Resin Copies

Did a search, but no luck.

Question for our resin casters (fotw, etc). How difficult would it be for somebody at home to make a resin copy of existing plastic parts? I was thinking of making resin copies of the engine in the R32 skyline (for personal use only). Would this be possible, or would you have to do each piece at a time? I'm a little clueless about the process involved in making a resin mold/cast. Is it simple - at home - stuff, or do you need a lot of special equipment?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I first saw how resin casting works at age 15, and by 16, I was selling my own kits. To me, resin casting wasn't so hard. It was just that the material was very expensive for that age.

You might want to start with a kit, which includes everything.
MicroMark has such a product for about $70, and there should be similar products elsewhere. It's cheaper than buying individually (extra shipping), and you don't miss anything to start.

Basic idea of casting is to make the master part, bury a half of it in clay, surround it with cardboard or lego block, pour silicone and wait, remove the clay, apply mold release wax, pour the other half, and ta-da, the mold is done.
Mold making takes one to two days, because each side takes about 6 hours. (Do before you go to bed, and one side is done next morning.)

Then, engrave the air release and resin flow channels on the mold, mix resin, pour it, and remove the part, when it's cured.
Resin hardens in 5 - 10 minutes.

I have a crappy step-by-step, which desperately needs update. ;)
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~xr2h-fkd/scalemodels/project/porsche/rmboxster/rmboxster04.htm

I first saw how resin casting works at age 15, and by 16, I was selling my own kits. To me, resin casting wasn't so hard. It was just that the material was very expensive for that age.

You might want to start with a kit, which includes everything.
MicroMark has such a product for about $70, and there should be similar products elsewhere. It's cheaper than buying individually (extra shipping), and you don't miss anything to start.

Basic idea of casting is to make the master part, bury a half of it in clay, surround it with cardboard or lego block, pour silicone and wait, remove the clay, apply mold release wax, pour the other half, and ta-da, the mold is done.
Mold making takes one to two days, because each side takes about 6 hours. (Do before you go to bed, and one side is done next morning.)

Then, engrave the air release and resin flow channels on the mold, mix resin, pour it, and remove the part, when it's cured.
Resin hardens in 5 - 10 minutes.

I have a crappy step-by-step, which desperately needs update. ;)
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~xr2h-fkd/scalemodels/project/porsche/rmboxster/rmboxster04.htm

Thanks!

I had no idea that was your site! I must have read most of that site all the way through at least once, and the 944 and 968 sections at least 3 times! Great work!

If you want to make your own parts, check out alumilite's website (http://www.alumilite.com/howto.cfm?ID=14) or Smooth-On's (http://www.smooth-on.com/howto.htm) . Hope this helps. :D

i was looking for this too.. but i only need to duplicate 2 1/16 brake pad, so a 70$ kit is too expensive yor only 2 small part :screwy:

i was looking for this too.. but i only need to duplicate 2 1/16 brake pad, so a 70$ kit is too expensive yor only 2 small part :screwy:

I suppose that's why not many people do it... you'd have to sell a lot of units to recover your cost.

i was looking for this too.. but i only need to duplicate 2 1/16 brake pad, so a 70$ kit is too expensive yor only 2 small part :screwy:

You can get "sampler kits" of resins pretty cheap, some companies may even give away free samples. You don't need much to copy brake pads. Some clay to depress the pad into and some resin to make the copy. The original clay mold can't be reused (you have to press it again) but for a few parts it works just fine.

Hiro's hit the main point, but here's some great links, too...

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=79091

DMS-Mark, Careful planning when doing multiple pieces is a must. The actual process is easy enough. I suggest doing it in sub assemblies. Just keep in mind that once you make the mold or cast the part it has to come out so any undercuts are ill advised.
VRIC, if you want to send the pieces to me I will make a mold of your brake discs for $5, you pay shipping. PM me

I can vouch for Smooth-On's quality and value.

It's all I use for resin casting and mold making.

Their starter kits start at $25. to $30. Their website will answer all your questions about this technique.