Filling a cube?

zombotomy

zombotomy

New Member
Hello all. I am making a replica of the all spark from transformers. It's a wooden 3.5 inch cube. I want to fill it to give it some weight but I can't figure out what to use. It needs to be cheap. I initially thought to drill a small hole and use fiberglass resin but I am worried as it cures it will melt the wood glue. I can't open the cube. Only make a very small hole.
 
zombotomy said:
Hello all. I am making a replica of the all spark from transformers. It's a wooden 3.5 inch cube. I want to fill it to give it some weight but I can't figure out what to use. It needs to be cheap. I initially thought to drill a small hole and use fiberglass resin but I am worried as it cures it will melt the wood glue. I can't open the cube. Only make a very small hole.
Click to expand...
Drill a hole in the cube, take an old coffee can and put fishing sinkers (made of lead) in the can and heat them on the stove burner until they are liquid. Pour that into the hole and let it cool. It is very cheap and heavy. Then put putty over hole, and sand smooth once dry.
 
Moviefreak said:
Drill a hole in the cube, take an old coffee can and put fishing sinkers (made of lead) in the can and heat them on the stove burner until they are liquid. Pour that into the hole and let it cool. It is very cheap and heavy. Then put putty over hole, and sand smooth once dry.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't that burn and set the wood on fire?
It's thin and hollow cube I bought at michaels
 
zombotomy said:
Wouldn't that burn and set the wood on fire?
It's thin and hollow cube I bought at michaels
Click to expand...
It shouldn’t. I used to do this when I was a boyscout and I made my pinewood derby cars. I would add weight in the front to help it roll downhill faster. :lol
There was a max weight limit to the car and I would add just enough to reach that limit. Pinewood cars were very lightweight wood and it didn’t burn.
 
I'm not certain of the construction of your cube, but you did mention glue, so I'm thinking it's a cube that has all been pre glued at the factory. Riceball 's idea would work as long as you use actual plaster of Paris, not the drywall mud. Plaster sets up quickly so moisture shouldn't be a problem, but it wouldn't hurt to tape up the sides to ensure there is no leakage. Fiberglass resin stinks to high hell, but you could also use regular two part casting resin as well. It's less viscous than plaster and you can get away with a smaller hole, but ensure you take precautions when you pour. Too much and you'll have a sticky mess that will be difficult to clean up. With plaster it will wipe off a bit easier.

TazMan2000
 
Last edited by a moderator:
What type of wood? At only 3.5", it is less than half size, so why does it need to be heavy anyway?
My 1:1 "condensed cube" is 9" and made from 16mm MDF. I'm glad it is not any heavier.
 
Riceball said:
A cheap and easy solution would be simply pour some plaster inside of it
Click to expand...
I don't think that is a good idea. Plaster needs to dry to cure. The moisture would seep into the wood, especially if your pouring hole is small so it can't air-dry very much. At least I know that when I have poured plaster into trays of cardboard the cardboard got soaked.

I think dry sand is the best idea so far.

BTW. I have also used plaster with steel bolts in it to add weight to a lightsaber prop made from aluminium tube. After it had dried, I glued on an endcap with contact adhesive. However after a few months, the endcap had come off because the adhesive had started to fizz and bubble, probably in reaction with the plaster.
 
Darth Lars said:
I don't think that is a good idea. Plaster needs to dry to cure. The moisture would seep into the wood, especially if your pouring hole is small so it can't air-dry very much. At least I know that when I have poured plaster into trays of cardboard the cardboard got soaked.

I think dry sand is the best idea so far.

BTW. I have also used plaster with steel bolts in it to add weight to a lightsaber prop made from aluminium tube. After it had dried, I glued on an endcap with contact adhesive. However after a few months, the endcap had come off because the adhesive had started to fizz and bubble, probably in reaction with the plaster.
Click to expand...

How would I keep the sand in? The hole would still be there.

- - - Updated - - -

cavx said:
What type of wood? At only 3.5", it is less than half size, so why does it need to be heavy anyway?

My 1:1 "condensed cube" is 9" and made from 16mm MDF. I'm glad it is not any heavier.
Click to expand...

It's very thin wood and very light weight. I just want more weight for effect.
 
To seal, fill the cube completly with sand, add a small amount of medium superglue to the drill hole and spray with activator. Result should be a cap of solid sand.
Try it on a test pile if you're not sure.
 
The one problem with using sand, is that if the outer casing ever cracks, you will leak sand forever. Best to use a casting resin.

TazMan2000
 
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