A Stylized MAG - A Scratch Build - Almost Complete

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

It is still raining here so given I could not do anymore Clear Sole work, decided to make more progress on the Ankle Buckle.

So after a bit more shaping and a light sand...







I am impressed with how this has turned out and think I will do the same for the Heel Cup.

I have a bit of tiding up of the slots for the Ankle Strap and I think this is ready for mass production :love

Originally I was thinking about casting these and offering them to anyone that wanted them, but I now looking into vac forming them instead. The part will be lighter and I think strong enough as well as offering a large hollow to store a power supply.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

So the original idea was to mold this part and cast clones of. Apart from cost, there is also a weight issue with some cast parts, so for the last few days [actually weeks] I've researching as much as I can about vacuum forming and found heaps of DIY videos on You Tube.

Something that bothered me though was watching one video last night where the guy makes two smallish parts but wastes a massive sheet doing so. There was just so much waste and I thought to myself, surely you would have a small platform for a small part.

So today, I got myself a small piece of High Impact Poly-Styrene and using bits and pieces I had in my work shop [if you can call it that?], I made myself a 'small' rig at $0.00 outlay :thumbsup

To heat the HIP, I used a bench top cooker known as a "Turbo-Cooker" which heats the plastic really fast. In all the videos I watched, the heating units had to be brought upto temperature could take anywhere upto 20min. My unit has a stainless steel bowl, not glass, so better heat reflection. This unit also uses halogen lamps to super heat the air, not the traditional coiled stove element. This unit heats fast with no preheating required. The HIC was formable at from just 2:30 and melted at 4:10. I was running the unit at 250 degrees C for my tests today.

So how did I go? Well considering I've never done this before :unsure



As you can see, at the top is a FAIL of the day and this was the part that ran at 4:10 and stuck to the tray. I thought I would still see what I could do with it, but not a chance, it was stringy on the inside by this time.

I found the best times were between 3:45 and 4:00. Amazing what just and extra 10 seconds can do though :rolleyes

The issue with the parts on the bottom is that they didn't get enough pull. I am going to run with the idea that I didn't get a good enough seal here. The vacuum cleaner I used was a VAX [wet/dry unit], I just think the fault is in my design where the material didn't pull down enough and I didn't get the seal I needed. A dry run with the HIP out of the frame placed the vac into overoload as all the DIY videos show you need to do. Yet with the buck in place, I was not getting that, so there must be an air leak somewhere.

Anyway, I'll cut these out and see how they look. By this time next week, I will have my large MDF vac table rig ready to go. I am basically using the design that James of xrobots.co.uk video has built. I will probably also make the same heating unit as well as he seems to be getting excellent results. I also have a dyson in the house :love

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

I have now cut out the parts and fitted them onto the shoes. Not sure if I like it. I think a smaller radius might be in order. As mentioned in the previous post, I didn't get the pull I wanted, so the level is detail is not there.





I fitted it to the shoe [the size 8s]. Because the part is hollow, I was able to fit this part over the top of the original.





It is probably a touch too big for these shoes. Maybe I need to fit it to the 10's and see how it looks as the mold was actually made from the ankle buckle of the 10s.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

the vacuum formed part looks great.

i think the only thing the needs correcting may be the curve in the middle.

ive been trying to sculpt mine in clay and its proving immensely difficult.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

airair said:

the vacuum formed part looks great.

i think the only thing the needs correcting may be the curve in the middle.

ive been trying to sculpt mine in clay and its proving immensely difficult.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the positive feedback

The pull didn't hug the buck tight enough, so what I got was a very flat version of itself.

I've never really sculpted anything before, well not to this complexity anyway. Everything I have made in the past had flat edges, where this does not any flat sides.

What I am glad is that I chose hard materials to work with. I did play with some clay when I first started this and found it to be frustrating to say the least.

I think I will re-do this out of MDF. Cheap and easy to build up if I make a mistake. The PVC was chosen because it offered a curved inner surface as a base, but it took time to laminate up to the right thickness. Because I am now going with vac pulls, all I need to worry about is the outer surface.

I'll fit the MK1 vac pulled parts on the size 10's tomorrow and see how they look. It had been suggested that both this part and the heel cup were a 1 size fits all. Based on my images above, I'd say this is not the case and each size shoe has its own size parts.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project



Here is a quick look at these parts on the size 10s. They look better. So I guess that means I have to make this in multiple sizes.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

UPDATE:

I could not resist to check the clear soles. A part that leaked at the back appears to have set, so I gentally peeled back the mat to reveal...
.

I will remove the mat until Sunday to give the Shoe Goo time to cure properly (up to 72 hours).

I also made my full sized Vac Form Table today. I need to source a decent vacuum attachment as I think drilling a hole and just shoving the vacuum hose in is a bit ordinary.

I also glued some scrap MDF bits together by next week, I should have a new set of bucks for the both the Ankle Buckle and the Heel Cup.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

Sounds very good!
I must say that it's a great idea to apply the goo directly to the shoe.
Pictures as soon as possible, please!

