In part 1 I went over creating the mold, so let’s have a look at casting, and the results.
So first things first, lets extract the originals from the mold – start by loosening the edges, and then lift and peel back a corner.
It has good tear strength, but this will of course depend on the thickness of the mold, I made this one quite thin, but its still good.
The finished mold.
For casting I always use a board, and make sure I have somewhere level to set it to cure.
Using Sylmasta products again (no, I’m not being paid by them ;) ) Mixing A and B in the specified proportions, and then quickly pouring into the mold.
It needs to be thouroughly mixed, and yet you do have to work with some alacrity.
It takes about 40 seconds to start to cure after I pour, and you can see here the reaction beginning from the centre out.
Full cure in about 30 mins – you can see on the end there one that isn't properly cured in the middle as I had to make another few ml to complete the mold and I mixed it in haste and didn't get a smooth pour. it wont however matter as this is the bottom of the base.
First pull.
And the results, here you see the mold, the originals and the casts.
And here you can see a mix of casts and originals. good enough for me.
Hope that was of use to you, happy to answer any questions below.
This is craziness. Well done sir! I would have never thought to do something like this....
ReplyDeleteWell it may not have been wise (cost effective/time effective)
DeleteBut.. Ive got a base STC now, so yeah :)
They look OK, seem to sit flat etc.
ReplyDeletethat they do, working quite well. its got to the point I have to turn them over to know which are the casts :)
DeleteThey certainly look the business to me, well done Sir.
ReplyDeleteCheers sir. once you have the stuff it's not that much effort to make a duplication process work :_)
DeleteLook good to me! These are the types of things I'd never think of either. I swear the stuff you learn on blogs boggles the mind. I don't think I've gone a single day without another feather in my toolkit. I probably look like this lady.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whykawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Labyrinth-Junk-Lady-400x600.jpg
LOL, I loved Labyrinth, :)
DeleteJust amazing!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting ideas over here...
...What was the cost, would you say, of the materials you used for this project?
Well, I haven't kept track, but let's see if I can give you an idea..
Deleteabout three years ago I bought a casting kit from Sylmasta, it was about 35 quid and over the years ive made a good few molds of small parts and items I had made and wanted more of, and i have had to buy a second batch of the mold making rubber - I am still on my original resins tho.
The rubber I used for this, one of the larger molds ive made was not even the 10th part of the tub, and the resin even less. so were I to guestimate a cost, - I'd say less than 4 quid.
Of course I still would suggest laying out for the casting kit to start with as you get everything you need, but its not prohibitive - and its less than you'd pay for even 3rd party bases, with the advantage that I can now make more at even reduced cost- eventually the mold will degrade but for the quantities I use I haven't had that happen yet.
Amazing what you can do with what looks like a cup of orange juice and a cup of bitter mixed together!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, exothermic reactions from epoxy polymer substances have fascinated me since I was eight and my dad put Han Solo's head back on with some araldite and a match.
Delete