"Blue Stuff" reusable molding (aka Oyumaru)

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

My friend (goes by Ultron on here, but doesn't post much) showed me a video about something called Blue Stuff. Here is a product page. You can warm it up in water to mold it around something and it hardens. If you wish to recycle it, just warm it up again and it is reusable.

There's also something called Alteco Epo Putty that is a 2-part epoxy that forms easily. Apparently it is used a lot for aquariums, but it has a lot of other uses.

I don't have these yet, but it looks like using these two in conjunction can make duplicating parts very easy to do.

Has anyone used either product?

[Kekker]

I've seen something similar at the local cake store. Stuff you heat up, pour as a mold, but can then re-melt and use for another mold. It isn't Blue Stuff, it looks more of a translucent yellow, much like beeswax, but makes a flexible mold.

Obviously, this product Composimold is for food-grade work. I'm tempted to get some, since I only rarely cast things, and my silicone frequently goes off before I use even a quarter of it. They make a couple of different grades - food grade, flexible mold, regular and firm. If I do get some, I'll test it out and do a write-up.

Kev

[Stu Pidasso]

I saw something similar a few years ago. I tried a sample kit of it, and it did not work out for resin casting. Only because this stuff melt's when it gets warm, and resin hears as it cures.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

I saw something similar a few years ago. I tried a sample kit of it, and it did not work out for resin casting. Only because this stuff melt's when it gets warm, and resin hears as it cures.

Good point. Something that can be reformed when it is warmed will lose its shape when something warm is poured into it.

That 2-part epoxy sculpt stuff, however, seems to work well with the Blue Stuff. I'm at work now and cannot look it up, but there's a YouTube video in which both of these products are used together to reproduce pewter figurines. From what I saw, these make a good combination.

[Chas]

That's the same material as OYUMARU that I've been using for a few years.
I'm surprised you hadn't already discovered this stuff Greg. I first learned of it from seeing it being used on quite a few Japanese modelers' blogs. You might want to check around locally as it will most likely be cheaper for you to get it in the modeler's paradise the is Japan.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

That's the same material as OYUMARU that I've been using for a few years.

Yeah, that's it! Oyumaru. I'd forgotten what it was called here.

I actually found something a while back that is very similar, but has a different name. I used it to make a mold from a cream puff-shaped eraser as well as a donut eraser. We've used those molds for Tamiya Sweets Decoration clay to make desserts together. This stuff, too, can be heated up and melted. I have a bunch of the excess pieces I cut away that I can melt together and reuse. I've been using a mold release agent on it, though. I believe that the Oyumaru stuff doesn't require a release agent. Also, I do not know if the stuff I already have can be separated like Oyumaru can. I'll check out my local model/toy shop and ask if they have it. Either that or I might stop by Toys R Us the next time I'm in Maebashi. OR I could just order it off the Net as i do everything else. Living in a small town now leaves me with no option.

As for the Alteco Epo Putty, I am having some difficulty tracking it down for sale in Japan. Searching for it leads me to something called SSP, but that involves a powder to activate it. From the video I saw, it seemed like Alteco Epo Putty is not as sticky as Tamiya 2-part epoxy putty.

[Chas]

Searching for it leads me to something called SSP, but that involves a powder to activate it. From the video I saw, it seemed like Alteco Epo Putty is not as sticky as Tamiya 2-part epoxy putty.

SSP-HG!!!??? I've wanted to get my hands on that stuff for years! I've seen it used by so many Japanese modellers and it looks really interesting. HLJ use to carry it, but unfortunately they no longer do.
You might want to look into Epoxy Clay as well as putties.
I've only ever used the Oyumaru to make moulds of small parts and then Tamiya epoxy putty to fill the mould and make the part.
I find that if I keep the Tamiya moist (by dipping my fingers in water) that keeps the stickiness down.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

SSP-HG!!!??? I've wanted to get my hands on that stuff for years! I've seen it used by so many Japanese modellers and it looks really interesting. HLJ use to carry it, but unfortunately they no longer do.

