Greg Wann

Last weekend the Cactus Car Model Club had their 13th Desert Scale Classic model show and contest. Vendors were present also. One such vendor named Bob Zetterman and his wife Polly were there with their usual bins of Modelhaus parts. Bob is a promo collector and rebuilder. Bob was a Bit sore of the Modelhaus closing and he told me a few stories of how he and Polly actually helped Don and Carol start their business by providing original promo parts and model kits. Bob and Polly are the unknown soldiers so to speak in the model car and resin history. Bob and Don live in different states and told me how he allowed Don and Carol the use of their home while off to some other destination. Upon Bob's return was a note from Don to a list of kits and parts he took back with him to make molds from. And that is how Don and Carol started. Bob also recently helped Don deliver a $16,000.00 order. Both of their SUV's were completely full of a summers worth of work. Bob did get his original parts back and more.

That is very nice. I do have a mold that will make a decent resin body.

http://www.3dsystems.com/shop/sense?redirectFrom=cubify

http://www.platingsales.com/index.html Start your own plating service. Be certain to read the electropolishing page. Out of work? Want to be your own boss? Something here just might be for you.

I would not think the glass was the cause. The silicone next to your original part did not cure properly. Perhaps spraying some dull coat sealer on it will help. You could mix a small amount of your silicone and just pour a layer over it and see if it cures. If it does not then you will know the silicone does not like this material. In this case you will need to seal it and try that test again to see if your outcome changes.

Scrub your original part with a toothbrush and alcohol and try again. The person that handled it before you did might have been having fried chicken for lunch.

Hey Paul, You are making some very nice master parts as usual. Who will be making the molds for you?

rejuvenate, rejuvenation

Hi All, Rocky makes it seem like I have been really busy. Actually Rocky has been doing most of the work on the projects he mentioned. Awhile back he made contact with me to help me out. We are joining forces to create a new resin venture. Rocky found my 1:24 Scale digital Cheetah slotcar on a shelf with other diecast that I purchased for the someday pile, He excitedly exclaimed "That's my holy Grail!". He helped name the venture. Holy Grail Hobbies. So, folks, we will see how it goes for us. Several casting businesses have recently closed, we will make our mark on the hobby. I really need Rocky to light a fire under my butt to help make this a real and serious business. I am still moving onto a 2 acre site in Sun City with a big house and decent sized separate shop for me to have as my own personal DOG HOUSE to hide from the wife in and make resin parts. Micro Mark came out with a new item called a laser knife. I am planning to purchase one. Once Rocky figures it out we can offer photo etch type laser cut scripts. That is the plan. Rocky is going to be really busy! Greg Wann

Thank you Danno. I am working to get settled into the new house and shop here in Sun City. I have officially reached Old Fart status. I found out that all my neighbors are "real car guys" The guy across the street has a really nice AMX in his garage. There are several nice vintage cars being driven around my new neighborhood. Model T's and 55 Chevy's for instance.

Yes, I am still making them. Rocky and I are working on molds so that a convertible version can be offered. The convertible parts were mastered by Raoul (Sport Suburban). Rocky and I are working together to create a resin venture I call Holy Grail Hobbies. There are several model club members that are willing to loan us original kits and parts to start much like the Modelhaus did. I'm pretty sure their business started out resin casting parts so that the old promotional models could be repaired and made new again.

WOW! Those do look nice.

We are working on a mold that will make several different lenses. We will offer them in clear or a light blue tint. Greg

http://smcbofphx.proboards.com/board/45/resin-casting http://www.platingsales.com/index.html Hi Pete, Here is a link to some of my casting projects. I have been posting here for several years. This should be helpful in your quest. In order for you to successfully learn to do casting work, proper equipment is important. Most silicone manufacturers will state that no vacuum may be needed to make good bubble free molds but not real parameters are given. Like how deep is the mold going to be? For me a body mold can be 3 inches or more deep. I use Smooth On Mold Star 30 for mold making. I buy gallon kits. They sell a product called SLO JO. This is a thinner that will cause the silicone to take longer to cure. You also do not want to work in a room over 78 degrees. The silicone will start gelling very quickly. You do have the option of refrigerating the silicone for a few minutes before mixing and pouring. Vacuuming will become important for your resin also. It will accumulate moisture quickly. If you are making parts and they look like foamy BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH it is loaded with moisture. Resin gets very hot when curing so the added moisture will cause a lot of problems. Vacuuming the resin bottles is the first thing I do when I begin for the day. I am in process of moving to a 2 acre property with a 800 SF shop on it. I found a company sells chrome plating equipment. I am interested in doing this too. A lot of old names in resin parts is closing due to age and or passing away. Rocky and I will attempt to fill a void that is now needed.

http://www.reynoldsam.com/phoenix/ Fortunately for me I can just drive here and buy product fresh off the shelf.

http://smcbofphx.proboards.com/board/45/resin-casting Hi David, You can go to this board link where I have been posting projects for several years now. Mostly model car subjects but other goofy stuff too. You should do your chassis in a 2 part mold too. Greg

http://www.monsterkolorstore.com/ I have purchased these dyes. They offer some glo in the dark colors. I made this badge using Smooth- On 325 Clear resin. It has the Monster color blue glo in it. This is the color of it with the lights out. I think you can use a laquer paint too I ialso use dyes from smooth on. You might try micheals for casting kits and dyes. They might carry the Alumilite line. Here are some faucet handles I made. I mixed the gold and maroon dyes from primary colors. I made the resin gold first and then just quickly swirled in the maroon. If you are using a cheap white resin like their 300 series you could swirl in some red and blue dye and create a red, white and blue themed item. You might try experimenting with nail polish. There are some really cool colors and cheap at a dollar store. You can refrigerate the resin before mixing. This will buy you a couple more minutes of working time. I use Task 8 resin for most parts. It will take a lot of heat. Great for making parts for real cars too. Pressure casting is the best. Having a vacuum pump and vacuum chamber are important items to have too, to be successful.

http://www.rocketfin.com/model_car_links.html Hi Doc, As far as resin goes, you can do a search here.

Great idea.

I do some custom casting for a buddy. He sends my parts to the little motor car company. I'm in process of purchasing a home with a 800 square foot shop on two acres of land in Sun city, AZ. My wife was there yesterday with a electrician to do a bid on some screwy electrical work done by another owner. The neighborhood wives stopped and of course were curious about us. Apparently my new rich neighbors and I will be car buddies. They drink coffee every morning together, can't wait for that. Anyway, If I could afford the equipment and learned how I would be interested in doing the vacuum metalizing for my resin kits. Same goes for injection molding the tires like Modelhaus.

I think he builds promo style so there would not be a engine, just a engine plate with exhaust.

I have become very good at resin casting. My nickname is Mastercaster. I'm also really good at putting worms on fish hooks too.

WOW! That's really cool.

That is really nice, Michelle. The first photo you posted makes it look like the headlights are on.

https://www.pennstateind.com/store/mini-lathes.html Hi All, my son in law started making pens out of resin. He mentioned that he could buy a lathe for $200.00. He is a link to several models that are available. You just might find your dream machine here that is of quality and affordable. I don't know anything about lathes. Don't shoot the messenger if they don't apply to your needs.