Silicone mold kit help..

[Lear60man]

I havent made a mold in decades. I need to make a silicone? mold of a handgun for a holster maker. I need a custom holster for a handgun and the maker needs a resin copy of the gun to work off of. So Im gonna make a resin cast of my gun.

Soooooo, what is a good off the shelf kit that is popular these days? Links would be appreciated.

 

[Odin82]

The smooth-on videos will have some tips and tricks.

 

[BrundelFly]

um....you molding a real gun?

 

[robstyle]

for basic handgun moulds, its about 1000 grams of silicone per side. That could be down to 800 or up and over 1200 depending on the handgun and your own mould making techniques. I do box moulds.

Then youll need at least a trial kit, or two pounds, of casting material. That sounds like a lot but in weight it adds up quickly. I just did some space pistols for a show and those were a little over 600 grams each. Again in material it depends on the item in question.

I use MKP materials. Others use Smooth On. I just tried a sample kit of Smooth On Smooth Cast 300 and it seemed to be Pour a Kast. Same smell, same viscosity, same color, same work time... Pour a Kast isnt bad stuff at all. The castings came out nice but shrinkage is somewhat shocking when demoulding. The shrinkage for both Smooth Cast 300 and Pour a Kast is visible in the mould on a cured part.

WIth MPK high impact plastic, that shrinkage isnt there. I use the stuff all the time on parts as little in size less than ten grams and up and over in pounds. You would want a slower setting casting material however so you can do a simple dump pour. MPK has a slower setting plastic. You can call him direct, info is on the website.
As for a kit, you would likely need two of these:

Resins – Hobby Silicone

hobbysilicone.com

 

[Lear60man]

for basic handgun moulds, its about 1000 grams of silicone per side. That could be down to 800 or up and over 1200 depending on the handgun and your own mould making techniques. I do box moulds.

Then youll need at least a trial kit, or two pounds, of casting material. That sounds like a lot but in weight it adds up quickly. I just did some space pistols for a show and those were a little over 600 grams each. Again in material it depends on the item in question.

I use MKP materials. Others use Smooth On. I just tried a sample kit of Smooth On Smooth Cast 300 and it seemed to be Pour a Kast. Same smell, same viscosity, same color, same work time... Pour a Kast isnt bad stuff at all. The castings came out nice but shrinkage is somewhat shocking when demoulding. The shrinkage for both Smooth Cast 300 and Pour a Kast is visible in the mould on a cured part.

WIth MPK high impact plastic, that shrinkage isnt there. I use the stuff all the time on parts as little in size less than ten grams and up and over in pounds. You would want a slower setting casting material however so you can do a simple dump pour. MPK has a slower setting plastic. You can call him direct, info is on the website.
As for a kit, you would likely need two of these:

Resins – Hobby Silicone

hobbysilicone.com

Brundle, Yup. The holster maker just needs someting to form the leather over as every handgun is different. He has hundreds of molds for different handguns but no Tanfolgio Witness Elite Limited. Thats when I suggested making a cast of the gun off of mine and sending it to him.

Rob, Thats exactly what i was looking for....easy peasy. Yea Ill do a box mold, clay up one side, pour silicone mixture then flip over and do the other side. Ill figure out a way to imbed an aluminum rod inside the trigger guard when I pour the resin for strength.

Thanks gents...the RPF comes through!

 

[robstyle]

generic thing to do is thicken up the trigger guard with some sheet wax. It will offer the strength for that area and allow you to use welding rod for an armature if need be. Keep in mind most casting resins and plastics dont like each other once set. So, you would have to be quick in pouring, setting the armature, then closing the mould. Or suspend the armature with some heavy dusty fishing line from various angle so it doesnt move.

 

[Lear60man]

Yea, I was thinking some sort of suspension method as well. Thanks man!