I have completed the first stage of the new wings for the clear soles. I am starting with the large first, then medium and lastly will do small.
As my giant vacuum chamber is not finished yet, I decided to cut the mold in half so it could be placed on a shelf inside the existing chamber. I had thick (1/2" glass louver on hand, and with the chamber laid on its side, the shelf sits just below the half way point. It is wide enough to slide (the now) half the mold in at a time.
I am using epoxy to make these new master parts, and to ensure I don't any bubbles, I painted the inside of the molds with epoxy first, then degassed the mold. Then mixed the required about, degassed that and then poured it making sure I over filled the molds. I'd rather have a slightly thicker part and have to trim flashing off than miss details or have a jagged top edge.
These will be ready for demolding just after 3PM my time. The reason I am using epoxy is because it remains semi flexible for about 6 - 24 hours (ambient temp pending) and this will allow me to set them up in a jig with the ends curved so that when they set rigid, they will be the correct shape to go onto the shoes.
From there, I will make two new molds that allow me to pour these inverted vertically to ensure I get perfectly formed wings each time. To keep the waffle pattern on the base, I will probably have to make one side of the mold (the outer side) higher and with a lip that keeps all the details intact. Not easy and there could be many fails before I get this sorted.
The molds for the bubbles are being a right PITA. One forms perfectly and the other traps a small bubble. Yet both have their pour and vents spouts in the same place relative to each part (left and right). Go figure.
At least the ankle buckles seem to be coming out OK. There is a bit to trim, but (like the soles) I'd rather have excess flashing across the top of the part than a hollow.