Pot Belly Stove, Cast Iron, and the Old West

It is no secret that we at DioWarriors really love action figures and toy photography that we spend a lot of time planning a photoshoot. This planning often requires building a diorama or making specific props. A while ago we reviewed metallic paint that uses real iron. Over time the iron rusts. So instead of painting rust on a prop, we use real rust. The more we use this iron paint the more we like it, and now we started 3D Printing props specifically to use this paint with.

Pot belly stoves and cast iron cookware is something new we are offering in the DioWarriors Store. We have specific reasons for designing these -- a future project we will talk about later. But concerning these props, a week ago we designed and printed our own stove and cookware and were impressed with how good the props came out. We printed more and they continued looking great, so we're now going to make them available.

Why might you be interested in an old style pot belly stove and iron cookware? Well, for one thing if you are interested in toy lines like Acid Rain World or some other post-apocalyptic setting where technology is hard to come by, relying on simple tech, such as a wood burning stove, makes a lot of sense. It's easy to say "well, I'll use a barrel and make a BBQ grill" and that's a good idea, but not appropriate for some settings.

Unpainted, raw 3D Print.

Painted with iron paint. "cast iron" cookware painted with standard paint.

There's also period shots where a modern grill is not appropriate, such as in a saloon. Visual interest is another thing to consider.

DioWarriors is looking seriously into other types of cast iron props and things that look good with them. Old style wooden tables are one, coffee pot, and a rack to hang the cookware. There is, obviously, much more to do.

In terms of the store, we're not sure to have them available pre-painted or unpainted. After all, not everyone will have access to iron paint. The challenge is that these pre-painted items continue to rust.

So, what would you like? painted or unpainted iron props?