you have poured the second half and vacuumed again. 🤔

@NM-wd7kx

2 жыл бұрын

This is a thing I've been doing (I don't have a pressure pot), though my moulds are significantly simpler

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, in theory that would work. I was afraid that there might be air, even a tiny bit, trapped between the Lego piece and the first half of the mold. Placed under a vacuum there was the possibility a lego could get dislodged by expanding air.

@chartle1

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone I meant the second half of the mold. I unsterstand vacuuming fast set resin is ussually never a good idea.

@TheRealWurstCase

2 жыл бұрын

@@chartle1 and he also did mean the second half of the mold but he was talking about air bubbles in the already cured first part. even the tiniest amount between the lego pieces and the first part of the mold could lift/move the lego pieces when treating the second part of the mold in vacuum

metal cnc or cast molds, casting molds, aluminium or magnesium, yes, metal, or ceramic, burned, glass molds

@Jkauppa

2 жыл бұрын

very nice, would you try a hexagonal lego, with a paw form, if I send you the .stl, for free public domain of course

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Send it to roberttolone@yahoo.com

Have you ever stepped barefoot on a lego? the ultimate torture 😰😰😰

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

It’s horrible!

Sticky tape??😲 Where’s the sticky wax?

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Always looking for the next thrill!

@annekabrimhall1059

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone that was a thrill 😑

Lego company is incredibly litigious it seems. There was a site once that had 3D printable Legos, it got taken down.

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

They better get busy. There are Lego videos all over KZread.

@JohnClark-tt2bl

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Yeah I'm really not sure why that site got their focus when casting them doesn't seem too. I guess it was probably because they were distributing the files on that site.

I really enjoy your videos, they are so informative. I would be very concerned with the copyright on Legos I guess the manufacturer would not be very happy !

Careful Lego can get very unhappy about you making copies.

@RobertTolone

Жыл бұрын

If they sue me I’ll make them an offer they can’t refuse. I won’t charge them for all the free advertising! 👍😄

could have build the box out of lego. use lego to bootleg lego. let's go \o/

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

Golden opportunity missed! That would have been great.

Wait for the Lego take down letter

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

So far so good…

This feels like a trademark infringement. Obviously I wouldn't know but just seems like it could be

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

It’s not because I am not selling their products, nor am I advocating that anyone else copy and sell their products. I am encouraging their enormous fan base to spend even more time and money on their Lego hobby. Companies recognize that makers of fan art are their most devoted and loyal customers.

@TheCainsie

2 жыл бұрын

Robert also mentioned ip infringement in another one of his videos, iirc he were casting a 28mm miniature? Robert does not condone ip infringement or mass copying of others work. This video was about the technicalities of tolerance casting... However.... I'm thinking of some of the old sets I have, there was the police force with clear red parts, the villains with the luminous clear yellow parts and there was kinda explorer dudes with luminous orange parts... And I'm now thinking there's a possibility I could cast these parts in other colours that are less garish and more adult coloured...

@roger.agburn

2 жыл бұрын

@@RobertTolone Except for LEGO(R) being idiots sewing their youtube fan channels. ;) But I also don't think casting a few bricks is a problem. The brick itself is not a patent anymore and anyone could produce standard bricks.

Why couldn't you do that drizzle Technic for the Lego Bionicle heads that you previously did

@RobertTolone

2 жыл бұрын

I did not need it there. There were no bubbles in the mold. The difficulty was in the resin casting.