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TRON JOYSTICK HANDLES (Recasting) PART 1
Donkey_Kong:
--- Quote from: Teebor on February 13, 2007, 09:30:00 am ---Looks like cheese on toast :laugh2:
second one looks like mouldy cheese on toast LOL
Hats off to you guys though as really I would have no clue :dunno :dunno
--- End quote ---
Stop Teebor your making me hungry! :laugh2:
Seriously though guys good job on the effort. You never know one day this might just pay off and you will have the last laugh as like umpteen thousand byo members line up for Tron Sticks.
:applaud:
lasersoup:
--- Quote ---If you are using that clear casting resin sold at the craft stores
--- End quote ---
Actually the mold rubber is, I forget the brand but it's latex and not silicone which caused me two problems:
1) Since there is no catalyst it must be brushed on in coats and each coat must be fully cured before the next coat is added.
2) I purchased Alumilite rubber to rubber mold release, I forget what it is called but that's the basic idea, it works but I had to add a tab to start the separation of the two halves. So the release was a little tricky but it worked. The latex is subject to plastic deformation if there are not enough layers when the two halves are pulled apart.
--- Quote ---BTW, where's the gate for the resin to enter the mold?
--- End quote ---
My first plan involved a gate (if I know what you're talking about) however I decided to take a simpler approach and give the first half of the mold as much depth as possible. So the second half is only from one plane of the trigger up, that is, it contains the the pin and about one-third of the fat part of the trigger. Doing this I only had to worry about getting the resin into the mold and putting the two halves together before the resin could run out.
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Maybe I need to do this in a separate thread.
One more thing, I forgot to heat up the mold before pouring the resin, how much will this affect the process? The excess seems to have done quite a bit better than what was in the mold, only slightly tacky.
AhPook:
I have done allot of casting, tried out every sort of resin and epoxy I could find. The best and least expensive (if you don't care about the color) is bondo fiberglass polyester resin.
It's like the environmental tech stuff but is stronger. The only drawback is that it it clear reddish purple. It's at least half the cost of anything else, it's not flexible but I haven't had any problems with it chipping (I make dice). It shrinks a little bit, and use it in a well ventelated area.
I haven't had too many problems with the ET stuff though, just give things a little extra hardener.
I don't know how well any of them would work with things like the tron handles. If you build up the backs of the handles with clay to make them thicker (perhaps allmost solid) it should work fine. If I was doing that I would mix something into the resin to stretch it and save money. I got really great results putting broken plastic bits into my resin (CD cases, taillight covers etc...).
Most hobby two part resins seem pretty brittle (Aluminite), and most casting expoxys are a bit rubbery. Epoxy glues work well but they shrink allot and take quite a while to cure.
Lasersoup- The latex rubber probably affected the cure of your resin, and the resin will probably destroy the rubber. That stuff is mostly used to make molds for plaster casts. I have used it and never got good results with resin. There aren't many replacements for silicone rubber that are any easier, you might be able to make a simple cast like that using a wax mould though. Small amounts of silicone are available from modeling supply stores, along with the special modeling clay that can be used with the silicone.
You could actually make a mold with allot less silicone rubber than Fozzy used, you only need about a 3mm layer of the silicone (enough to prevent tearing) and a support structure to hold it up (like the plaster he used). The thickener is not then needed, which will improve the detail of the cast. My favorite tip for this is to use Lego blocks to build a custom case around your mould, you can get it to a really tight fit, and then the Legos will act as a case to hold the whole thing while you are pouring.
For the trigger I would actually make a 1-part mould, simply make a slightly large sprue out of clay and support the trigger with it and then pour the silicone around it. When cured the silicone is fexible enough to remove the part through the sprute hole.
Another modeling process that would be of intrest is brass etching, you could easily make the light interrupter wheels for trackballs and spinners using this method.
lasersoup:
Thanks Pook, I've given up on the latex and I've purchased some Dow Corning HSII. The latex was cheap but it took forever to make molds and I believe you're right about it affecting the resin and it probably has something to do with silicone being a better insulator than latex, I don't know. BTW the ET resin is what I've been working with, I'm going to have a go at working with alumilite which is actually a bit cheaper than the ET resin it's just not as readily available. Hopefully I'll have something to show for all this soon. Thanks again.
ChadTower:
Don't know how I missed this thread before... but damn, great work, patiently awaiting the handles now too, I'm in for multiple sets when done.
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