Sign in to follow this  
Hidronax

Make recolored lego pieces

Recommended Posts

Hello, some time ago I happened to read this topic, in which it is said lego pieces can be melt using acetone, and I wondered "Would it be possible to use this molten plastic in molds to create recolored lego pieces?" There are many pieces that have never been made in this or that colour, one could make molds from the 'wrong colour' pieces and create what he's looking for

Still, I'm not sure acetone would evaporate properly since there's little to no exposure to air in the mold, and the inner part of the new piece might remain liquid anyway once the outer part hardened.

I'm quite new to piece customisation, I have little experience (I've always considered myself a 'purist') and I don't know if something like this has ever been done before.

What do you think? I'm curious to hear what you think :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The acetone will create little "bubbles" in the new parts and they will become very brittle. And the substance is like glue, so it is very difficult and very unpractical to use in molds.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've done it in the past. The cast parts were not brittle. Quite the opposite, way too flexible and soft.

Also use as little acetone as you can. It is surprising how little you need. Add a few drips at a time, and give the parts time to dissolve. If you use too much, the parts shrink and deform when the acetone evaporates.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've done it in the past. The cast parts were not brittle. Quite the opposite, way too flexible and soft.

Also use as little acetone as you can. It is surprising how little you need. Add a few drips at a time, and give the parts time to dissolve. If you use too much, the parts shrink and deform when the acetone evaporates.

That is interesting. Would you say that the quality is better or worse than LEGO's rubber pieces like Kit Fisto's head or Loki's helmet?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That is interesting. Would you say that the quality is better or worse than LEGO's rubber pieces like Kit Fisto's head or Loki's helmet?

Much worse. I think mainly as the studs (or stud holders) shrink on drying out. Also the parts have a real bad quality feel compared to normal lego, not as dense feeling. Also if you bend them, they take a while to bend back, unlike the genuine rubber parts. But then, I guess they are bad quality parts, so it is not surprising they feel that way.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

It also depends on the color of Lego you melt. Some of them separate rather than melting straight down. I know pearl gold and silver did this terribly but some of the other colors were not a smooth texture; kind of grainy. I know it worked great on the primary colors as well as on green and flesh and not so well on dark brown. I don't recall if I tried anything else. What I was experimenting with this for needed gold and silver and when neither of them worked, I left it behind for people who wanted yellow elf ears. :P

Also, if you're still interested in this, you should check out Kaminoan's books as suggested above. I only have his first one but I think he may have published a second last year.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.