# What's a sturdy, lightweight material that can be cast in an ice tray?



## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

My haunt involves a big clanky machine. I need lots of rivet heads to decorate the seams. I'm thinking the most cost-efficient means is to get some of those "ice ball" ice trays, the ones that make half-sphere ice cubes, and use them to cast rivet heads I can glue on. Problem is, I don't know what material to cast. Plaster would be too heavy and too brittle. I assume something like latex would cost too much (I need to make around 200 of these 1" diameter doodads).

Any suggestions from more experienced hands?


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

What about lining the ice cube trays with foil and using low temp hot glue in the trays.


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

How many do you need? They sell 1/2 wooden balls at Michaels crafts. I don't recall exactly, but I think you can get about a dozen for a buck or two.


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

goneferal said:


> How many do you need? They sell 1/2 wooden balls at Michaels crafts. I don't recall exactly, but I think you can get about a dozen for a buck or two.


He said he needed 200 of them.

Great idea! Online I found 1" half round wood balls for $1.98/10 pk.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I think the half beads would be a great solution. You might also consider sandcasting using paperclay - labor intensive but a guaranteed lightweight product.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

This is a post that my hubby Jaybo did regarding making cast items with paper mache clay - cheap, VERY lightweight, and sturdy.

Cast Items in Paper Mache Clay


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## bentneedle (Sep 6, 2010)

Dave Lowe had a tutorial on casting with plasticene and compound:
TUTORIAL BY DAVE LOWE
Maybe this would be a cost efficient way to go about it depending on what you have. Maybe working the plasticene into the ice cube trays? Like putting the plasticene in each 'cube' form, making your cast in each then applying your compound/plaster/resin/whatever you got?
Hope this helps!


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## Buzz (Aug 26, 2011)

Crayola Model Magic. Sold at Michaels, AC Moore, and probably many other places like Walmart and such. You can roll up some balls and cut them each in half. The Model Magic air dries and is incredibly light weight. Takes paint very well.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I second dave the deads way of casting rivets.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

Awesome, lots of ideas here. I was leaning toward the toilet paper mache idea, which looks both useful and fun, but my wife found an online source for 1" split wooden balls, 100 for $10. I may go that route just to check another box off the checklist.

http://www.craftparts.com/split-balls-p-1324.html?cat_id=278


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I went with the split wooden balls, glued on and painted metallic. They came out great and positively glow when the light hits them at night.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Those worked out really well for you, austen.


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## Bascombe (May 18, 2010)

Get teddy bear eyes from the craft store, put them on the sticky side of 2 " wide painters tape, spray paint them black, mist them with silver, hit that with glossy wood tone and pull them off the tape, and hot glue them into place. You can do the same thing with craft store acrylic jewels. Easier and cheaper than trying to cast acrylic or resin in my opinion, and it looks great. We used that for nailhead in the doors of a Spanish Villa in a play we did a few years ago.


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## kiki (Oct 6, 2011)

ya small rubber balls cut in half


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

There's something perversely appealing about using hundreds of teddy bear eyes in a Halloween display...


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## Allen H (Feb 13, 2010)

Buy the wooden half rounds-Waaay easier and less time consuming. I use screw plugs when I need to do rivets. they work great. also called wooden plugs.


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## Allen H (Feb 13, 2010)

oops, this thread popped up as new. he he.


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