Resin Tinting and Ebay Experiments
I mentioned to a few mini buddies that I am experimenting with tinting my resin casts. As you can see from the images, some of the results are pretty horrible.
I bought the generic craft store tints (the set for $30) and not the one that was specifically made for the resin brand, because it was way out of my budget (starts at $80!).
I used a clear-ish resin that was made specifically to be tinted, but since the tints used aren't the recommended ones, a lot more attempts had to be made before I got something halfway decent.
Limiting the amount of tint to a few drops certainly kept it from bloating. The best result is a weird, but cool (imo) look. Some parts of it is translucent and other parts is a milky, pink pastel.
It was a good learning experience, but I'm probably not going to buy that particular resin again.
I wanted to try the tinting on the white resin that I normally use, but the vendor I get it from is out of stock so I have to wait for their back order to come in. Hopefully, I can get the shelves in pastel colors soon.
The Ebay Experiment
On a related note, I had experimented with selling the mini bookcase via Ebay recently. I just wanted to test the market, so to speak. After listing, I had a decent amount of people comment on it, send me notes, and haggle for it which was nice to know that people actually like and want my work! 🙂
One particular haggler offered to buy the whole shelf (with shipping included) for $15. After I politely declined, he/she sent a really rude reply, "You are ripping people off charging as much as you do for a PLASTIC COPY."
That made me soooooo mad! True, its a plastic copy, but there are fixed costs. Time, materials, tools, and skill was needed to make the original. On top of that, the mold had to be made, a number of tests and experiment had to be made, raw materials and supplies are still needed to make a cast (which costs money!), and lets not forget the time it takes to prepare the molds and the amount of sanding to finish the piece! Oh and if you're wondering, its A LOT of sanding, and resin dust is some pretty hazardous stuff to work with (masks & gloves REQUIRED).
In the heat of my aggravation, I wrote a big long letter explaining to them the costs. The act of writing it helped calm me down. In the end, I did not send the letter.
I decided that I do not need to explain anything to them. People like that are the type that are unconvinced that it takes time and skill to make anything. They are over-entitled and think everyone is ripping them off and nothing I can do or say will change their opinion.
It makes me wonder why they bother being miniaturist collectors at all?
But to make an aggravating situation pretty awesome, just a few hours later, the shelf sold at the Buy-It-Now price!
Woot! In your face, you jerk haggler!
So the moral of the story is.. there will be some people that will undervalue you and want you to give something for nothing and there will be others that will appreciate your time and effort and reward you accordingly.
I will stick with the people who care, thank you!
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