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lotsabellyfat
Guest
Hi guys, how do you mount a resin plasma caster? Thanks those who reply and read.
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pirkleations
Guest
Hey LBF!
If you aren't going for anything fancy, PVC pipe mounted to the cannon and shoulder armor will work just fine for now.
The Plastic pipe is strong enough to hold the weight of the cannon. Make sure that the mount base is secured and tight. Otherwise, the cannon may flop around or slip down your shoulder in the middle of a hunt.
Below is budget design for a cannon mount....
There may be some better ideas than this out there. Take your time to figure out exactly what you need to get your arsenal up and ready.
DangerDavey
If you aren't going for anything fancy, PVC pipe mounted to the cannon and shoulder armor will work just fine for now.
The Plastic pipe is strong enough to hold the weight of the cannon. Make sure that the mount base is secured and tight. Otherwise, the cannon may flop around or slip down your shoulder in the middle of a hunt.
Below is budget design for a cannon mount....
There may be some better ideas than this out there. Take your time to figure out exactly what you need to get your arsenal up and ready.
DangerDavey
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lotsabellyfat
Guest
Thanks for replying man, im going to send you pics of the cannon i sculpted but itll be a while cause i gotta wait for all the film to be used... im using those disposable cameras you can get cheap at walmart and the drug store. Its my first sculpt. I got a tutorial on how to make the mold and all but it dont say if the catalyst comes with the silicone or not... i guess ill find out when i buy it but i think you know the tutorial... it calls for 2 gallons of VI-SIL V1065 silicone by Rhodia and petroleum jelly and some other stuff. But i dont know if he means the petroleum jelly is in the vaseline and it left out a step about using the petroleum jelly to form a barrier but it dont go in detail of what to do unless i just missed it but ive looked over the tutorial 3 or four times. Does the catalyst come with the silicone? um.. just one more question... is there a cheaper way of doing it?
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pirkleations
Guest
LBF,
Since you are just starting into this kind of stuff, I'd suggest a liquid latex for making your first molds. It's tons less expensive than silicone and can be brushed onto your master sculpt and practically peeled off when its done.
If you've already got the silicone on order, it is pretty likely that a catalyst is sold with it.
Vasaline and petroleum jelly are one in the same.
I'm not the best person to ask about mold-making questions, since I'm pretty much still learning, myself.
If it is Carlart's tutorial you are talking about, I have not seen it yet. I'd bet that he can clear up any questions you might have about his mold-making process better than me.
Hope this helps a little!
DangerDavey
Since you are just starting into this kind of stuff, I'd suggest a liquid latex for making your first molds. It's tons less expensive than silicone and can be brushed onto your master sculpt and practically peeled off when its done.
If you've already got the silicone on order, it is pretty likely that a catalyst is sold with it.
Vasaline and petroleum jelly are one in the same.
I'm not the best person to ask about mold-making questions, since I'm pretty much still learning, myself.
If it is Carlart's tutorial you are talking about, I have not seen it yet. I'd bet that he can clear up any questions you might have about his mold-making process better than me.
Hope this helps a little!
DangerDavey
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carlart
Guest
Yes, it is my tutorial. Silicone is pretty much the mold material of choice for production quality resin castings, especially if you plan to make more than one. Silicone has next to nothing in shrinkage, while latex, being water based, shrinks when it cures. This will cause your castings to be smaller than your protoype. I don't know exactly how Pirk utilizes this method, maybe he's got a way of stopping shrinkage?
If you want to make multiples, I wouldn't really go with anything else. You really need to have a flexible yet rigid 2 piece mold with molded in keyways for it to cast up properly. Gene told me how you can make a cheap mold out of real silicone tubes and a caulking gun from a hardware store. Basically you brush on a thin layer at a time, and mist it with water from a spray bottle, which will speed up curing, and let it sit over night. The process is repeated, building layer upon layer until you've got at least a 1/4" wall. In my experience, this only works when you're casting small pieces, because it makes a 1 part mold. There's no real way to put in keyways effectively.
