What Makes a Good Resin Caster

[Mr. Moparman]

I would like for my business to grow, get up to normal standards, I look up to the big casters like SMBC, M.A.D, Missing Link. But, something still missing, so, the question stands. What makes up a good caster?

[ra7c7er]

First DON'T try to compare yourself to the big resin guys. You are not them. That is a big mistake that a lot of small hobby businesses fall into.

Becoming a good resin caster is more than just having great parts. You have to have so much more. You have to have great customer service skills. The ability to defuse a potentially bad situation is a must. You have to have product that people want. You could cast the most accurate and detailed Yugo front seat ever in existence but who really is going to buy it. You have to always be advancing your product line if you only sell the same three or four things you will never grow. YOu have to brand presence which takes time. Right now the only people that know you are people from the forums you are on. If you have computer/internet skills start a legitimate website if you know someone that does website design have them make something for you. I know that costs money and you may not have the ability to do that yet but it should be in your mind. The biggest thing you need is the ability to push through the bad to get to the good. Everyone starts at the bottom embrace it and learn because once you start climbing your way up you will have less and less time to step back and think about your business.

All in all probably the best thing you can do is, instead of comparing yourself to the top of the line resin guys, Look at other resin guys that have have failed and ask yourself some questions. Why did they fail? What did they do wrong? What can I do to avoid those issues? etc. You will always learn more from failure than success.

Edited June 6, 2011 by ra7c7er

[Mike Kucaba]

Join the casting list on Yahoo groups. I've been on it for years and you learn so much from casters that do it for a living. Get some proper equipment like a pressure pot and maybe a vacuum chamber. You'll find sources for these on google.

[Darin Bastedo]

First DON'T try to compare yourself to the big resin guys. You are not them. That is a big mistake that a lot of small hobby businesses fall into.

Becoming a good resin caster is more than just having great parts. You have to have so much more. You have to have great customer service skills. The ability to defuse a potentially bad situation is a must. You have to have product that people want. You could cast the most accurate and detailed Yugo front seat ever in existence but who really is going to buy it. You have to always be advancing your product line if you only sell the same three or four things you will never grow. YOu have to brand presence which takes time. Right now the only people that know you are people from the forums you are on. If you have computer/internet skills start a legitimate website if you know someone that does website design have them make something for you. I know that costs money and you may not have the ability to do that yet but it should be in your mind. The biggest thing you need is the ability to push through the bad to get to the good. Everyone starts at the bottom embrace it and learn because once you start climbing your way up you will have less and less time to step back and think about your business.

All in all probably the best thing you can do is, instead of comparing yourself to the top of the line resin guys, Look at other resin guys that have have failed and ask yourself some questions. Why did they fail? What did they do wrong? What can I do to avoid those issues? etc. You will always learn more from failure than success.

You are getting way ahead of where he needs to be right now. The last thing he needs is a web presence. That is what kills a lot of start-ups . Look at how many casters get into the business, and get behind in order, get "spider Bites" and such and get buried in orders they cant fill.

It's a double edge sword, you want and need products of High quality and desireability, but on the other hand starting ut you don't have the time or resources to fill hundreds of orders in a week. My advice is forget the web for now, take your products to shows and swap meets, find out what sells and talk to the customers. Augments your resin with detail parts from other vendors that you can sell at a profit and to help grow your own product line. Once you get a reputation for quality the sales will increase but I noticed in the link, you provided in the other post you made that there is a huge flaw in one of the steel wheels pictured. If you can't get four good wheels out of a mold, for the photo shoot, you simply arent ready to sell them. If you get only three good wheels out of four you are already at a 25% loss.

Speaking of losses, you need to be able you run a business regardless of what you sell. You need to be able to factor in the cost of raw materials, the mold, your time, and even oportunity cost. running the business poorly will sink you faster than anything.

[Mr. Moparman]

Join the casting list on Yahoo groups. I've been on it for years and you learn so much from casters that do it for a living. Get some proper equipment like a pressure pot and maybe a vacuum chamber. You'll find sources for these on google.

Thanks all for the advise and help! One question. Is there any differance between a vacuum chamber and a pressure pot?

Thanks!

[Mike Kucaba]

Thanks all for the advise and help! One question. Is there any differance between a vacuum chamber and a pressure pot?

Thanks!

Techically, yes but you possibly could vacuum and pressure in one,but as a general rule,no.I'd have to see what container you're planning on using. For instance,some vacuum chambers are made of plastic or glass(bell jar) and they could't be used for pressure.

[charlie8575]

Some general ideas.

1. Don't try to be the biggest out the door. You'll fall flat on your face. Concentrate on building your business with....

2. Good cutsomer service. That means products in a reasonable time, or refunds/credits if you can't. And if there's a problem, such as a mangled box/part, resolve it quickly, even if strictly speaking it's not your fault. Sometimes the little ding in profit is worth the saved panning.

3. Do the best work you can, and don't sell anything less. Both in masters and output.

4. Listen to your customers- complaints and praise alike. It'll help you run a better business.

5. Always look for ways to improve all aspects of your business- casting techniques, materials, masters, packaging, everything.

That is how you succeed in any business.

Charlie Larkin

[RyanSilva]

Thanks all for the advise and help! One question. Is there any differance between a vacuum chamber and a pressure pot?

Thanks!

Vacuum casting urethane resin is a PITA, unless you plan on doing rubber items, stick to pressure casting right now.

You can pressure cast your silicone to eliminate air bubbles, and the same goes for urethane resin.

[Lunajammer]

Personally, I think a vacuum chamber is a must. That's what gets out the trouble bubbles at every step. Then move it to a pressure pot to crush the remaining little bitty bubbles into nothing while the resin hardens. It gives me perfect results fairly consistently except when I'm not paying attention. I don't sell anything with a noticeable air bubble in it and I think that should be the standard and with a little practice it's not that hard either. If that's not your standard you'll develop a reputation of being just another cellar hobbyist with big claims (of whom there are many). But you sound pretty motivated and conscientious, those are good tools to have. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Mr. Moparman]

I will have to save up my money from some beginning orders first but im seriusly thinking about purchasing Harbor Freights $75.00 Pressure Pot. It the cheapest I can go. Anything cheaper than that I'm afraid it might not work like it should.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-half-gallon-pressure-paint-tank-66839.html

Edited June 8, 2011 by Master Modeller

[RyanSilva]

Brandon, I own 2 of the harbor freight pots. They work pretty well after converting them to resin use. I have had problems with them leaking air from the regulator so a cheap ball valve should be used also. Down the line You should think about replacing the 4 clamp bolts with some grade 8 hardware for some insurance. I cast at 75 psi though.

One thing I have noticed with the HF pots is the design changed, my first pot was built a bit different than the second one I picked up 2 years ago.

One thing I did to mine was used plaster of paris and filled the bottom of the pot so I have a flat surface, cut some parchment paper to fit the bottom to use as a liner.

3 years ago when I first started production casting, I started from the get go using pressure. While a vacuum chamber is useful, it is expensive compared to the pressure pot (assuming you have a average sized air compressor)

Simple 1 and 2 piece molds of basic complexity parts will fair well with just a pressure pot and a tooth pick for the fussy items.

Dont forget you need to pressure cast (or vacuum) your silicone molds if you intend to pressure cast, why? because your mold will deform under pressure. A regular mold thats been made using the gravity poured way will still have air bubbles under the surface, vacuum and pressure eliminate this problem.

Google the harbor freight 200 off coupon, that saves some good money on the pot.