My Skyline motor woes...

[willimo]

going to get some PVC pipe of the correct diameter, and go at it with a knife, time, and patience. Azenis have a really simple pattern, so it's doable. They won't have any sidewall markings though, unless I could somehow photoetch it and glue it to the side of the master.

[blueboost]

awesome job willmo, looks real clean and purdy.

[CADguy]

Nice job. Are we seeing our next favorite resin caster being born?

[geofroley]

What I've always wondered is how Chris casts his body kits in resin. Anyone know how he does this?

[stisnan]

Originally Posted by geofroley

What I've always wondered is how Chris casts his body kits in resin. Anyone know how he does this?

Resin Casting Part I - Making the mold
Resin Casting Part II - Making the part

[600sel]

It looks great Willimo !

[geofroley]

Originally Posted by stisnan

Resin Casting Part I - Making the mold
Resin Casting Part II - Making the part

I've read that before, but that method seemed like it wouldn't work with stuff like bumpers.

[mike@af]

Pat, casting complex designs can require design of the mold it self in more than just 2 parts. Its all done the same way, the molds just look different.

[geofroley]

Originally Posted by GTmike400

Pat, casting complex designs can require design of the mold it self in more than just 2 parts. Its all done the same way, the molds just look different.

Thanks for clearing that up for me Mike

[builder]

hey im a active model bulider and have been tempted to try some casting to copi model parts and other crap i like to customize my models and dont want to sit and hand fabricate a part everytime if im going to use the same part with som small mods ob difrent models so if you could tell me a little about resin casting and what i should say to mye local model dealer or where ever i should go to get the stuff to make a mould and resin

models forever

[willimo]

I've fielded many queries about casting through PM so I will address them here, instead, so I can serve as many people as possible.

First, no, I won't send you an RB26. It's rather questionable if I should even be making them for myself.

Second, no, I really doubt I'll be offering a casting service. It won't be worthwhile in time and cost for me, especially since the coming semesters are going to be rather grueling. Sorry.

Third, casting is really easy. There are many how-to's around, a great article in Scale Auto a while back, and a great two-part how to on mold making and part casting by Dag65, and I urge you to check it out. I don't have any pictures of the progress, I don't imagine I will take any, since Dag65 has it covered pretty well.

This is how I made the mold:

1. I took a sheet of styrene to make the box of, and laid out the parts in the most space economical arrangement I could, leaving a reasonable distance between the parts (About 3/4 of an inch, to be safe. This was my first mold, I could probably have gotten away with lest space between parts). I then build sides from styrene around it, so I had a shallow box without a top, this is what I would pour my rubber into.

2. The backs of the engine parts were not flat, so I took clay (provided in the resin kit I bought) and pressed it into the back of the motor, then pressed it to the bottom of the box I made. Then I trimmed the clay away from the parts, so there wouldn't be any excess sticking out. No real need to glue the parts in, the clay is sticky enough. I coated everything with rubber-to-rubber mold release

3. Then I mixed the rubber per the instructions. Exactly half of each part in my case. Then I thouroughly mixed it with a stirring stick, and tried to prevent bubbles from forming (mostly). The rubber is quite thin, and pours easily. Again, I tried to avoid pouring any bubbles.

4. Four hours later, it was cured, so I broke up the box, and pulled the rubber off the parts, and there was a mold. Cake, really.

Here is how I cast the part.

1. I flipped the mold over to how it was when I made it, and sprayed it with mold release compound (a different kind than before).

2. I mixed the resin per the instructions, very carefully. This particular kind, I learned, is half clear half yellowish tint clear. When you first mix it, it gets cloudy, but a good mixture makes it totally clear.

3. Then I pour it into the mold carefully avoiding bubbles. Then I scrape the excess off with a peice of styrene I cut (with a handle and all, dork!) and I try to push the bubbles out with a pin. Then I watch a couple episodes of Batman the Animated Series on DVD, and by that time the resin is cured, and I can popl it out of the mold. Easy peasy.

Please, however, check Dag65's how-to. It's what I used, and is illustrated, and it's very good. Casting isn't hard, if you can compose a sensible post with proper punctuation, you can handle casting.

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by willimo

Casting isn't hard, if you can compose a sensible post with proper punctuation, you can handle casting.

That eliminates half the forum.

I dont think you are in any wrong casting parts for non distribution.

[Hiroboy]

Nice work, I also found that doing your own is really easy.

Originally Posted by willimo

I'm not going to sell, I am just casting the Tamiya motor... for, erm, personal use, of course. I got the set because there are a lot of things I want to cast. This motor, another very expensive motor (you get 3 guesses, the first two don't count), the fastback and bumpers for the S2000 fastback racecar that is coming down the pipe, stacks of tires for either side of a chicane on a racecourse diorama, and stock bumpers (and other stock parts) for a 92-95 Civic and Eclipse. Every hour I come up with new stuff to cast. I think the initial cost is well worth it. I've cast 3 Skyline motors so far... that's $60 in cannibalized kits. It makes things like the stacks of tires easy and cheap, possible really - I love the way the barriers look on racetracks, but you won't catch me painting 20-30 tires blue or white just for a diorama, think of the cost!

My Guess... Honda H22A