MonCal 3po progress 6/21: update page 7

Nice work you have there. How did you chrome it.. It looks like spray on.

The gold? That does not look like spray on. That looks plated to me. I would LOVE to know more about how to get a vaccuform like this.

Very nice. I'd be interested in getting a plated one.

That one is gold plated... vacuum-metalized

The lighting is poor too though.

That looks very impressive, especially the fact its a vac pull.

Ive spent a huge amount of time in the past trying to get some fiberglass 3po heads vacuum metalised for forum members and its a really tough task to get a quality finish. I documented a section on my site about it

ABS would be a much better material so I'm very keen to hear more.

The head looks really sharp and you seem to have managed to get that undercut where the rear section of the head becomes the front (if you know what I mean)

Cheers

Jez

How do you get such a deep draw pull on those halves without thinning the plastic?
They look great.

What about normal metal plating instead of "fanta/-vacu plating" or is that considered to be too expensive?

Great job Moncal!

The head was vacuum-metalized and made from ABS. These vac formed heads should allow a much better metalizing. Plus we should have gold and silver versions!

Of course this head is directly off an ANH 3p0 suit. Here is the whole suit which is fully vacuum metalized and wearable (built just like the original):

Thanks for the compliments!! It has turned out pretty good so far. It wasn't exactly easy to get it to this point I guarantee that!

As for the draw, I don't really have trouble with that. My machine works great... sometimes too great. I have to choke it down occasionally because it can draw too fast. It does thin the plastic but only by a small amount. The piece is very rigid... tougher than a lot of trooper pieces I've seen

Jez, thanks also! I know you have spent a lot of time working on the 3po and I have read your info and am grateful for what you have documented. The horseshoe / ring piece that the front half "fastens" into is actually resin and it is glued to the inside of the back half and has a lip that covers the edge of the plastic. I have to do some minor filling and sanding to get it perfectly flush.

I'm still researching all the different plating / metalizing options but the vacuum-metalizing seems to work great.

I hope that answers all the questions. Thanks again!

Great work MonCal , I wouldn't mind having one myself plated or not

wow thats awesome

im on the market for a head just like that... do you have a "zorg" head for comparisons ?

Great job.


One question though....how did you avoid proportionate problems with the vac pull vs. a fiberglass lay in from an original mold?

Ive seen lots of attempts but nothing as detail accurate as a fiberglass repro layed in a mold off an original.

D

Great job MonCal.

I love to have one myself plated or not.

When you say Vac Met...
I get a bit confused. How does the ABS stand the heat.
You must reffer to Plastic Chrome were it is put in a chamber and then Vacumemed in Plastic Chrome machinery.

Very impressive, MonCal. You keep amazing me with what you come up with! Keep up the great work.

Steveo

Hey guys,
Thanks all for the compliments!!!!

Steveo, good to see you here

I won't claim to know all the technical aspects but vac-metalizing doesn't get as hot as ABS needs to melt. Now if a piece is too thin, it can distort or even explode for lack of a better term . This just means that pieces need to be prepared that can handle it. The plated head in the pics is true testiment that it does work though And it is very strong. I can flex the plastic and it doesn't crack or chip off like I initially thought. At first I would baby the piece, absolutely terrified that it would chip or flake but after handling it more and more, I have every bit of confidence in it's rigidity!

Yeah I second what Cal said. The entire suit is ABS and can stand the heat if set up properly. My original head is really thin ABS and it took the metalization with no problems! Really fragile pieces will basically self destruct, so you have to maintain some ridigity in the pieces you expect to metalize.

The nice thing is that there isnt much prep work needed. My 3p0 was originally painted and I had it metalized right over the paint. It worked awesome!

Hopefully we will have gold and chrome heads to show off soon!

Mon cal/Hyperdyne

Well done guys, REALLY impressed. I totally agree - ABS is definitely the way to go for vacuum metalising since you totally avoid any of the nasty silicone decontamination issues you seem to get with resin/FG.

