Cast Polyurethane and Poly Resin Architectural Pieces

[doogster]

Good information, thank you !

Wonder what my moldings and ceiling thingies are made of?

They're polyester. In fact I don't think I've EVER seen polyurethane resin miniature moldings. If you threw a polyurethane ceiling medallion at the wall it would embed itself into the drywall while suffering no damage to itself whatsoever. A polyester medallion would shatter.

Reason I say have caution with 'polyresin' is due to a company called Warp Models. They made incredibly detailed and insanely accurate models of the Eagle from Space:1999. Not cheap. Sold as polyresin. It was polyester. No one could put one of these kits together without a monstrous amount of modification and improvisation. They simply broke as you tried to build them.

Now you aint building a house out of this stuff, just using it for details. Bottom line, a clean cast will work great, it's a pig to clean otherwise. Anything structural, forget it. Just don't pay a lot for it.

[Merry]

They're polyester. In fact I don't think I've EVER seen polyurethane resin miniature moldings. If you threw a polyurethane ceiling medallion at the wall it would embed itself into the drywall while suffering no damage to itself whatsoever. A polyester medallion would shatter.

Reason I say have caution with 'polyresin' is due to a company called Warp Models. They made incredibly detailed and insanely accurate models of the Eagle from Space:1999. Not cheap. Sold as polyresin. It was polyester. No one could put one of these kits together without a monstrous amount of modification and improvisation. They simply broke as you tried to build them.

Now you aint building a house out of this stuff, just using it for details. Bottom line, a clean cast will work great, it's a pig to clean otherwise. Anything structural, forget it. Just don't pay a lot for it.

Okay, now I'm more concerned. I most likely won't be making my own. So, how do I know who to trust if I order on the internet which is the only way I have of obtaining these pieces?

[Merry]

Okay, I have looked at the entire internet!! It seems to me that Lawbre makes excellent building components! I've ordered a catalog! I'm going to get some things done! Yea me!!!

[doogster]

Mentioning Lawbre, I think their stuff may be polyurethane, I know their castings are the best I've seen, a little more expensive, but the quality is definitely superior. I'd forgotten about them.

[aggiemae]

I'd think twice about making molds of purchased pieces. They're copyrighted. Just because the artisan who made the original probably won't ever see the copy, it's still stealing. And if one were to sell a house that has a bootlegged piece in it ...

Developing your own originals out of polyclay and jewelry findings is a whole different breed of cat. You can duplicate those with a mold as many times as you like.

<stepping off soapbox now>

Kathie, You where not on a soap box at all and I want to clarify. I think you are right and I do molds only to replace parts on houses when repairing/restoring them. Sometimes the houses are not old but I put lots of effort into trying to find the origional from my (scary) hoard of saved conponents, places that sell "new old stock" and even EBay before considering a casting.

I think in a way it is more honest and that re-fabricating with wood is a slipper slope. I am seeing too many houses "restored" by making one "origional mint condition" house out of a few damaged ones or repaired by using old wood gleaned from furniture. Do not even get me going on "lithographs" made on copiers. I am seeing these show up more and more on EBay.

More "Petite Princess" room boxes have been sold on EBay that where even maunfactured by Ideal. The origionals where made on newsprint (pulp paper) over grey cardboard. Both high acid. Papers that would, at least, be brown by now unless it was kept in an airtight container and the box it was sold in did not have an overwrap.

I go out of my way not to add to the population of fakes. I try to restore the appearance of a house but also to leave the basic structure as untouched as possible. I do this with overlays and attaching parts so that can be removed with as little inpact on the origional as possible. When I reproduce a part I do not make extra's.

One of the best reasons to make molds, at least for me, is that I can make one really nice window and then get many exact copies of it as apposed to making many nice but nothing special windows in the same amount of time. I like polymer/fimo more than plasters because they are not effected by moisture, take paint better and do not crack as easily, but for fun stuff and interior decorations, the low cost and speed of plaster really cannot be beat.

As far a "copyright" even if a house is not massed produced (or maybe especially when it is not!) it is wrong to steal an artist's work, copyrighted or not. I even think about this when I am printing out period correct paintings and stuff to use as art. I sure would be upset if I saw one of my custom houses reproduced.

[Merry]

Mentioning Lawbre, I think their stuff may be polyurethane, I know their castings are the best I've seen, a little more expensive, but the quality is definitely superior. I'd forgotten about them.

Yes! I'm really excited about getting their catalog. I may end up making some walls with photoshop. I can add depth, shadows, etc.

I dont know yet; I'm just living on the edge!! HA!

(edited to say that my smilies are not laughing, so pretend they are!)