DutyCat Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Ok, so I have just popped open the mold on the remastered beany cap. I am pretty much happy with the mold, but the EasyCast resin is not exactly giving me the results I am looking for. Even though I am mixing it very carefully, it seems to me to be just too pliable for our usage. Maybe I need to let it set for more than 24 hours, so we will know for sure in a day or two. I just poured another test casting.<br><br>In the meantime, I am going to look for some harder material. I am getting there. This is part of the necessary R and D effort, I guess. At least we have a good master and molds. Now I just need to find the right material.<br><br>r/Gil Edited February 21, 2013 by DutyCat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vince Hoffmann Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 (edited) Are you mixing the resin by weight, or by volume? This is VERY important and is likely the reason why your parts are not curing properly. Also, consider temperature. If you are casting in ambient air temperature of 60 or below, it will take twice as long for the resin to fully set. Look around your area for Smooth Cast 305. They sell very good polyurethane resin that is 1-1 mix by volume and sets up very nicely. Most large art supply stores stock it and it is reasonably priced. Edited January 30, 2013 by Vince Hoffmann Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Are you mixing the resin by weight, or by volume? This is VERY important and is likely the reason why your parts are not curing properly. Also, consider temperature. If you are casting in ambient air temperature of 60 or below, it will take twice as long for the resin to fully set. Look around your area for Smooth Cast 305. They sell very good polyurethane resin that is 1-1 mix by volume and sets up very nicely. Most large art supply stores stock it and it is reasonably priced. Thanks. Does it dry hard and degas well? I can't pressure or vacuum cast. If I can't find a easy to use, reliable resin, I may have to send it to an outside company. I don't understand this pre-occupation with weight by these companies. A certain weight of a given substance will equate to volume. Volume is easier to measure for most folks,who don't have scales, so what gives? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted February 3, 2013 Author Share Posted February 3, 2013 Are you mixing the resin by weight, or by volume? This is VERY important and is likely the reason why your parts are not curing properly. Also, consider temperature. If you are casting in ambient air temperature of 60 or below, it will take twice as long for the resin to fully set. Look around your area for Smooth Cast 305. They sell very good polyurethane resin that is 1-1 mix by volume and sets up very nicely. Most large art supply stores stock it and it is reasonably priced. Just looked it up. Unless I am misreading something, Smoothcast 305 does not appear to be a clear resin. I need a clear resin. That was the point all along. Mask off the windows and paint the rest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vince Hoffmann Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 (edited) Ah, you want clear resin. Unfortunately, you're not going to find a clear casting resin that will give you truly crystal clear without using a pressure pot. If your goal is to make the canopy windows glass clear, you will need to polish the pieces to a mirror finish, otherwise any surface irregularities will be magnified a thousand times by the simple fact that they are clear. I would recommend making the canopy glass separate pieces that can be clear cast then glued in place afterward. Here are some photos of the canopy of a model I helped pattern 2 years ago. The frame and 'glass' are separate pieces intended to nest together. The glass was primed with Mr. Surfacer fine, then wet sanded until glassy smooth. Edited February 17, 2013 by Vince Hoffmann Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 (edited) Vince, nothing quite so special. I just want the windows to be "clear" without bubbles. There can be bubbles elsewhere and I won't care. This is a garage fix. I will market it, but it is not going to be professional studio quality. If a builder wants the windows to be glass smooth, they may want to put a drop or two of Future in each pane. Here is the latest pic. Edited February 21, 2013 by DutyCat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vehicle Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Will you be making any realistic tires and landing gear? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 (edited) Will you be making any realistic tires and landing gear? No, no, no. At this point, I am not interested nor am I equipped to become an aftermarket resin manufacturer. I am only doing this because the Monogram cockpit windows are so grossly inaccurate and I happen to be building one. I figured if I were going to all of this effort for my project, that if it worked out, I could make copies available for other folks, rescuing them from the hassle of coming up with their own fix. I am working on another master part for an aircraft, but that will be announced at a later date when working on that project.. Aside from that, I am doing a stack....no gear or wheels. I have not really been paying attention to the gear or wheels. How are they inaccurate? Edited February 24, 2013 by DutyCat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vince Hoffmann Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Wow, looks great !! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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