casting resin parts

[CrazyGirl]

can anyone tell me every thing I need to buy to cast resin parts , Thanks

[Lownslow]

about 1000$ worth of equipment, Vacuum pump, vacuum chamber, gauges, pressure pot, compressor,clay,silicone rubber,legos,space,casting resin,dyes for color,supplies for mixing and pouring,patience,and mold release and a decent sized can of nitrogen.

[southpier]

you'll also need a bigger workbench

[GeeBee]

I only cast a few parts, mainly wheels, front grills etc, but it didn't cost a great deal to get under way, the small digital scales cost me around £8 from Hong Kong, the RTV is around £18 for just over a Kilo of the stuff, and the 2 part resin was around the same for a kilo of Polycraft 2 part resin, I've never needed a vacuum pump or anything fancy, and my casting success is around 75%

I did a small piece on my website to give you an idea of what you need and how to do it, or at least, how I do it ...

http://geoff-brown.webs.com/resin-casting-how-to

[CrazyGirl]

thanks Geoff ,, I didn't think it would be a lot of money , I just watched what I want to cast on youtube , I can buy a donor kit cheaper but it would be fun to cast the part I want , and yes a bigger workbench, a water proof one, thanks for that also Joe

[george 53]

Anne, Casting is NOT that hard to do if you just want to cast SMALL stuff. Once you get into casting car/truck bodies, and LARGER sized parts, THEN you need to invest money! The small starter kits from Micro-Mark are VERY convienient to try starting off with. Plus, Gregg has run a few articles on simple mold casting, wheels and stuff, that should be easy to copy. Try it, it's cool to use stuff YOU MADE yourself,plus it CAN be a point of pride in knowing you MADE it!

[shucky]

Anne you should pick up the DVD that Alumilite put together. It is very informative and a good place to start. Their HS2 rubber is extremely easy to work with as is their white resin. You do not need a vacuum chamber or pressure pot. Carol at Alumilite is a joy to speak with and a wealth of information. IM me any time if you need help.

[MAGNUM4342]

about 1000$ worth of equipment, Vacuum pump, vacuum chamber, gauges, pressure pot, compressor,clay,silicone rubber,legos,space,casting resin,dyes for color,supplies for mixing and pouring,patience,and mold release and a decent sized can of nitrogen.

Bull. You can start casting and do very well for less than $250, I guarantee you. You've already got the biggest piece of equipment and that's the air compressor. You DO NOT need a vacuum chamber or pump! Those are rediculously priced accesories you can do without.

[kalbert]

about 1000$ worth of equipment, Vacuum pump, vacuum chamber, gauges, pressure pot, compressor,clay,silicone rubber,legos,space,casting resin,dyes for color,supplies for mixing and pouring,patience,and mold release and a decent sized can of nitrogen.

Not even close.The only stuff on that list that is required is rubber and resin. You can get into resin casting for less than $50. I started with an Alumilite Mini Casting Kit from that national craft store chain who's name I don't like to mention. Cost me about $30, and included enough stuff to make 2 mistakes before successfully copying a wheel to replace one I had lost. As your needs and desires grow you can expand resin casting to include tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment if you want, but to get started doing small pieces none of that is necessary.

[GerN]

As George53 said, it depends on what your goals are. I've slush-cast bodies which I've used for customs, and the entire effort is lo-buck. Mostly I cast solid parts: engines, wheels, tires, etc. These are pretty easy to do without spending much. Very important - keep water vapor from contaminating your resin. I can provide info and photos if anyone is interested.

[goodguyinar416]

I have been casting for approx. 15 years. I started out by talking with the master of resin casting Norm from Replicas and Minitures and he gave me so much advise. I owe him for getting me started. He took the time to explain how to's, doing 2 part molds, etc. and I have never forgot it. I do it for myself and the model clubs I'm a member of.

I don't use any vaccum or anything like that and my parts turn out great. I have bought my rubber/resin from the same two companys over the last 15 years.

Here are a few things of mine I have casted. Click on photo below to check out.