I'd certainly like more info when you've got it.

Hyperdyne - I hate it when you show your 3po off. Its just too damned freaking perfect.

Cheers

jez

Great work! I have always had a desire to have both an artoo and 3po. I will definitley keep watching this

I am not an expert in vacuum-metalizing, but I did my homework and will play one

So to back up Hyperdyne/Moncal - here a few facts that might help. FG might produce a different result due to the silicone mold and silicone release-agent used.

1. Usually styrene less expensive than abs (but, where I come from, ABS is cheaper than styrene); however styrene tends to embrittle when exposed to the solvents in the paints whereas abs does not - prefer abs.

2. Vacuum-formed parts are cured in a convection oven at about 150 degrees F. The abs will tolerate at least 25 degrees higher temperature than the styrene without distorting so it is preferable for this reason as well.

3. Wall thickness is critical so that some stress can be put on the parts without it distorting. The heavier the sheet the better. If you can easily distort the formed sheet in your hands then the sheet is likely too thin.

4. A very thin film is apply to the sheets and it will highlight surface flaws rather than hide them. Most sheets produced have pin holes, extrusion lines, etc. If you want a reflective finish on a non-textured surface, the original sheets and the surfaces of the formed parts should be glass-smooth and without imperfections.

5. To get a reflective finish on a textured surface, the texturing should be coarse/bold so that the textured surfaced is not filled in by the paints. If the texture is too fine the surface finish will be patchy - more smooth and reflective in areas where the painted film is heavier and vice versa where it is thinner.

6. Coating (gold or chrome) is opaque in color so the color of the sheet will not show through. However, be careful that some heavy, dark pigments material can migrate or bloom from the sheet material over time resulting in embrittlement of the coating and/or adhesion loss.


7. As far as the resin goes, anything rigid (i.e. not "rubbery") that will not deform at 150 degrees F can be processed.

Wow! Thanks Mandingo That info sounds about right from what I understand. I'm still learning the technical aspects of it ..... that's why I'm hiring someone to do it hehe

Well done Cal, that's a wicked 3PO
Looking forward to following your progress mate

Pontus

Originally posted by Lupus Yonderboy@Oct 3 2005, 10:48 PM
Well done Cal, that's a wicked 3PO
Looking forward to following your progress mate

Pontus

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Hey Pontus I haven't spoke to you in quite a while. How's that jawa blaster holdin' up? Been shootin any droids lately
Thanks very much for the compliment!!
I will be getting a batch of these plated probably in a couple weeks. I will then be able to effectively show how they turn out both in chrome and gold. Then I'll start working on the rest of the suit

Man.... if I could just learn how to either manipulate time, convince my boss I need to do this at work, win the lottery ... or something so I can get more done . hmmmm


Geez, I was just looking at the difference in lighting between my pics and Hyperdyne's. IT is hard to believe the plating is the same. Sorry about that. I took the pics at night in a poorly lighted room.

Cal,

Originally posted by MonCal@Oct 6 2005, 06:20 AM
... How's that jawa blaster holdin' up?Â* Been shootin any droids lately

Still the little chap's pride and joy, thank you.
Been a bit reluctant to get into the droid business myself as they don't seem to last very long around him.
Things can really go pear-shaped for british-accented protocol droids... First a good demobilizing shot with your blaster, then he gets frantically busy with restraining bolts, micro welder, droid caller and all that jazz. Quite a sight

I will be getting a batch of these plated probably in a couple weeks.Â* I will then be able to effectively show how they turn out both in chrome and gold.Â* Then I'll start working on the rest of the suit

keep up the good work mate. I'm really interested in seeing how this turns out

Man.... if I could just learn how to either manipulate time, convince my boss I need to do this at work, win the lottery ... or something so I can get more done.

Good luck with that and pls LMK if you figure ot a way to do it I've been applying for 48 hr days for quite a while now but it doesn't seem to work...

Cheers,
Pontus