|
|
Post by GTS on Feb 14, 2020 17:13:56 GMT -7
Beauty!
|
|
|
|
Post by hilltopspeedway on Feb 14, 2020 18:09:44 GMT -7
Gooooood looking Nova...RM
|
|
|
|
Post by dave632 on Feb 14, 2020 18:40:23 GMT -7
Nice, I had a blue 72 Nova with a 468 BB in it way back when the Dinosaurs roamed the earth. Unfortunately one of them stepped on it.  |
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 16, 2020 18:31:48 GMT -7
Thanks for the good word guys! I will be doing a basic casting tutorial this week. I need a few more pictures. I know a video would be better, but I am just trying to show the basics. Smooth On has some great How To videos as I have said.
In the meantime..........this is the next project on the desk. I am calling it a Mini Cooper Altered and it will fit a normal 3 gear pancake or a SG+ with body clip. The accessories are Hairy Canary, the wing is from an AW dragster, and the Mini Cooper is from Hilltop Racing. The build was also inspired by Randy aka Hilltop Racing. He sent me some pictures of this cool 1/24 scale blown Mini Cooper that I thought was pretty bada**. I'm going to see if I can pull it off with a couple of my own twists. This will be a page out of the Hairy Canary and SKR books. They have built some of the most crazy cool cars I've ever seen.
|
|
|
|
Post by dave632 on Feb 18, 2020 7:37:11 GMT -7
Should be a cool HO drag car but I would not want to get in a full size drag car with that short a wheelbase.
|
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 20, 2020 10:04:05 GMT -7
Should be a cool HO drag car but I would not want to get in a full size drag car with that short a wheelbase. You've got that right! That would be waaay more scary than fun. But hopefully it's cool to look at . |
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 20, 2020 10:40:08 GMT -7
OK....here we go. I want to put the casting "How To" out there while the mold making posts are fresh. Once again I have to be humble here. This is how I am currently doing things and there are better casters out there than me. I'm hoping to spur some interest. I know that GTS is currently working on setting himself up to do some casting. So we will see some new stuff coming from Spokane before long. I will cover the basic steps....
This is the Smooth On casting material I use....Smooth-Cast 305. There are others offered, but this is what a lot of people are using. It gives me enough working time (approx 7-8 min) to do 4 - 6 bodies and a few accessories in one pour.
Here is the working area ready to start. I put down wax paper because with squish molds things are messy. It helps keep the table from getting too bad. I have everything laid out and ready.
 Mold release, mixing containers, and Parts A and B. I also have some black die that I use for the windows that is not in the picture.
Step 1 I put all of the molds open on a piece of poster board and take them outside to apply the mold release. I paint in the same room that I do my casting so I NEVER want to spray mold release or any other silicone based product in my paint area. I follow the directions on the can which is basically cover evenly with a couple of light coats and allow to dry before casting. I also spray some mold release into a small cup and use a sponge "make up" applicator to apply release to any spoilers or undercuts in the castings that the spray may not have covered. I ended up using a sponge because any brushes that I tried left brush marks in the castings. My wife had a couple so I tried them and they worked well.
Here are the make up applicators that I have been using. TIP.......the make up supply stores have a ton of stuff that is directly applicable to the hobby at a fraction of the cost a hobby supplier would charge. I have gotten comfortable going into Sally Beauty and getting stuff. Hilltop told me it helps to carry a couple of Hot Wheels cars in my pocket when I go. He was right  and that's exactly what I do. I can get 10 emery boards (which I use a lot) for $1 at SB...those would cost me $5 - $6 at Hobby Town or Hobby Lobby for example. That might sound weird, but I get tired of paying the inflated prices at Hobby Town and Hobby Lobby.
Molds are all opened up on the table...mold release has been applied and has dried....ready for the pour.
|
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 20, 2020 11:11:47 GMT -7
I use the large end (5ml) of the measuring spoon and the smallest container to mix a small amount of resin for the body mounts and accessories. I pour these first because when I put the mold halves together I trap air and they don't turn out right if I don't. I have extra resin so I go ahead and pour my accessories now. I pour everything that I want to be white, then I add the black dye and pour the windows last (if I want them black). Resin can be colored if desired.
