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DIY dealer button/chip (polymer clay) how to (1 Viewer)

matthewb said:
Does anyone have any good info for release agents? When I tried it out, I used baby powder/cornstarch and had some trouble with the clay sticking. I've already made @SwissChip aware of this, and I posted photos of the stuck clay above, but it lacked context!

Would be nice if anyone can chime in here! It'll be the difference between good and great :)
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I‘ll apply some oil to the mold…
 
SwissChip said:
Ok i found someone with a 3D printer, and the dry test was successful.
Hope it works!
I‘ll try out this week and post the result…

View attachment 1335352
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This is the result:
IMG_5881.jpeg


There seems to be a small issue…
 
I'll order more clay and spend more time with it. When I made it, I was able to get an actual chip out of the press (with the intention of shaving down the edges). But the dirt and lint was an issue, so it looked like trash as well.

Few things to improve the process:
- Gloves
- Baking sheet, and rolling pin
- 60mm cookie cutter
- Mineral oil? (Still need suggestions for release agents)
- Instead of removing the press-faces directly from the blank after pressing it, I'll throw it into the freezer, in hopes the plastic will crack away from the clay easier.

If I think of anything else, I'll edit this comment, but I can promise you it's doable. FIMO clay is just wicked frustrating because of how hard and non-pliable it is.
 
Try using PAM or other similar oven / baking release spray. They also sell a version with flour (which also might work by itself as a release agent).

These are recommended release agents for polymer clay mold products:

- water
- powders (talcum, etc. - several to choose from)
- glycerin
- armor-all (silicone-based)
 
The problem were the ‚faces‘ sticked to the clay.
It should be printed directly on the press lid, with less structure as possible.
And the letter D should be more shallow in the center, to provide sticking.
Recess + letter in 1mm hight should work.

The pieces of the mold fit well together and should work.
First try wasn‘t pressed enough, the second too much…
 
^ Added more references above. Also found where mineral oil was used, and make-it-yourself release agents.
 
Baby powder could be a good try!
Flour is the best solution for sticky dow…
 
I'll have to figure something out / modify the lids and re-print with the faces on them. Definitely need to figure out the release agents first, though.

The thought process behind putting the faces on their own "wafers", is because the clay was coming out of the press still sticky. I figured if you tried to pull the lids apart with the blank being pulled from inside, the dealer button would get warped or bent/pulled apart. Also, removing the dealer button blank would be almost impossible without ruining the chip.

Edit: The wafer design was chosen to make the pattern "easier to align" as well, but it's easy enough to add some alignment notches.

Edit 2: Going to try PAM and vegetable glycerin next. Already tried baby powder/cornstarch.
 
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Actual chipmakers seem to press the chip and heat it at the same time, which produces a crusty edge in most cases, but the blank is hard as a rock. They will then lathe the chips to spec.

* From what I've gathered
 
matthewb said:
Actual chipmakers seem to press the chip and heat it at the same time, which produces a crusty edge in most cases, but the blank is hard as a rock. They will then lathe the chips to spec.

* From what I've gathered
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Their molds are made of metal so they can ‘bake’ the clay in the mold. I’ve tried wood but the grain comes through. I’ve also tried acrylic but it melts. I’m going to try MDF next to see if that works. I should be able to bake the clay in the MDF as it’s low temperature.
 
Darson said:
Their molds are made of metal so they can ‘bake’ the clay in the mold. I’ve tried wood but the grain comes through. I’ve also tried acrylic but it melts. I’m going to try MDF next to see if that works. I should be able to bake the clay in the MDF as it’s low temperature.
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Ahhh!!! Now I understand your reasoning for the wood! That's smart

Did you laser cut what you posted photos of before?
 
I glued the face molds to the pressing lids together.
And applied cornstarch to the mold and the chip with a brush - and it worked absolutely well!
No sticking at all - perfect!
Test dummy takes a sauna now…
 
SwissChip said:
How cool is that!?

View attachment 1336601View attachment 1336603
This needs some colors…
But very happy with the result : )
Thanks to @matthewb! Great move with the stl files - maybe i‘ll ask you some add ons or modifications ; )
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If you have any specific suggestions, please let me know! There's definitely room for improvement on my end. That looks awesome!

I just ordered more clay, so next week I can set aside some time for another test.
 
I‘m pretty convinced that real clay chips are made 2-sided, and get pressed together in the mold…!?
This explains the shape and split spots to me.

I saw a Fimo artist use a ‚pasta bike‘ to mix colors, and get the right thickness of the clay sheets.

Not easy to handle Fimo clay in 2,5mm thick sheets!
 
If anyone is interested, I made some clay molds in solidworks out of boredom/curiosity. Likely need a resin printer to make them due to the fine detail though. Each one is designed to be made in sets of two and pressed in two stages as shown in chip making process diagrams in the past. They have guide pegs, overflow troughs. and are made to roughly match the measurements of the RHC chip.

Rough press.png
finish press.png
finish press close.png
 
Danny_Banana said:
If anyone is interested, I made some clay molds in solidworks out of boredom/curiosity. Likely need a resin printer to make them due to the fine detail though. Each one is designed to be made in sets of two and pressed in two stages as shown in chip making process diagrams in the past. They have guide pegs, overflow troughs. and are made to roughly match the measurements of the RHC chip.

View attachment 1337487View attachment 1337488View attachment 1337489
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Well done!
This would be around 39/3.3mm.
Did you test it? How tall is the imprint?
I would be interested in a 60/6mm version.
Imprint .8mm maybe a sun or ‚dealer‘ insteed the half moon.
 
SwissChip said:
Well done!
This would be around 39/3.3mm.
Did you test it? How tall is the imprint?
I would be interested in a 60/6mm version.
Imprint .8mm maybe a sun or ‚dealer‘ insteed the half moon.
Click to expand...

This one is 39.5 x 3.25, which was the measurements I got from some of my paulson chips. I have not tested it as I do not have a 3D printer, but the imprint is made at 0.25mm which was the rounded depth I got when measuring paulson chips. I should be able to make a dealer version, though it may take a couple days depending on how much free time I get.
 
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