Thanks,

Art

Edited April 29, 2013 by goodguyinar416

[kennb]

I do all my casting on the same place I model......I have no fancy equipment,,,none at all......

just poured the RTV in simple mold over the master,,,,,,the rim and tire is cast......hand laced of course

Edited April 29, 2013 by kennb

[mr moto]

Getting started is not that difficult. Ultimately, the biggest investment is just the learning curve that you have to go through. Now I use a pressure pot (I think about $75 at Harbor Freight) and it has definitely improved the quality of my cast parts but I worked without it for a couple years and it's not needed before you're comfortable with the basics.

I recommend using Smooth-On's Oomoo silicone because it's a simple 1:1 mix by volume - no fancy scales needed. I like the Oomoo 30 but it comes in different formulas with different setting times and hardnesses - your pick. Their Smooth-Cast 305 is my resin of choice and it gives you a lot more working time than Alumilite. That's especially nice when you're in the early learning phase.

The actual use of resin and silicone isn't so hard to learn. The real learning is the mold construction. I should put up some kind of tutorial I guess. There's probably lots of different ways to do it and mine might not be the best but the process seems to go real smoothly now and when I started I was REALLY clueless. Believe me, if I learned it you can too!

[kennb]

I have found that legos make good containment boxes for making the molds but if you dont coat them inside with white glue before making the mold they do leak......the White glue stops most of it,,,,,someone might have some other ideas also they can post....................

Allumilite does not have a lot of working time that is true....for what I am doing it works out but if you are atarting you might try the smooth on because the setting times can be adjusted and if using a pressure pot it is imparative you have a little slower set up time........................

[mr moto]

I have found that legos make good containment boxes for making the molds but if you dont coat them inside with white glue before making the mold they do leak......the White glue stops most of it,,,,,someone might have some other ideas also they can post....................

Allumilite does not have a lot of working time that is true....for what I am doing it works out but if you are atarting you might try the smooth on because the setting times can be adjusted and if using a pressure pot it is imparative you have a little slower set up time........................

I use "Legos" for my mold boxes also and haven't really had the leakage problem but here's a tip. Real Legos can get very pricy. I went to the bargain section of Toy's R Us and found an off-brand for about $5 a bucket and they work just fine. Pays to shop around! Anyway, they save you the trouble of always building a special mold box the right size for the latest parts that you're casting.

[mr moto]

By the way those wire wheels are awesome!

I second that! The resin casting was only the beginning of that project!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Freeman Supply has several hours of instructional videos on the entire mold-making and casting process available online, FREE. They are well produced, not full of incorrect information and varying opinions, and are aimed at the industrial or professional user where getting good results is of critical importance.

Freeman also manufactures a line of products of professional quality, and engineering-grade casting resins, mold materials and additives.

http://www.freemansupply.com/video.htm

[Chief Joseph]

Agree; between Freeman Supply and Smooth-On's videos, there should be no reason why anyone can't make proper rubber molds and resin parts. All the information is right there for the taking.

[kennb]

Here is a quick down and dirty tutorial on the casting....Masters,,,,I cut the tire in half and put the inside and out side rimes together and mounted them on plastic,,,and glued up some sides. about 10 to 1 mix.

poured in the RTV,,,notice the bubbles coming up.

after the mold dryed I removed it from the master and poured resin 1 to 1 mix and let it set up..about 5 minutes.

I sanded the backs on a sheet of sand paper until the flash fell off and glued the wheel halfs together for finished project ready for paint shop. Notice the spots on the rim that will have to be fixed on the next pour,,,,a quick swipe with a tooth pick in that area before the resin sets will fix it.

the RTV set up in about 3 hours and resin about 5 to 7 minutes.....You can make parts you need and save origionals for later. Or if you only have 1 part and need several for a project you can do them quickly. This is good for all small parts on your desk top. No special equipment was needed...

I hope this helps you out..Anne...................

Edited April 30, 2013 by kennb

[Skip]

Recently picked up an old Foodsaver vacuum packing setup along with a couple of jar attachments which I am going to give a try at adapting the setup to pull a vacuum on the silicone mold to evacuate as much air as possible. I think I paid like $10 for the Foodsaver, so I can aford to play around with it. I've made stuff for slot cars for quite a while, mirrors, rims, headlight blanking plates, fuel caps, drivers and heads, easy stuff.

