Hi Guys,
I use
Barnes products down under, but they may not be available in the UKor USA.
I use PinkySil for moulding. It is more expensive than the others, but it is runnier, giving better detail on more intricate, small items, very good tear strength, very flexible (shore rating is A25) and takes only 15 - 20 mins to set.
For casting, I use EasyCast, which is an easy 1:1 2 part mixture by volume. Perfect for small casts, as it starts setting in a couple of minutes, so you can produce many in a day if you need to. But I have also used it for casting 1/32 scale bodies, and it seems to work well. May not be as string as others (Shore 65D), but fairly flexible and easy to work with.
For clear casting, I use EasyCast Clear. I know many people have struggles to produce crystal clear bubble free casts, but I have found a few tricks that work well with this product. The main thing is to heat up the individual compunds and the casts prior to mixing and casting, and keep the mixture hot while you are mixing and casting. Also, once the cast is poured, keep the mould hot (about 60c) for a couple of hours afterward. This helps the cast cure quickly, and also helps reduce bubbles, as the resin stays runnier for a little longer, letting bubbles disperse. If you mix and let the resin cure at room temp, is starts to go syruppy very quickly, and the bubbles on't release. Ity will also take several days to cure hard enough to safely demould without distorting. If you keep the mixture hot during mixing and pouring, it will stay very runny for much longer, letting the bubbles disperse naturally, and then will set very quickly after a few minutes. If you do this, you will not need to vacuum degas, which is what most proponents claim is the only way to get bubble free clear casts.
Here are some examples of Scalex bodies I have copied and cast:
Happy to share tips and techniques with anyone who asks. Hope to put out a step by step guide to different types of castings one of these days, if only I had the time.