Really? Is it that great? Yeah, I can get it easily. I've seen it in modeling stores. I can order it on Yodobashi.com. I'll check out some videos on it.

I stopped by my local hobby shop this afternoon and picked up a package of Oyumaru. It's clear and comes in 6 sticks. You can make bouncy balls of it and my daughter ones to make one. So I guess this wouldn't work well on pouring clear resin into then, huh? That's too bad because I have some stuff I wanna make some clear parts of. I do have the silicon molding materials for that though, at least.

[Chas]

Yeah this stuff softens in hot water so any material that generates too much heat when it cures won't do well.
Now that I've said that I wonder if fiberglass resin might work as a casting material, can't remember if it heats up when it cures. It won't be water clear, so probably won't work for your application. Regardless of that though I'm going to read up on fiberglass resin and see if it might be usable.
Have you checked out Sukeru-Kun transparent resin clay? It is not clear, more of a 'frosted' transparent look, but it does air dry.

[Zubie]

you know what you are describing sounds an awful lot like sealing wax. My grandparents had a block of the stuff which I think they used for sealing bottles and things (which is why there was so much). It is fairly cheap (found a 1 pound block for $9), but it occurs to me that if it is used to mold hot plastic, it might not hold its shape (maybe for molding paper cardstock???). As for using it for part material, it is wax, so attachment and painting would probably not work well (it does come in multiple colors).

I've used the blue epoxy putty around the house. It is easy to work and stays flexible for a reasonable amount of time, can be sanded and readily takes primer and paint, but you can't re=use it as such. I think I recall an old IPMS article where similar plummer's putty was used for building up the curvy sterns of some small ship models.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Have you checked out Sukeru-Kun transparent resin clay? It is not clear, more of a 'frosted' transparent look, but it does air dry.

Chas, thank you so much! You are pointing me to so many products that are easily available to me. Typical feedback I get is usually suggesting stuff that is not available in Japan. Sukeru-kun is easily available at Yodobashi.com and I'll make an order.

A frosted property is exactly what I am interested in, actually. I just finished building my lighted 30th Anniversary Revell Cylon Raider and I am strategizing how to do the 30th Anniversary Colonial Viper as well. I started a thread here about how to light the helmet of the pilot, and frosted clear would be great for light diffusion. I would paint it white, then black, then the actual colors of the head, and have an SMD or something in the neck to light the head.

I think I'd also like to try casting the Viper's cockpit tub as well. Sure, there is a place for the main screen to be lit from behind, but the rest of it should be lit as well. Just do some masking, paint it, and scrape off the paint from the tiny buttons. It would be easier to do this with some Sukeru-kun clear clay and Oyumaru than to try casting the pieces with liquid clear resin after attaching injection pins with some leftover sprue or whatever. Especially since I don't need the pieces to be crystal clear anyway.

[Ramsayman]

I just recently got some Blue Stuff. I used Green Stuff tape with it. I cast and molded a couple of 1/72 cockpit chairs with it. First try didn't work so well, but figured out my errors and tried again. Second time worked pretty well! I think the Green Stuff tape was not necessarily my best choice for the Blue Stuff, but now I have two more seats to use for my 3-D printed TIE-Phantom.

Happy with it.

[Chas]

Have you checked out Sukeru-Kun transparent resin clay? It is not clear, more of a 'frosted' transparent look, but it does air dry.

Chas, thank you so much! You are pointing me to so many products that are easily available to me. Typical feedback I get is usually suggesting stuff that is not available in Japan. Sukeru-kun is easily available at Yodobashi.com and I'll make an order.

You're welcome. I hope they work out for you.
I've seen a lot of model blogs and followed a lot of in progress builds from a lot of Japanese modelers; and I've done a fair bit of research to find out what the products are that were used. Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to experiment with a lot of those products that I've seen used, so I am glad if the info that I've collected can actually be of use to someone.
Post back, or PM, and let me know if/how this stuff works out for you.

Here are some youtube vids that might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9cGk_hmIQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNGVEyOpVDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNGVEyOpVDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0asUwhC99qM

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Post back, or PM, and let me know if/how this stuff works out for you.

