Help on molding

[loveyuri]

Hi there,

I'm wondering what people use to mold their creations. Like what material(creating the plastic) and the mold itself. (I Heard you can buy the mold(green foam) for really cheap and use that as a mold since it doesn't melt or something.

Sorry for being a beginner on this. But I just want some insight since I might get into molding my own creation as a hobby/for fun.

 

[defstartrooper]

........

 

[NormanF]

I am a little confused about what you are asking. I do not know if you mean:
1) "I made this thing and I want to make a mold of it so I can cast copies of it" or
2) "I want to make something I saw on a movie" or
3) "I want to make something I saw on a movie and make a mold of it so I can cast copies".
4) Something else.
Can you give us an example of what you want to do?

 

[clonesix]

I think that you may have a few terms confused. The smooth-on videos will help a lot, and you tube has plenty more.

 

[loveyuri]

I am a little confused about what you are asking. I do not know if you mean:
1) "I made this thing and I want to make a mold of it so I can cast copies of it" or
2) "I want to make something I saw on a movie" or
3) "I want to make something I saw on a movie and make a mold of it so I can cast copies".
4) Something else.
Can you give us an example of what you want to do?

Sorry about the question.
I wasn't to clear about what I wanted to ask but here.

I'm wondering how people make their own kits. Like resin kits of anime/movie/game weapons(mostly gun). Do people make a molding from wood first then put it into the sillicone to make a mold? And what do people use to make the hard plastic(like the model planes and cars) we can find at the regular hobby stores?

Sorry>< but i'm pretty newbie at these stuff haha. Been watching youtube videos and some of them seem really soft and flexable. (awk)

 

[Weaselhammer]

Things like replica guns can be made with wood (mdf) and some other materials, and those parts can be used to make molds-from which you can cast resin copies. This is exactly what I'm doing with my Trigun build. Defstartrooper posted a great link to a website that has tons of info on that. Smooth-on is the company I am getting my moldmaking supplies from. The hobby stores in my area have very little of NOTHING for making decent re-usable molds, same goes for my local craft stores (Michaels/A.C.Moore) .

 

[robn1]

Yes, a master is made from a variety of materials, including wood. Then a silicone mold is made, and the parts are cast with resin. Of course fiberglass and vacuforming are other options, but they all start with a master pattern.

These two threads from Steve Neill document the process with videos:
http://www.therpf.com/f11/kit-uss-daedalus-ncc-129-a-114026/

http://www.therpf.com/f11/studio-half-scale-tos-enterprise-scratch-build-98400/

Steve's Enterprise build is a huge model and a long thread, but he covers everything pretty much step by step. And the videos are awesome. The Smooth-On vids mentioned above are also good.

My phaser thread also details the making of a kit, although it's still a work in progress. I'll be making fiberglass and resin parts.

 

[loveyuri]

Thanks for all the help ^^