Once I pour the body mounts, etc I then mix up my predetermined amount of resin for the bodies and do the pour. I will fill the molds at least halfway up the body or at least above any spoiler slots to help eliminate trapping air. AIR BUBBLES ARE THE ENEMY! I use a toothpick or other tool to run through the spoiler slots or undercuts to release any trapped bubbles before closing the molds. Notice the small accessory mold on the left in the first pic has already been closed and the overflow from it.
Once I close the molds, I apply even pressure across the mold to close them completely and push out the excess resin.
Putting too much pressure and over compressing the mold will result in pushing too much resin out and sucking air back in. Then I put them on pieces of plexiglas so I can stack them in the pressure pot.
Molds stacked in the pressure pot. I can fit 6 body molds and maybe a small accessory mold in the pot. I then close the pot, put 40 - 45psi on it, set my timer for 60min and wait. I put wax paper in the bottom of the pot to keep excess resin from building up in the bottom.
|
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 20, 2020 12:36:15 GMT -7
Here are a couple of the molds right out of the pressure pot. Notice the excess resin on the sides. I will clean all of that off using tweezers before opening the mold.
Mold on the left has the excess removed.
Open accessory and body molds. I will then peel away the excess here as well and then pop the castings out of the mold. Castings seem to pop out better when the excess is trimmed away first.
New casting ready for a custom build! This particular body has a few imperfections on the rear spoiler and a trapped bubble on the edge of the windshield. A quick touch up with the emery board will take care of the spoiler and I will scuff around the bubble area and use some excess uncured resin on a toothpick during the next pour to fill in the hole left by the bubble. Another quick sand and it will be repaired. That is pretty much it......Casting 101.
|
|
|
|
Post by GTS on Feb 20, 2020 14:14:00 GMT -7
Awesome! Way too cool! Thanks Jeff for doing this "Casting 101". |
|
|
|
Post by cozee on Feb 20, 2020 14:43:37 GMT -7
Really enjoyinh this thread and the information it provides! Great work!
|
|
|
|
Post by AJR on Feb 22, 2020 9:11:37 GMT -7
I've been doing some work on the Mini Cooper Altered and here is what I've got so far. It's not having the "super cool" factor I was going for, but I still have some work to do. Mating it to a 3 gear chassis low and mean is always a challenge and I haven't done that yet. Not a lot of contrast in the pictures, but the vision is starting to come together.
|
|
|
|
Post by mazda on Feb 22, 2020 12:10:32 GMT -7
That is starting to look crazy. Strange thing about this, in the 1960s I used the be a motor racing marshal in England for circuit racing. There was a guy who put a 3.5 litre V8 in a real Mini.  I remember that it went like a rocket on the straight but when it got to a corner, well let’s just say that there was plenty of grass for him to use.  |
|
|
|
Post by dave632 on Feb 22, 2020 12:36:39 GMT -7
I remember a couple of guys who put Chevy V-8s in VW Beetles. They were fast but were tough to keep in a straight line. I almost bought one of the old tiny Nash Metropolitans wanting to put a small block Chevy V-8 in it a long time ago. I am glad it was sold already.
|
|
|
|
Post by GTS on Feb 22, 2020 13:53:21 GMT -7
Some guys I hung with back in high school put a small block Chevy in a VW. Never could get it legal to race at the drag strip but they street raced it a lot until the law caught on, made 'em take it off the street . He put the engine in another project and I bought the chassis with the running gear from him for a T bucket project, fun stuff. |
|
and that's exactly what I do. I can get 10 emery boards (which I use a lot) for $1 at SB...those would cost me $5 - $6 at Hobby Town or Hobby Lobby for example. That might sound weird, but I get tired of paying the inflated prices at Hobby Town and Hobby Lobby.
I remember that it went like a rocket on the straight but when it got to a corner, well let’s just say that there was plenty of grass for him to use. 