Casting parts

[Scott8950]

Needing advice on casting some 66 fury bumpers and grill. This will be my first time attempting this and any advice is greatly appreciated. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Free video how-to library from a company that makes the silicone for molds and the resins for parts.

https://freemanvideos.com/Moldmaking-Casting/

Edited January 18, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Chariots of Fire]

You need mold making materials, mold release and casting resin to start.  If you can post a photo of what you want to cast perhaps I can offer some suggestions.  A two-part mold may be in order.

[Scott8950]

16 minutes ago, Chariots of Fire said:

You need mold making materials, mold release and casting resin to start.  If you can post a photo of what you want to cast perhaps I can offer some suggestions.  A two-part mold may be in order.

These are the parts I need to cast.

[Chariots of Fire]

Definitely two part molds will be needed, especially for the part on the left and the combination grill bumper assembly at the top.  You would need to plug the opening between the grill and bumper with some soft clay or tape the back with some masking tape to keep the mold separated in two parts.  If the part in the lower right is straight and flat on the back side you could glue it to a piece of plastic sheet stock, build the mold box around it and then pour the mold material on top of it directly.  If you need to keep it as a usable piece use white glue so that you can remove it from the plastic after the mold is made.

You've got some work to do, I'm afraid, but hope this helps. 

[Rick L]

18 minutes ago, Chariots of Fire said:

Definitely two part molds will be needed, especially for the part on the left and the combination grill bumper assembly at the top.  You would need to plug the opening between the grill and bumper with some soft clay or tape the back with some masking tape to keep the mold separated in two parts.  If the part in the lower right is straight and flat on the back side you could glue it to a piece of plastic sheet stock, build the mold box around it and then pour the mold material on top of it directly.  If you need to keep it as a usable piece use white glue so that you can remove it from the plastic after the mold is made.

You've got some work to do, I'm afraid, but hope this helps. 

Be forewarned that clays with sulfur and masking tape will inhibit silicon mold rubber. A tutorial from Smooth-On will help you along the way.

[peteski]

I have cast many small parts in open 1-piece molds (using Alumilite first,  then Smooth-On resins and RTV).  I have not yet advanced to 2-part molds.  Jumping straight into 2-part mold territory seems a bit daunting on a first try.  Good luck!

The grille and taillights could likely be cast in a simple mold (but will require some trimming afterwards).  As for the bumper, I can also see a possibility of making it into a single part molds if a stub (which would have to be removed afterwards) is built up around the bumper mounts.  Well, on a second look, because the bumper ends curve "up", single part mold will likely not work, unless it is sliced open for removing the cast part.

Edited January 18, 2023 by peteski

[Rick L]

Here’s a four part mold and casting you may like to see.

[peteski]

That is extremely impressive Rick (both in size and complexity), but I'm not sure if it will be helpful to a newbie resin caster.

Edited January 19, 2023 by peteski

[Rick L]

49 minutes ago, peteski said:

That is extremely impressive Rick (both in size and complexity), but I'm not sure if it will be helpful to a newbie resin caster.

As I had mentioned before, Smooth-On has informative info for the novice. The four part mold was thrown in to show the potential.

[Mark]

Don't count on that nice chrome staying that way during the mold making process.  Because it gets wrecked anyway, I strip the plating off before starting, so the castings will be as clean and crisply detailed as the original part.

Starting out, use products from one supplier to ensure that everything you use works together.  As stated by others already, certain mold materials will not cure if they come into contact with certain types of clay that is used in the mold making process.  Certain resins don't cure when used with the "wrong" mold materials.  Get everything from one company to avoid problems like that.  The learning curve can be steep enough without having to diagnose problems that arise due to incompatible materials, not to mention time and money wasted.

[Scott8950]

Thanks everyone for the info... I have decided it may be best to find someone who can do this since these parts are all I need copies of.

[Rick L]

4 hours ago, Scott8950 said:

Thanks everyone for the info... I have decided it may be best to find someone who can do this since these parts are all I need copies of.

Don’t be discouraged. The process is simple. Go online and check out the tutorials. You can buy a small kit and experiment on a junk part. 

[Bugatti Fan]

I have read about a technique using children's modelling clay (Plasticene) placed inside a Lego brick outer. The clay was covered with graphite powder to act as a release agent and the item to be copied pressed into it to make the impression needed. After removal another light graphite powder dusting of the impression and some craft resin was mixed and poured into the mould and left to set. This technique looks ok for very low relief items.

[Chariots of Fire]

I agree with Rick L.  If you have a desire to do some casting start with something simple that only takes a one part mold.  Get the hang of mixing up the mold material first and then move on to making more sophisticated ones.  It took me a while but now I can make most anything I need in my projects.  Micro-Mark sells good RTV and casting supplies.  Just for simplicity sake I use small plastic cups to mix the RTV in 50/50 proportions and small communion cups for the casting resin.  I mark one with how much of Part A I want, then drop the cup inside the second cup, taking into account the thickness of the cups and mark the second one for Part B the same way.  Results are positive just about every time.  Give a shout if you have any questions.

 

[doorsovdoon]

Yes, don't be discouraged. Mould making and casting is easy. I do 1-1 trim parts for classic cars, 1/25 stuff would be a breeze! There are lots of different resins and silicones out there for all sorts of skill levels. Watch some YouTube videos on how to make a mould and the rest is easy, it's actually very enjoyable and a hobby in itself.