I saw your post about the dice, and I was curious. I really want to get into making dnd dice, but I have a very limited budget and not a lot of knowledge
Do you have any advice? Thank you!!💙
Making dice is not the most budget-conscious hobby in the beginning. It does take some investment, but if you can reach that bar things become a lot easier. To get good molds, some resin, ink, mica powder, paint, glaze, ect. I would say the starting price is around $250 -$300. That being said everything but the resin will last you months if not years depending on the amount of dice you are making and your care of the items. It takes some figuring out.
These are going to be your biggest first expence. You could make them your own but I don’t know how to do that. I get my molds exclusively from: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DruidDiceShop. They are friendly and their molds are sharp and last months ( I have only been doing this since September and I haven’t seen and breakdown of the product).
Do not buy those molds you see for $3- $7 each. They make sub-par dice.
You can use UV Resin (I use Limino you can find it on Amazon) but you also need a UV Light to harden it. The light I use is the Escolite UV Flashlight Black Light on Amazon. I find that working in layers is best so there is no liquid in the center of your dice that will crack out. You can make dice within 1/2 an hour with this method. ( I have noticed that big chunks of leaf can hinder the uv light)
Currently, I use Art ‘N Glow Epoxy Resin. It comes in two parts that you have to mix together to activate the hardening reaction. This means that the chance for liquid in the center of your dice is slim to none but translucent dice might have microbubbles. Unless you have an air pressure machine to remove air bubbles from the reaction, they will always be present. You can heat the thicker resin (NOT THE HARDENER LIQUID BECAUSE THAT WILL CAUSE IT TO HARDEN IN MINUTES), or stir very carefully to help remove some bubbles. Dice take about 24 hours to make with this method, but you can pour them in the molds and walk away. I have microbubbles but not enough to deform the dice or cause rolling issues.
I use a mix of Art ‘N Glow Epoxy Resin for the main body of the dice and UV Resin with a lamp to fill in any surface imperfection. With the amounts of resin I have (16 Ounce Kits), I can make about 10-12 sets of dice.
I am still using my LET'S RESIN Alcohol Ink Set from Amazon. A few drops go a long way. too much will ruin the composition of your resin. Great for translucent dice.
I am using Rolio Mica Powder - 24 Pearlescent colors. You only need a fraction of a teaspoon. A little goes a long way. Great for opaque dice.
The sky is the limit. There are packs with multiple colors on Amazon and in art stores. Etsy is another great place to look. Most shops have “Sampling Sizes” which are more than enough for several sets of dice. The chameleon flecks are from https://www.etsy.com/shop/JetAgeStudio are beautiful. It is all preference.
Syringes / Silicon Measuring Cups/ Tweezers:
DEPEPE 12pcs Graduated Curved Syringe on Amazon. (I cut the tips a bit)
OBSEDE 100 ml Silicone Measuring Cups on Amazon
Stainless Steel Tweezers, with Curved Serrated Tip on Amazon.
pixelskylines
prguitarman
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
