Resin casting services.

I'm a thread starting foolio!

So, I've scratchbuilt a wheel, and while it's not exactly delicate, it is quite intricate and I am unsure if I can cast it myself and preserve the detail without tons of bubbles. Plus I don't at the moment have the cash to invest in quality resin supplies.

Are there any resin casting services out there - that are priced less than the supplies I'd need to do it myself - that could take my master and pop out 4-8 copies? I remember there were some with the model railroading community, but I don't know if they are still around or who they were.

Any help would be rad. Thanks!

I'm afraid I can't help you with pointers to any casting services, but maybe I can help you by encouraging to try for yourself.

BTW Willimo, if I have caught the wrong end of the stick and you have already done casting please ignore everything below :iceslolan

As someone who about 6 months ago had never cast anything in his life, I can honestly tell you that it is not very hard and I have found no major problems with air bubbles (I don't have any vacuum/preassure chambers).

I just carefully - to avoid introducing air bubbles - mix the resins and silicones in urine sample pots :uhoh: with a McDo coffee stirrer and pour. Sure sometimes a cast isn't perfect but as long as the mold is good, you can just cast again. I'd say I have a 70-75% "good cast" average.

Everything I needed to get started set me back about 30$ and the up-side is that haveing the materials to hand I can sometimes just whack off a mold of an interesting part I find in a kit or make myself. (Just yesterday in made molds of the cool, seperate wheel nuts in the Nizmo R34 GTR set together with the seat and brake rotors - NB for my own PERSONAL use!! ). The only real problem I have is figuring out how best to lay out the mold in order to obtain a good resin in/air out flow but I have no doubt you will be much better at that than I ever will be.

Here's a link to a tutorial (http://www.old.modelarstwo.org.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21659)I wrote during my first ever wheel cast attempt. It's in Polish ;) but I am 99% sure you will get everything form the pictures.

HTH and casting is FUN :D

Hello Willimo

I don't think you will find a resin caster to do some parts cheaper then what the materials will cost you. Unless they can use the part that they are casting to thier benefit. Micro Mark has a great starter kit for a really good price with everything you will need to get started.

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=82698

and some casting technics using thier product

http://www.micromark.com/html_pages/instructions/82708mrrresinart.pdf

You could try some of the resin casters that deal in casting the type of wheel that the can benefit from

Replicas and Miniature of MD

Historic Racing Miniatures if it is for Motorsports he maybe able to cast it for you since this is the category he tends to deal in.

AFX N Resin

Just try some of them and find out if they will do it or not.

AL

If you find any resin casters that will cast parts for less than the material costs, please post their contact info.

Thanks guys. I have cast before, with good success. Just between all the moving I've done and the fact that the resin and silicone have a limited shelf life, I would need to get all new supplies. The Alumilite stuff I find to not work at all, and the Micro-Mark stuff is kind of out of my price range at the moment. I wasn't looking for a resin caster that would do it for less than the cost of materials in 8 rims, but one that would do it for less than the cost of the big jugs of materials you can find on Micro-Mark.

Thanks for the help. I'll probably sit on this and do it when I can, later.

Thanks guys. I have cast before, with good success. Just between all the moving I've done and the fact that the resin and silicone have a limited shelf life, I would need to get all new supplies. The Alumilite stuff I find to not work at all, and the Micro-Mark stuff is kind of out of my price range at the moment. I wasn't looking for a resin caster that would do it for less than the cost of materials in 8 rims, but one that would do it for less than the cost of the big jugs of materials you can find on Micro-Mark.

Thanks for the help. I'll probably sit on this and do it when I can, later.

Contact Smooth-On; they make sample kits to try out, that aren't terribly expensive. Their products are very well known and liked. You might call them for some tech support; I'll link you to a page w/the various resins. Go to the "buy online" links to see prices for the quantities and samplers. You can see the resins have different colors, pot lifes, demold times, etc. The Smooth Cast 320 series look good; 1:1 mix, offwhite, few bubbles, etc. The slower setting the resin, the better your results will be. I'd probably go w/the 7 minute stuff, you can demold in 30 mins. Avoid the 3 min. stuff.

http://www.smooth-on.com/liqplas.htm

I have cast before, with good success.
I'm not surprised :D
I AM curious about the wheel you have made, though...

Nothing any of ya'll would be interested in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/NR10.jpg

$1 to anyone who can identify them (those of you who already know what I'm working on, don't count!)

Mugen NR10

BINGO!!! :icon16:
http://www.wheelspecs.com/specs/images/WheelModels/mugen_NR10_abunairacing.png
Nicely replicated!!

Do you take PayPal? :grinyes:

Are those 18's or 19's? ;)

15's. Didn't you know small wheels are all the rage among us young kids? You must be over the hill, pops. ;)

I PM'd you with a reply, PM me back n let me know what you think, Thanks :)

I got some samples from Vagabond. Great company. I like the resin too. I'll be ordering from them when I need more. So far I've poured 12 or so 12th scale wheel centers, 4 or 5 12th scale heads and several 1/24th engine halves and wheels, and still have tons of resin left. All from a free sample

If I had a pressure pot I'd offer to pour up a mold for free

Harbor Freight has the pressure pots on sale for 39.99

AL:naughty:

wish I had the extra cash. I just don't do enough casting to justify the purchase

Harbor Freight has the pressure pots on sale for 39.99

AL:naughty:

Awwww, damnit, now why did you have to go and tell me a thing like that? :shakehead

Let's see.... Working pressure of 30-60 psi means you have to have a compressor capable of supplying that pressure, right? I'm sure my little Badger airbrush compressor won't do that. :grinno: Whew, I may be saved!