progress of clear/colored front corners for cutlass.

[94 olds vert]

Are the pics working?

 

Or is it just me?

[91LuminaEuro]

Not workin for me either.

[douellette]

Not workin for me either.

Are the pics working?

 

Or is it just me?

 

haha sorry guys, i posted the reply while i was waiting for the pics to upload. pics are up now.

[94 olds vert]

Cool! Those look great.

[jake91]

dude that is awesome

[douellette]

well, ran into a problem.

 

for some reason even after letting it sit all night, the resin didnt dry..its still liquid lol

[GnatGoSplat]

Damn, the molds look really good! Too bad the resin didn't harden. Did it come with any documentation that mentions how long it takes? Is it a 2-part resin that needs a hardener added? I'm gonna have to make some OEM clears for my 89 if that works out for you!

 

[douellette]

Damn, the molds look really good! Too bad the resin didn't harden. Did it come with any documentation that mentions how long it takes? Is it a 2-part resin that needs a hardener added? I'm gonna have to make some OEM clears for my 89 if that works out for you!

 

 

yeah its got 2 ingredients that you mix together, which i did in equal amounts. Says its supposed to dry in an hour or so.

also says if its thin to put it in an oven for like a couple of hours. but i had my little electric heater on it all night (from 9pm to 7am).

[douellette]

alright, im startin to lose my patience for this haha

 

heres some pics on the results, the clear thing in the pic is the stuff i let cure all night - right color, but still soft/flexible. the white one is another companys material. let it cure for about 20 mins - wrong color, and the right hardness.

 

[GnatGoSplat]

That's too bad, could the ratio of the mixture for the clear stuff not be 1:1? It's odd it wouldn't set up in the amount of time they specify.

 

The white one looks like it has a lot of imperfections. Were those air bubbles, or are those problems also in the original mold?

 

I had a feeling like 99% of the tutorials out there, they make it look WAY easier than it really is! I bet this kind of thing takes a lot of practice.

 

[douellette]

That's too bad, could the ratio of the mixture for the clear stuff not be 1:1? It's odd it wouldn't set up in the amount of time they specify.

 

The white one looks like it has a lot of imperfections. Were those air bubbles, or are those problems also in the original mold?

 

I had a feeling like 99% of the tutorials out there, they make it look WAY easier than it really is! I bet this kind of thing takes a lot of practice.

 

 

well those dimples or whatever you want to call it are from the leftover resin from the first try, i just wanted to quickly try this other stuff to see how it came out.

 

but if i try anything else, im going to have to buy more silicone mold making material because this one isnt working so well and i need to make a separate mold for the other side. i dont know, what do you guys think i should do?

[bodeen2007]

keep trying. it's a process of trial and error . it took me months of trying to figure out how to cast stuff when i was building models but i got to the point where i could do it in my sleep . U are more brave then me i won't even try to do automotive parts the closest i've ever came was doing a set of wheels for my evader r/c truck....

[douellette]

keep trying. it's a process of trial and error . it took me months of trying to figure out how to cast stuff when i was building models but i got to the point where i could do it in my sleep . U are more brave then me i won't even try to do automotive parts the closest i've ever came was doing a set of wheels for my evader r/c truck....

 

yeah but thing is, is that its super expensive.

 

http://alumilite.net/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Silicone%20Rubber&Name=High%20Strength%202%20(HSII) mold material

 

http://alumilite.net/ProdDetail.cfm?Category=Casting%20Resins&Name=Alumilite%20Clear resin

[douellette]

and here is the guide im using.

 

http://www.alumilite.com/HowTos/TailLightMoldingNoEquipment.cfm

[bg35765]

yeah but thing is, is that its super expensive.

 

I would suggest that you start with something small that you have around the house -- but that has enough texture to test that the resin will do what you want.

 

Maybe a 1" sea shell that has the ribbed texture on the outside, but is smooth on the inside. Or something along those lines.

 

Once you get the hang of that, then try something a little bigger -- maybe a sea shell 3" wide.

 

That way you work your way up to the corner light while minimizing wasted material.

 

[IRONDOG442]

Youre a regular god damned genius Gump!

[intern8tion9l]

those molds look great. hope you perfect it, i bet you'd get a bunch of buyers

[douellette]

i might have discovered something. i was reading the instructions on the clear resin mix (the one that didnt work) and it says to mix it in equal amounts..BUT it says to do it in weight not by sight. sooooo, i just ordered a cheap little scale so i can try to weight each amount out. The scale will be here in about a week or so.

[ss427]

If you can get your hands on a pressurized chamber I would recommend one. This will eliminate any bubbles and air pockets as the material cures. You can also make one from a plaster bucket.

[mra32]

dont you want a vacuum chamber for this, at least for mixing?? But that would be a good idea as well (but im fairly certain its vacuum, and vacuum is harder to come by than compressed air)

[ss427]

I think it can be done either way, but I am going from memory of a conversation I had a while back with a buddy who used to work in advertising and cast stuff every day.

[douellette]

dont you want a vacuum chamber for this, at least for mixing?? But that would be a good idea as well (but im fairly certain its vacuum, and vacuum is harder to come by than compressed air)

 

the stuff i bought is designed so that you dont have to buy a pressure/vacuum chamber or whatever.

[douellette]

sucess!! i have successfully made a clear corner lense! lol

 

granted its not perfect, but ive figured most of the process out.

 

heres some pics of the results:

 

[91LuminaEuro]

Wow! looks pretty darn good! Keep up the good work!1 You should have these perfected very soon!

[94 olds vert]

Nice work man! Keep it up!