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View Full Version : Mold making and casting - total newb here



Jonitus
09-20-2007, 02:31 PM
Does anyone here have experience in mold making and casting? I have in my possession some parts I would really like to replicate in case they get damaged, and I don't know anything about mold making.

xwingband
09-20-2007, 02:40 PM
Go to your library and get Thurston James': The Prop Builder's Molding and Casting Handbook

I have it as a reference and it comes off as a 70's textbook, but has good information. It might serve as a good reference where a simple text reply might not.

virus692
09-20-2007, 03:17 PM
Here a link I dug up when I was looking but the James book might be better.
http://www.gbproject.com/plans/mctut/index.html
Best of luck
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Jonitus
09-20-2007, 03:21 PM
Thanks for those. I'll give a look and see what I can do. Hopefully I can pull this off, because the parts I have are amazing and more of them must be made!

987654321a
09-20-2007, 05:54 PM
If you want I could post a tutorial for you. If you dont mind me asking what parts do you want to cast?

But anyways like xwing said, go get that book. I learned most of my stuff from it.

Jonitus
09-20-2007, 06:27 PM
If you want I could post a tutorial for you. If you dont mind me asking what parts do you want to cast?

But anyways like xwing said, go get that book. I learned most of my stuff from it.

I'm not ready to spill the beans on what I have that I want to cast. Let's just say the saber building community will thank me when I get them done.

ArkaiHalon
09-20-2007, 06:33 PM
and we look forward to this mystery.

987654321a
09-20-2007, 08:29 PM
OOOOH! i know what your making....wait i dont know... damnit.

Jonitus
09-21-2007, 12:15 PM
I looked through the sources and decided that I am not willing to mess around with mixing chemicals in my shop. No thanks. I know what's in that stuff, and I don't want to bother with it.

Does anyone know of small run mold making shops that could do a small run of parts for me?

Hasid Lafre
09-21-2007, 01:37 PM
What about that guy that made the resen/metal molds of the sidious hilt that X got?

He might be abel to help you out.

xwingband
09-21-2007, 02:25 PM
What about that guy that made the resen/metal molds of the sidious hilt that X got?

He might be abel to help you out.

I don't actually know who made that hilt.

Hasid Lafre
09-21-2007, 03:27 PM
Wouldent the seller know who did? maybe they can get togeather to do some runs or something?

Couldent hurt to ask.

TimeRender
09-21-2007, 05:45 PM
What kind of parts are you talking about here? I haven't read the book that was suggested, but I looked at that link and there are certainly easier ways to make molds for smaller parts. Are you looking for a latex mold or plaster?

Jeb Ardunis
09-21-2007, 05:50 PM
Judging by the mixing of chemicals, I would assume it's resin moulding. Could be latex, but I know resin mixing scares a lot of people away.

TimeRender
09-21-2007, 05:54 PM
Thanks Jeb, but that's not what I was talking about. I read that article for myself. I was asking Jonitus what kind of mold he actually needed.

TimeRender
09-21-2007, 06:10 PM
I thought I would go ahead and post of a few links that I saved back when I started building models. This will show you a few simpler ways of making molds for small parts. The first link even references the book that Xwing recommended.

http://www.planetofthegeeks.com/workbench/howto/2partmolds/

http://www.starshipmodeler.com/basics/jc_molds.htm

http://www.hirstarts.com/moldmake/moldmaking.html