I have seen so many dice makers being asked what supplies they use to make the beautiful things they make. Because I love this craft and am excited to help other makers make their best dice I will share my list of supplies and the brands I prefer to use in my own craft and why I think they are great. If you use something different I would love to hear what you use and why you like it. Leave me a comment!
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Personal Protective Equipment
Safety First!! Resin fumes are dangerous and having a well-fitting mask with filters rated for VOCs is paramount! I love this mask because it is easy to put on and take off, super easy to breathe, comfortable and reusable.
These are the cartridge refills for the mask. They last quite a while so you will not be replacing them very often but they do eventually need to be replaced.
They are not the most comfortable but they get the job done and fit well with the mask on. I don't love them, but I don't hate them either.
We normally pick up Nitrile gloves at Costco because they are a better price. I have not personally used any from Amazon so I cannot recommend any specific one. However, most Nitrile gloves are about the same. This one could be a good buy based on price per unit. As long as they are Nitrile and not Latex you are good to go.
Resin
I started with the Art N' Glow brand and I was disappointed at how quickly it turned a dark yellow and how often I ended up with soft-cured dice. With the Let's Resin brand I have had none of these issues and it cures in half the time! It is now my go-to for dice and jewelry and even works well on my 45mm and 50mm solid pours without harming my molds.
Silicone
My favorite! I started with the Let's Resin 15A silicone kit and it always cured sticky, was way too soft and had issues with inhibition on EVERYTHING. The BBDino stuff is lower viscosity, cures perfectly every time, lasts longer, and is a joy to work with. No more sticky gross uncured silicone for me! The lower viscosity means that it degasses super easy. I can literally whip this stuff into a froth with my mixer and put it into the fridge for 30 min and it comes out looking perfect before I even put it into the pot. I highly recommend it.
Pressure Pot
I cannot express enough how much I love my CAT pot. I started with the "Harbor Freight Special" and within a couple years all the C clamp nuts had completely stripped, rendering it useless. I fought with that pot all the time from the struggle with the initial setup to leaks, malfunctioning safety valves and having to ask my partner to close it for me because I could not turn the wing nuts without hurting my hands.... The CAT pot is like a miracle! It has never leaked, is set up for resin straight out of the box, the wing nuts are HUGE and turn smoothly (I even turn them with two hands) and it has adjustable rubber feet so you can make sure it is ALWAYS level. The difference is night and day. I know it is a bit more expensive than the Harbor Freight pot but it is WELL worth the extra to have something that just works. I will NEVER recommend another Harbor Freight pot when this is so superior in every way.
I love this pressure pot insert. It is durable, sturdy, easy to use with a solid handle, 2 removable shelves and fits PERFECTLY in my pot. They are back in stock! I am so happy! Head on over to Druid Dice's shop and use the code "wisdomcheck" to get 15% off your entire order to get one of these babies. You won't regret it! :D
Moldmaking
I really like these for some things and not others. They are pretty versatile but sometimes they just are too big or too small for the project. I will say though, that it does make a really nice seal at the bottom so you do not risk leaking silicone as easily as other mold housing options.
I love these for making molds. They are the perfect size to use for some of my bigger chonks. I line the inside and outside with packing tape and the rim of it with monster clay and it makes a great seal. All my single die molds are made with these.
This stuff is so versatile and useful for so many things. I often use it in mold making. It can be formed into keys or sealant, custom mold housing, platforms and more. It is also great for patching near numbers. It is a great tool to have on hand when working with Platinum Cure Silicone as it does not cause cure inhibition.
These are my go to for mold registration keys. I love that they are wider around the middle and smaller at the ends so they make a "locking" key. I fill them up with the monster clay so they do not inhibit and put them around the outside rim of my molds. Works great!
Con-Tact Paper Self Adhesive Matte Clear Laminate Paper I love this stuff for mold making. I can cut it to any size I want (the measurements on the back of it are super useful) and I wrap it around my mold with a rubber band to keep my molds from leaking. It always holds my dice down solid and keeps everything together great. It never causes cure inhibition and leaves my molds clean and smooth
One of the newest additions to my dicemaking supplies. I never had Legos as a kid. I had no idea they could be so amazing. I tried off-brand Legos first and was sorely disappointed that they just did not fit together snugly. But after getting a good box of on-brand basic blocks I am hooked! They work perfect for mold housings and you can make them ANY SIZE! My only wish is that there were round Legos for those times I prefer a round mold housing... but I am happy I found the joy in using these versatile modular toys in my dicemaking routine.
