Crafty Bunbun

Tutorials + Resources

  • IGTV Dice Polishing Tutorial. As of late 2021, this is my current polishing method. Dozens of people have messaged me to tell me it’s worked wonders for them, and I believe it’s one of the fastest ways to polish sharp-edged ultra-shiny dice. I came up with this polishing method by learning from other awesome dicemakers credited in the tutorial and by experimentation. Links to the items used in the tutorial can be found below under Polishing Supplies.

If you have questions about dicemaking and don’t know where to find answers, you can message me @crafty_bunbun on Insta and I’ll do my best to respond and answer or point you in the right direction. 🙂

General Dicemaking Supplies

The links below are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a portion of the sale price if you purchase through the link. It doesn’t cost you anything extra. These are items I personally use with a couple exceptions noted specifically.

  • Epoxy resin: Naked Fusion Resin. I only recommend this for dice if you have a pressure pot. If you don’t have a pressure pot, Unicone Resin is the one I have heard the most good things about for bubble-free dice without pressure.
  • Silicone, only if you plan to make your own molds: Dragon Skin 20 Mold Making Silicone. I buy this stuff in bulk from my local Reynolds Advanced Materials store, which is the main Smooth-On distributor. I recommend checking if there’s a store near you.
  • If you choose to buy molds, I know there are a number of sellers on Etsy. I don’t have experience with this so unfortunately can’t recommend specific places. Make sure they use free fonts or provide font licenses with the molds, otherwise you won’t be able to sell dice you make with the molds.
  • Other moldmaking supplies: Tupperware or Tacrow Mold System. I use round plastic takeout containers with the bottoms cut off. Rubber bands, packing tape, petroleum jelly, isopropyl alcohol (I usually use 99%, but some people find this softens their dice so be cautious).
  • 3D printer, only if you plan to make your own masters. I only recommend printing your own masters if a major project sounds fun to you and/or if you are planning to print other things as well. At the budget end of the spectrum, I recommend the Phrozen Sonic Mini ($150!!!) or Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K ($360), and if you’re wanting something more substantial for larger prints, I have heard the Phrozen Sonic Mighty 4K  is a solid value ($600). I have the basic Phrozen Sonic Mini and I love it. It’s a little workhorse…though I did break down in tears my first day of using it. If you haven’t 3D printed before, be prepared for a potentially steep learning curve. If you have beginner issues with 3D printing feel free to message me @crafty_bunbun on Insta for help! However, it’s possible everything will work perfectly for you right away, in which case don’t tell me, I don’t want to hear about how perfect your life is.
  • Pressure pot. Used for making dice without bubbles consistently. If you’re planning to sell your dice or want perfection, I recommend getting one. I’m not recommending the one I use because it was expensive and had some difficult issues I had to fix myself. The company has since updated the model, and it might be better, so I also won’t anti-recommend it.

Polishing Supplies

  • The pottery wheel I use for sanding. Also a cuter version that I would have purchased if it was in stock at the time. People seem to have had mixed results with this wheel but mine has withstood two years of abuse without any issues. Price: $25-$35 depending on if the Amazon gods have blessed you today.

     

 

  • Zona polishing papers. I usually use only the green and gray zona papers with my Dremel polishing method, but there are also variety packs and individual packs of other colors/microns, depending on your setup. You can use other sandpaper or polishing papers. I like the zona papers because they give a consistent finish and they stick to my pottery wheel, whereas some wet/dry sandpaper likes to curl up and make life miserable. If you are just wanting to test them, the variety pack is the least expensive, the others are a better value but higher quantity.

  • Polishing puffs for use with most rotary/Dremel tools. There are other puffs that look similar but don’t work as well, so just be aware of that if you’re comparison shopping.

  • Polishing compound. You can try other polishing compounds. I have tried many and this is by far my favorite.

  • This is not the exact Dremel I use because I use an older model. The important things to me are that it comes with a flex shaft and has a range of speeds. I bought an off-brand once and it exploded during a snow storm. I had to walk four miles through the snow to buy a new one because I had a project deadline, so now I just buy Dremel brand.

Safety Gear

I’m putting these at the end because many dicemakers already have them, but they are the most important items. Respirator + cartridges, safety goggles, nitrile gloves, earplugs. Make sure to buy gloves in your size. This is not an extensive list of safety equipment and I am not a safety expert.