Here are some youtube vids that might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9cGk_hmIQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNGVEyOpVDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNGVEyOpVDI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0asUwhC99qM

I was going to watch these videos this past weekend while at home, but the forum was down again. I will try watching some tonight. I did see one video someone made of Poe's X-Wing skimming above the water. The water effects were accomplished with Sukeru-kun. There is a Sukeru-kun liquid to accompany the putty that helps it clear up. I saw some people making clear disks and such with it. I just rolled some up into a ball yesterday and flattened it out a bit. I'll see how clear it looks when I get home from work this afternoon. As of last night, it was still pretty white. I didn't buy the liquid because I was hoping that it would get clear by itself.

You can mix clear Tamiya paint colors into the Sukeru-kun clay to color it. I saw a video on this and how it can be used to create food replicas, such as for use with the Tamiya Sweets Decoration Series. I will see if I can make some look like shaved ice and pour some clear Tamiya red on top.

Are you sure it is resin? I'll have to try translating the info on the package. I am not sure if I were to use this with molds if I should leave it inside of the mold to let it dry there, or to remove it while it is still soft. Hmm...

[Chas]

As far as it's transparency from what I've seen the thinner you make it the more transparent the final product is.
My understanding of the liquid is that it is used to alleviate the small whitish cracking that can occur when the clay dries.
. If you are going to add colour to the clclay it is typically done at the very start, before it is shaped. You can actually colour the stuff with just about anything : markers, water colour paints, acrylic paint, oil paint, inks etc. . . with opaque substances (i.e. acrylic or oil paint), if you wish to maintain the transparency when dry it is recommended to to add colour sparingly; Obviously with non-opaque colours (i.e. warter colour paint) this is not really an issue.
Everything I've read about it calls it a 'resin' clay, as to what exactly that means, and what the stuff is actually made of - your guess is as good as mine.
I was thinking about the question of how to mould the stuff as well. It is pretty sticky and in one of the videos she says that while it is in it's uncured state you can stick onto surfaces like glass and it will bond without the need for glue.
To me that means that if used in a mould without some kind of release agent it will not be possible to remove the casting without destroying the mould. Not such a big deal with a mould material like Oyumaru (although if the casting is not usable making a new mould could be an inconvenience).
Now as far as what to sue as a mould release agent that's where I would have to revert to experimentation
My initial thinking would be to stay away from talcum powder and the like for fear that the powder would cure on the surface of the clay and become part of the casting. I would be tempted to try some liquefied petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in a very thin coat applied to the mould surface. As I said though this would take some experimenting.
I may be tempted to remove the clay part way through the curing process - when it has set up enough to hold the shape and details of the mould, but hasn't dried hard yet. Although this would also require some experimentation it would be my preferred method as messing with mould release agents is too unpredictable given the mystery of the 'resin' clay's chemistry.
GOOD LUCK!

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Well, nuts. Apparently Sukeru-kun shrinks when it dries, so it wouldn't be good to use this to cast up model pieces. A couple of those videos say so. That's unfortunate, as I was hoping to cast up that BSG Viper cockpit tub with Sukeru-kun. The wad I dried out does allow some light to pass through when put up to the light. Granted, I didn't flatten it a whole lot, but it's not bad. I went ahead and ordered the coating you brush onto it to maximize the transparency today. I may have use for this doing other stuff with my daughter, at least.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Experimenting with Sukeru-kun. Here is a link to the video I made in which I showed the refracting light socket.

[Chas]

Wow! That is a really nice glow, it's a shame about the shrinkage.

[Migmaker]

I wonder if the stuff could be used for filling back in drilled out windows for interior lighting, case in point, my 1/300 Seaquest Dsv replica

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

I wonder if the stuff could be used for filling back in drilled out windows for interior lighting, case in point, my 1/300 Seaquest Dsv replica

DLM's advice on doing stuff like that would be to place tape across the holes and fill in the back sides with clear resin. I am sure Sukeru-kun could do the same, though.