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

I can't wait to see how it turns out! Its really cool to see someone taking advice to heart and trying out shoe goo!

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

punisher said:

I can't wait to see how it turns out! Its really cool to see someone taking advice to heart and trying out shoe goo!

Click to expand...

A massive thank you for suggesting it. I had not even thought about it when seeking out materials that could be used.

Not long now guys. Tomorrow the wraps come off :lol

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

Some interesting results. To read about them, go to the last post of the Clear Sole link in my signature.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

After doing another stage on the clear soles, I began version 4 of the Ankle Buckle.



The idea of Vacuum Forming is great and regardless of there being a seal issue in the last go, the shape in still wrong because the part is too wide.



So I will do this again, this time with a smaller radius and I think I will extend the sides around a bit more. I had a heap of 80mm discs left over from a laser cutting job and I have used a special solvent to fuse them together to make a cylinder. Tomorrow, I will start shaping them.

I have also glues a heap of rectangles together which will be the Heel Cup.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

I decided to get stuck into this new part today rather than put it off until tomorrow.

What started out as a cylinder of plastic [other half is in the back ground] is now starting to take shape.



There is quite a bit more to do on this. The differences between this version and the last is that the radius is smaller and the sides will extend around the ankle further. I have also left the top flat rather than having the curved top edge and this has forced the gap where the Ankle Strap will attach a bit higher up than the previous version.

Because I am making this part for Vac Forming, I am leaving the "stand" on it so the plastic does not wrap around the buck and then has to be cut out. I have also made this part solid rather than the previous hollow version.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

I've got to get back on track! You're leaving me in the dust ! Haha, you're buck is coming along nicely, honestly I might have to buy some from you instead of making my own! Now that yuppie vacuforming the buckles, I can't imagine doing it any other way! I think the 4th revision is going to be the winner! Doesn't look like it will hard to remove at all.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

punisher said:

I think the 4th revision is going to be the winner!

Click to expand...

I spent a few hours rounding out the work yesterday and all the time struggling to think why it does not look 100%. Then I looked the image Cloneprops has of the part he makes and I suddenly realized where I had gone wrong.




Not to say I have made mine wrong as this is closest I have got this so far, but if you look at the side where the strap attaches, the buckle is cut away and recessed. Mine is flat here and I will go off soon and see if I can't hollow that out a bit. Because I am using a spinning tool, I won't be able to make that angular like the image shows, but I should at least get this recessed enough that when the strap passes through and around, that it does not stick out.

My Vac Form table is complete! Just need a few things for the heat box and it is all good.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

I decided to ditch Ankle Buckle Version 4 and rework version 3.





So after realizing what I needed to change, I glued the part to another piece of pipe and began filing and sanding. Still not perfect, but getting there.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

fantastic work.

you know the sculptey clay? what could i put directly under it (something like that curved pvc pipe bit) that is curved which won't cause any problems if i put it in the oven along with the sculptey.

i need something that is hard and curved which i can put the sculptey on top of and then put straight into the oven.

so far, ive had to remove the sculptey mold and then lay it onto a baking tray, but because the clay is so soft, it won't keep the exact shape i need it to be.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

here's my latest ankle buckle attempt with sculptey. Still too chunky at the curves I think.



It still doesn't look right in all angles. Its bigger in height and width to the kmag plastic buckle. I think i need to make a mock up of the full length mag upper piece and see how it looks.

Maybe its my eyes or something or the brown colour of the sculptey, but im going to get some white polymer clay and try again, might help me visualise it better.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

airair said:

fantastic work.

Click to expand...

Thank you

airair said:

you know the sculptey clay? what could i put directly under it (something like that curved pvc pipe bit) that is curved which won't cause any problems if i put it in the oven along with the sculptey.

Click to expand...

AVOID PVC in the oven! It not only goes soft real fast, but it gives off nasty fumes.

airair said:

i need something that is hard and curved which i can put the sculptey on top of and then put straight into the oven.

so far, ive had to remove the sculptey mold and then lay it onto a baking tray, but because the clay is so soft, it won't keep the exact shape i need it to be.

Click to expand...

What about some metal pipe? You might have to go to an exhaust centre and get a cut off.

Re: My NIKE MAG Improvement project

airair said:

here's my latest ankle buckle attempt with sculptey. Still too chunky at the curves I think.

Click to expand...

It is looking good though.

airair said:

It still doesn't look right in all angles. Its bigger in height and width to the kmag plastic buckle. I think i need to make a mock up of the full length mag upper piece and see how it looks.

Click to expand...

When I did mine, I used the K-MAG buckle as a template only, then added layers of PVC on top. Mine is actually shorter now I think. I know I did a fair bit of cutting back as I went along.

airair said:

Maybe its my eyes or something or the brown colour of the sculptey, but im going to get some white polymer clay and try again, might help me visualise it better.

Click to expand...

Apart from having the material here and it not costing me anything is one reason I used PVC pipe . It is white and looks close to the final part I am building. I find it easier to visualize when working in the same colour as the final piece. MDF would be another option, but being brown could distort my perception of the part. PVC pipe also allows a fitting for a better visual reference.