Inclusions, Colors and Decorations
I switched over to Resin Dye or Resin Colorant when I realized what "burn" was. I highly recommend using a colorant like these instead of alcohol inks if you are pouring any color that has red in it (pink, red, purple, magenta, orange). These SigWong colorants are vibrant and transparent and the added gold leaf is always useful.
I freakin' love these. Vibrant non-pearlescent bright neon colors that really pop. A little goes a long way and this sample pack is a great way to get introduced to the quality of these beautiful pigments.
This stuff is great to use in conjunction with the neon colors. It really gives it a solid background to make them pop and it is HEAVY. It sinks very well in honey stage resin. Perfect for those gloopy blobby effects in your dice.
These are great for more than just dice. I also use them sometimes on my wax seals to give it that extra bling. They are very thick and clear and easy to make straight clean lines. Use them to accent your dice by drawing a chrome rim around the faces. They also look really good as ink for the numbers!
I have the powder and the flakes and I far prefer the powder. It is easy to brush into the inside of your mold for that shimmery multicolored look. I love making blanks with this powder. The dice that come from it are stunning.
These are some of my absolute favorite inclusions in dice. I love the way the colors shimmer when the light hits them at different angles. I have made many beautiful things with this brand and I find it to be one of the best at reflecting the light.
I love my strips of iridescent cellophane it's true, but the shimmer from this shaved ice is without rival. It is some of the prettiest shapes of shimmery goodness around. A jar may be small but it goes a long way. Love this stuff.
Another one of my favorite inclusions. This powder gives a slight pearlescent shimmer to any color. Also looks great in potion bottles and liquid cores ;)
Ahhh "Liquid Pretty" - My Franks Red Hot for dice. I "put that shit on everything". Quite literally lol. I LOVE this stuff. Nothing looks as good without it and nothing can replace it. It is a sad sad day when I forget to add it. I have poured entire molds of resin back in the cup just to add this stuff. Don't pour resin without it! :)
I just started using this stuff and I really like it. It can either be broken up and mixed in or painted onto the inside of your mold for a beautiful metallic look.
Tools
I LOVE these mats. I have talked about them in other posts. They are large, thick, durable, easy to clean and they protect my workspace. I have several and would never do resin work without them.
On a whim, I picked these up with an electric screwdriver to try a different method of mixing (and to save my very tired hands) and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they work. They need to be completely submerged with a little extra resin over the top of them to not mix bubbles into your resin but if used correctly they help keep my resin thoroughly mixed and nearly bubble free from the start. This has helped greatly in reducing the amount of voids I have. I even use it to mix silicone for my molds. However, I have to be careful to always wipe off the silicone head right away or it will fuse.
I use the mixing cups and pour cups from this set often. They are thick and sturdy and have held up over the past few years very well. The mixing sticks I still use on occasion but I actually prefer the mixing sticks from another set.
The silicone cups in this set suck. They are so thin they bend too easily and it is hard to mix in them because of it. I occasionally use them for small amounts of resin but not often. However, I LOVE these defoaming sticks. They are perfect for carefully and gently pushing the bubbles out of numbers in my molds without damaging the mold. I have looked for another pack that has just these silicone defoaming tools and have not found one. The defoaming sticks also work much better as stir sticks than the stir sticks in the other set because the silicone is much softer and slick so it does not catch and pull bubbles into the resin as I mix.
These are just the right size to mix smaller amounts of resin or multiple colors in. The measurements on the side of the cup make it super easy to estimate how much I need so I don't waste resin. The pour lip is easy to pour precisely and does not drip everywhere.
I have tried this and also the JDiction brand UV resin. I far prefer this one. It is a bit more viscous so it is easier to work with and get it to stay where you put it. It is also rock hard when cured and cures quickly and non-sticky. I use it to fill voids, seal rings, place inclusions and more. Very useful to have around.
The flashlight that comes with the UV resin is ok but this one is so much stronger and cures faster. I use this a lot in my 3d printing as well. 30 seconds on a bit of UV resin makes it cure hard. Also pretty good for finding scorpions when you live in the desert ;)
You may think it is a strange thing to have in your dicemaking kit but these little dental tools have been invaluable to my process. I use them for moving things around in the mold, picking things up, grabbing things, and removing bubbles. There are just so many uses for tools that are oddly shaped like this. I just have to make sure to wipe off any resin residue before it cures.