I am thinking about doing some stuff like engine blocks for early smallblock Chevy, maybe a quick-change rear end, a set of blockhugger headers, Holley 4 barrel carb... You could spend a bazillion dollars getting into resin casting, unless you are going to make a go of a "Hobby / Business" of it you probably don't need all the neat toys. I think this is what you were asking when you posed the question in the first place wasn't it? At least that was what I read into it, you are not interested in casting bodies and other complicated setups yet, just interested in getting your feet wet and casting a few parts for your own use. Honestly that's what I am looking to do as well, reproducing some of the parts I would like to have a few more of without having to buy the whole kit(s). (I'll gladly leave the difficult and fiddly bits to the Pro's they earn every cent they get on their bodies and cool parts have to help them buy all that expensive tooling somehow.) If you want to get into casting your own stuff just go for it. Far too much stuff is done by proxy, everyone has some sort of oppinion on how things should be done. (Not just on this forum but almost every forum you want to go on. That comment was not meant to step on anyone's toes, just weird how people have become so indecisive lately.)

I have never tried this one yet. Years ago (like around 1980) I saw a little blurb in "Fine Scale Modeler" mag's tips section about using "Silly Putty" to make an impression mold. From what I remember the gist of it was something like; carefully pressing the part into the Silly Putty then carefully removing the part and casting resin into the void. The tipster was using 5 minute epoxy from the tube for the part which had excess, needing to be trimmed down.

[Evil Appetite]

I started for less than $50, Alumnilites starter package, afew dollar store items like extra sticks and measuring cups, and a small garbage bag full of Lego's from a Second hand store called Value Village for $3.99. And I do mean full, there are thousands of pieces in that bag. Dollar stores and second hand stores are a great place to shop when it comes to this hobby. Last week I picked up half a dozen older Revell and Monogam Funny Car kits for 1.99 each. I love those stores!

[kitbash1]

You found model kits at Value Village? Wow, I've been hitting that store plus Goodwill and the Sally Ann stores for a couple of years now and never seen any kits. I guess that I'll have to keep looking then as you proved it can happen.

[Evil Appetite]

You found model kits at Value Village? Wow, I've been hitting that store plus Goodwill and the Sally Ann stores for a couple of years now and never seen any kits. I guess that I'll have to keep looking then as you proved it can happen.

They're usually few and far between but I've found many over the years at VV, including a 1/16th scale Revell Dragster, some SW kits and afew Gundam. I've found them at SA as well, but only twice. Biggest haul was the FC's last week . Afew months ago it was 2 old Monogram boxes stuffed with funny Car and Pro Sock parts and wheels.

[fractalign]

Casting resin parts has more to do with the skill of the caster and the quality of the resin used, than the type of equipment used. These model T and 32 parts and were cast by me last year. After 10 years of slosh casting i decided a new approach was needed. I should add these were not two part moulds rather these are open moulds. The bodies are difficult to de mould as they need to be turned inside out to get the casting out, but the results are worth it. As far as using mould release i would recommend against it. It is messy for the caster and the builder. If you want to use anything i would suggest talcum powder but even this is not necessary. A good quality silastic does not need any mould release added between casts. The trick is in preparing the parts you are casting so that they are as smooth as possible. The smoother the master, the smoother the mould and the smoother the de mould process.

Edited May 10, 2013 by fractalign

[fractalign]

I forgot to add as far as buying material for casting you do not need to spend a fortune. When you are starting out you only need to buy small volume of silastic and resin. Other things to consider are materials for the casting boxes. Sheet styrene is often used to make up the boxes although any kind of flat rectangular container will work. For the bodies and components i cast, i often use cut down milk cartons. They are cheap and once secured on a stable surface and clamped at the top hold their shape very well. The other thing you will need is a box of latex gloves. You wear the gloves when mixing the resin and stir it with your finger. The advantage of using your hands to mix the resin is that you can scoop it out easier than with a stick, the other advantage is that you can work it into the channels of the mould easier and work it up the mould walls as well.