You can try to cheap it out, but you'll more than likely have undesired results. You're going to find that this is an expensive hobby, especially when you go about making this stuff. A gallon kit of silicone (which includes the catalyst) runs anywhere from $85 to $100. Success starts with research, and using the right materials from the get-go. Shortcuts are few, and problems can be many, I've found.
carlart
If you want to make multiples, I wouldn't really go with anything else. You really need to have a flexible yet rigid 2 piece mold with molded in keyways for it to cast up properly. Gene told me how you can make a cheap mold out of real silicone tubes and a caulking gun from a hardware store. Basically you brush on a thin layer at a time, and mist it with water from a spray bottle, which will speed up curing, and let it sit over night. The process is repeated, building layer upon layer until you've got at least a 1/4" wall. In my experience, this only works when you're casting small pieces, because it makes a 1 part mold. There's no real way to put in keyways effectively.
You can try to cheap it out, but you'll more than likely have undesired results. You're going to find that this is an expensive hobby, especially when you go about making this stuff. A gallon kit of silicone (which includes the catalyst) runs anywhere from $85 to $100. Success starts with research, and using the right materials from the get-go. Shortcuts are few, and problems can be many, I've found.
carlart
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NibsFlibble
Guest
LBF, like carlart says, silicone is the way to go if you are planning on making more than one. The silicone takes the heat of the resin curing pretty well. Silicone is expensive, and you don't want to mess up on your first try.
If you do want to go the cheap mold route, latex can be done with almost no shrinkage.
(1) brush the latex on the mold in a thin layer (top half). Make sure it dries thoroughly. This eliminates air bubbles that might form. There is also a catalyst for latex that will thicken it up and dry faster so it doesn't drip all over the place.
(2) Brush on another layer and let dry thoroughly. You can repeat this step one or two more times.
(3) Use small burlap strips dipped in latex and layer on the mold. This will help stiffen the mold and keep it from warping.
(4) brush on another layer of latex. Let dry
(5) use burlap again dipped in latex. Let dry
(6) you can use steps 4 & five as many times as you want. The more layers of burlap, the stiffer the mold and prevention of warping.
(7) when you're through with the layers, vaseline the edges of the top half before you start the process all over with the bottom half of the mold. Keep using vaseline on the edges until the bottom half is as thick as the top portion.
It's a long process, but works very well.
Hope this helps!!!!!!
If you do want to go the cheap mold route, latex can be done with almost no shrinkage.
(1) brush the latex on the mold in a thin layer (top half). Make sure it dries thoroughly. This eliminates air bubbles that might form. There is also a catalyst for latex that will thicken it up and dry faster so it doesn't drip all over the place.
(2) Brush on another layer and let dry thoroughly. You can repeat this step one or two more times.
(3) Use small burlap strips dipped in latex and layer on the mold. This will help stiffen the mold and keep it from warping.
(4) brush on another layer of latex. Let dry
(5) use burlap again dipped in latex. Let dry
(6) you can use steps 4 & five as many times as you want. The more layers of burlap, the stiffer the mold and prevention of warping.
(7) when you're through with the layers, vaseline the edges of the top half before you start the process all over with the bottom half of the mold. Keep using vaseline on the edges until the bottom half is as thick as the top portion.
It's a long process, but works very well.
Hope this helps!!!!!!
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pirkleations
Guest
Carl,
No mere mortal man can stop shrinkage, no matter what Nibsflibble says!!!
DangerDavey
No mere mortal man can stop shrinkage, no matter what Nibsflibble says!!!
DangerDavey
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lotsabellyfat
Guest
Thanks guys. Im gonna try my luck with latex, a pair of gloves, a putty knife, some ultra cal, some oil based clay and Tool... since thats what i have available and its cheaper for the time being... then ill try the silicone. Thanks again.
MachikoPR
New Member
Hey LBF!
If you aren't going for anything fancy, PVC pipe mounted to the cannon and shoulder armor will work just fine for now.
The Plastic pipe is strong enough to hold the weight of the cannon. Make sure that the mount base is secured and tight. Otherwise, the cannon may flop around or slip down your shoulder in the middle of a hunt.
Below is budget design for a cannon mount....
There may be some better ideas than this out there. Take your time to figure out exactly what you need to get your arsenal up and ready.
DangerDavey
Thanks for this, it's really helpful!