Another invaluable kit of randomly shaped tweezers, pokers and spoons to use to move things around in the mold, pop bubbles and manipulate inclusions. I use at least one of these tools every time I pour.
Another set of really useful things. The craft knife is a MUST for cutting registration keys in my molds, trimming flashing and cutting tape or inclusions. The flush cutters are great for trimming off flashing, raised faces, and tips of pipettes. And I can never have too many tweezers lol.
Pipettes are great for all kinds of designs. They are the only way I can make resin rings. Every dicemaker uses them at some point.
These are endlessly useful. I used to use them for meds for my cats but quickly realized they were useful for resin too. From holding water to use for polishing to squirting different colors of resin into your mold with precision, these things are great.
This was one of the most thoughtful and treasured gifts I have received. I love it. I don't have to be nearly as careful with my resin mixing. If I get some air in it, oh well. A couple of minutes in the Vacuum chamber and it's fixed. It is really entertaining to use too. It has nearly eliminated having voids in my pours and is invaluable to the process of my 80mm pours. I also know if I choose to use any other thicker silicones I will not have to worry about bubbles with this.
Finishing Supplies
I do not like to use lower grit sandpaper because I do not like to take off too much material too quickly. I use mostly this 1000 grit wet sanding paper and it is durable and lasts a very long time.
Most dicemakers swear by it and for good reason. It is simply the best. It is the most consistently perfect mirror shine achievable. With enough patience and elbow grease, I can make the most perfectly shiny mirror-faced dice. This is what I use for every set of Masters I make. A true staple of my work.
I LOVE my pottery wheel. Exceptionally useful with larger dice, this baby makes my polishing process far easier. I put a mirror on the wheel to give myself a flat polishing surface and it's good to go. The variable speed foot pedal makes it super easy to operate and allows full control.
This mirror was the only one I could find that fit perfectly on the wheel of the pottery wheel and the edges are sanded round so I cannot cut myself on them while it is spinning. Perfect mirror for the job and a solid polishing surface.
This stuff makes the perfect semi-permanent adhesive to stick the mirror to my wheel. It is strong enough that the mirror does not budge while spinning but is also able to be carefully pried up if I need to take the mirror off my wheel in the future. It also saves me space because I don't have tape (that will not hold well when it's wet) all around my mirror. Not to mention it is endlessly useful for many other applications (even holding my dice while I paint them).
This is the newest addition to my dicemaking arsenal. It CANNOT beat the shine of doing polishing by hand BUT it does come close. I never use it for Masters (as those require a far more perfect shine) but it works well for finished dice sets. It is a nice hands-off option to save my arm from falling off ;)
Most dicemakers agree the best media to put into your vibratory tumbler is non-abrasive ceramic. Most seem to say round is best but others have said it doesn't matter. I use round myself and it works great. I also had to pick up two 5lb bags of the media because the tumbler seems to work best at about 7lbs. This way I also have some extra in case I lose some down the sink when I am cleaning it (which I have done a few times now).
I use this both in my vibratory tumbler and also for the final finish when I am polishing by hand. The level of shine I can achieve increases substantially when using this product.
Another option for getting that beautiful polish. A great touchup for the final polish tool, I mostly use it for buffing. Great to use with the Chemical Guys P4. It definitely throws compound everywhere though so be prepared to get a face full of pink and blue goop :) Cotton Polishing Wheels for Dremel These seem to be the best wheels for doing dice. They are soft and fluffy and don't scratch the faces.
Perfect for use on the buffing wheels for the Dremel. Beware it smells like Strawberry Shortcake dolls and it flies everywhere! I often walk away with blue and pink dots all over me. Eye protection is recommended ;)
I love this thing. It works better on some things than others but it is always great to soak and break up the leftover goop and powder in the numbers from sanding and/or polishing. It is a nice alternative (and kinder on my hands) than soaking and scrubbing with a toothbrush.
The perfect size for most uses, these work well for painting numbers or painting the insides of molds with various powders or brushing Vaseline on my mold before pouring the lid. Great versatile size paint brush - I always have several on hand.
This is a nice inexpensive option for paints and I love the metallic colors. They shine very nicely in my deep die numbers.
These are the tools I use in my craft. As I find new things I will update this post. I love being able to give first-hand experience on the products I love. I hope my recommendations can help you level up your dicemaking skills too :) If you found this post helpful I would love it if you would drop a like and if you have any questions you can always find me on Discord @ wisdomcheckcreations