FAQ

(Frequently Asked Questions)

These are some frequent questions I get reguarding Dragon Forge Design.

If there is anything I do not cover, feel free to email me at dragonforge at gmail.com

1. Who is Dragon Forge Design?

In short, it is me :) Jeff Wilhelm, sole owner, creator, worker bee, sculptor, mold maker, caster, packer, shipper and head honcho do it all. Someday Id like to expand my ranks with maybe some freelance sculptors and out source production but until that time is possible I do everything..Somedays all I do from the time I get up to when I go to bed is make new bases for you my loyal customers!

2. How long does it take to get my order?

I generally process all orders with in 24-48 hours of receiving them. Weekends and Holidays can delay this slightly by a day or two. I ship all orders 2-3 day delivery US Priority Mail with Delivery Conformation in the USA and 1st Class Air Mail for International orders. Most international orders generally take 7-10 days for delivery. Please read this for info on shipping rates

3. Do you discount on large orders? Will you sell to my Retail store?

The short answer is No, I do not discount. I do give away bonus product as part of my ongoing Dragon Forge Deal on all orders. Please read this for info on The Dragon Forge Deal


Also at this time I cannot supply retailers or distributors with my product. I am a one person company who does everything from sculpting to molding,casting, packing and shipping all orders. I am also a freelance miniature sculptor in the industry. With all of this I can only give 100% complete attention to my direct customer orders. At some time in the future if I can expand production I will look into this.

4. Do your bases come painted?

No, My bases come unpainted and require minimal clean up.

5. How do I paint your bases?

I have written a basic set of instructions for cleaning up and painting my bases. They are as follows.

Preparing Resin castings for Painting

I cast my products in urethane resin, because it is durable, lightweight and affordable.

Some products like my bases are made in a spin cast process similar to that used to cast metal miniatures. I have this done because it allows for speed of production and makes hopefully an affordable product. In the casting process a "paint able" mold release is used to allow you to paint them more easy. One of the slight side effects of this process is some smooth surfaces may end up being very slick. Below I will give tips on how to clean up your casting and prepare them for painting.

  1. Remove parts from packaging

  2. Remove any flash, mold lines or gates with a hobby knife,hobby file and sandpaper. I like to use sanding sticks to clean up the base edges.

    A sanding stick is either a pre made stick with abrasive sheet glued to it or in my case I make my own by gluing sandpaper to a flat stick like a piece of styrene plastic or popsicle/craft stick sold in many hobby shops. In my opinion they last longer, are cheap to make and work well to clean up things like this.

  3. I recommend all flat surfaces like the bottoms and edges of my bases to be lightly sanded with a 220-320 grit sandpaper to remove any mold lines and add a slight tooth to the resin surface. This will help paint adhere.

  4. I clean all my resin parts and bases with a mild powdered kitchen cleaner like Comet, Ajax, Bar Keepers Friend or any of the cleaners sold for cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing pots and pans with a old toothbrush and rinse them well in warm water.
    This helps remove any mold release and all etches and adds a slight tooth to the resin surface to allow primer to stick better.

  5. Completely dry, I usefully let them air dry.

  6. Attach figures to them. I use a 1/32 diameter brass rod/wire and drill into the feet and into the base and glue with a good CA glue. Sometimes I will pre-drill everything and glue the figure to the base once painting is done.

  7. Probably the most IMPORTANT part is to apply a good primer to the resin parts before painting with acrylic hobby paints. I use a good primer like Krylon spray primer or primer made by companies like Games Workshop. Automotive spray primer is good for this. Many primers are available in dark gray or black.

    Allow the primer to dry a good 24 hours before painting. Yes you can paint in 30 minutes but in my opinion allowing the primer to dry longer increases its strength and durability.

  8. Paint with your favorite brand of hobby paints.

I hope this helps you with painting your resin product you bought from me.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask me feel free to ask me