Quick update on the resin experiments!

Hi Guys!

The updates have been a bit more sparse this time, mainly because there has been a LOT of experimenting, learning, testing over and over and a lot of theorycrafting.

BUT! I can now see a light at the end of that particular tunnel, and I can share a few tests with you for some findings you might find interesting if you ever work with resin :)

Disclaimer - All the above images are obviously tests, and not representative of the final result we're aiming for 😄

Also, I'm sorry if the images are a little rushed, but it's my birthday tomorrow, I have a lot left to organise and I wanted to get an update to you all before taking the day off. And probably working the weekend instead, but hey, it counts! 😁

Ok so in the first 3 images you can see my second stage of resin tests in progress

The first is coated with thinned down mod podge, the second has pure mod podge on one side (closest) as a test. As you can see if you zoom in, mod podge sealing the river bed pre resin seems a BAAAD idea. The podge becomes very visible and... Ugly, compared to the unpodged side of the same tile once resin is poured on. But than answers my question, as I was wondering if it would seal in bubbles better. answer - YES, but they remain visible beneath the podge, so its useless...

You may also notice curling on my resin dam solution. I've fixed that problem in theory and I'm close to having a much cheaper, but still very strong solution for this very wasteful part of resin use :)

The next 3 pictures show them after removing the dams - bubbles are massively visible here but I have a solution for this I'm testing next which should solve the problem.

So, image 1 shows the black 'deep' tiles blending nicely into the river banks from a 90 degree angle thanks to some undershading  (ignore bubbles, something something test pieces...)

Image 2 shows a problem I found though. Due to light refraction on the edge of the resin (I THINK, science people confirm or correct my terminology😂), the deep tile gives a sharp black edge to the river bank, as the deep tile is not as transparent as intended, and instead reflects the darkness of the tile onto the side of the resin...

This will be somewhat fixed by the water ripples/waves on top making it less 'sharp', but still had me stumped for a while until I realised that by moving the undershading 1/4" up the bank tile, that same blend you see in image 1 will also be seen at a 45 degree angle like in image 2.

Image 3 shows the bank/deep tile connection from the other side, which blends quite nicely, even more so when I move the shadow blend up a bit and add waves/ripples :)

Now the next two images show the same tile design with different black paint used. The second one uses normal black paint with a matt varnish. The first uses black 3.0, with no varnish, and is *chefs kiss* deliciously black and detail obscuring below the depths

Now those two deep tiles both use FAR Less resin than it seems because as you can see in the following images, They have a bulge that is invisible... Because of the deep black colour ;)

Much less resin used. However, given the edge light reflection issue where it looks black up to the top ANYWAY, this may end up just being a simple shallower tile, as it should look identical from above. OR I may even just tint the resin black with black ink. Because if its black anyway.... You get the idea :)

Colour wise the water has a slight dirty green tint, this helps with the depth effect on the bank tiles without obscuring details. this took me a lot of work to adapt from my original colour tint I shared earlier because of the difference in reaction between resin and water...it took me many more hours of testing just to get the colour back to where I wanted. The mix is still pretty simple though.

Final pics show the bubbles on the unsealed side (1) and mod podge sealed side (2)

1 - lots of little bubbles, no bubbles stuck under the podge

2 - the exact opposite

3 - mod podge sealed all across in a thinned coat. Few little bubbles, most trapped under the podge

So far testing has told us a LOT of what won't work, including:

• cheap resin alternatives (early tests, far too many bubbles for not nearly enough saving unless resin is extortionate in your locale - I'll be doing a guide on finding cheap resin instead with links for USA, UK and Germany at least, others too with patron assistance!)

• mod podge sealing (see above)

• adding ink by the drop, even to 250ml/a pint or so of resin (wayyy too much!)

• using ink undershading without sealing (it leaks into the resin, even if dry)

• using sealing dams the exact length of the tile (longer is better, staggered to keep right angles AND cover all corners easily.

• using my new dam money saving trick without enough glue (see image above where its peeling at the top

• various different attachment methods for the dams (ranging from awkward to leaky)

• not sealing up gaps between foam tile layers (seems obvious, and yet...)

• dont assume because the room is warm, the resin is equally warm even after being there for days (warm it in a bucket or something first, it doesn't absorb room temp heat well, and works better when warm)

• there is nothing better for killing bubbles than a torch (fire). A cheap kitchen one is WELL worth it and can also be used to deform xps into interesting shapes when needed...

• dozens of other minor discoveries, many to do with methods since discarded as 'not working/worth it'

And a lot of what will, including a few methods that should save a ton of resin that I will talk about later!

So yeah, I've been busy! 😂

Oh, and on top I've been slowly working on the base tiles for the system, getting the bulk of the cutting, gluing, magnetising and painting out of the way. I'm aiming to resin up the bulk of the tiles once I've finalised the testing, then build the last few on camera with fun angles when the room is somewhat...tidier 😁