Bakster

from the Smooth-On videos. When mixing silicone you will invariably end up with extra that cures in your mixing cup. His idea was to pull that piece and use it for holding pointy tools.

On the Minibricks YT page, for payng attention, it's clear that they have some bucket or lid handy for leftover resin (and likely leftover RTV), and make round paint pallettes out of them.

Sigh.  As to resin, Kathy Millett, Luke Towan, et al have had me rowsing the AnyCubic and Eleygoo web sites . . . there's a "gotcha" there in that you also need a parts washer (and IPA by the gallon) and a UV curing station to factor into the price.  I caught myself wit ha spread sheet comparing Resn plus RTV and the like prices and tme requirements . . .  Sigh.

OUCH! Hope thing are better now my friend. Good to hear your friend is doing better. 

Good luck with the castings and yeah if it's not going well set it aside and spend a little time with a book, movie, adult beverage, whatever... 

And I like Timmy's idea- rust the suckas and build a junkyard. Nemo must have had a least one with all the stuff he was building. 

CapnMac82

Sigh.  As to resin, Kathy Millett, Luke Towan, et al have had me rowsing the AnyCubic and Eleygoo web sites . . . there's a "gotcha" there in that you also need a parts washer (and IPA by the gallon) and a UV curing station to factor into the price.  I caught myself wit ha spread sheet comparing Resn plus RTV and the like prices and tme requirements . . .  Sigh.

Resin printers intrigue me too but after watching some videos on the process, I will wait for the technology to improve. It's a whole to do with these things: Expense, cleanup, washers, fuming, shelf-life, etc. They have already improved much but banding is still part of the equation too. To me, just not worth it. I am sure they will come up with something that will leave the current technology as something from the dark ages.

Gamera

OUCH! Hope thing are better now my friend. Good to hear your friend is doing better. 

Good luck with the castings and yeah if it's not going well set it aside and spend a little time with a book, movie, adult beverage, whatever... 

And I like Timmy's idea- rust the suckas and build a junkyard. Nemo must have had a least one with all the stuff he was building. 

 

Thanks Cliff. Yeah, this turned into a bigger muddle than I thought it would be. The resin  does not want to flow throughout the mold. I ought be able to either pour or inject the resin without seeing all the issues that I do. Though, I am a lot closer to the endgame, it bugs me that I got there by doing a workaround. I can't let things be. Lol. For grins, I wrote Smooth On for advice. They offer technical assistance and I am interested to hear what they tell me. It may end up that my mold design is defunct. If I get any usedul info, I will share it.

CapnMac82

Downside is that it's only getting aout $120-160 per ton, and that's FOB at the front-end loader for truck delivery.  So, you need to be able to dredge and poile the stuff in graded and sorted piles for less than around $100/ton. Sigh.

In my fantasy world there are gold nuggets waiting to be dug up. 

That was quite an adventure to get the one casting. I agree with the gang, A+++ for resilience, Stevie.

As for having to reverse the second one, what comes to mind, and I paraphrase Nicholson in Mars Attacks here, 'You got one out of two and that aint' bad".

Nah, you'll get it.

All I have to say is, WOW! I emailed Smooth-On late last night and here they are, see below.  THAT... is great customer service. Too bad some other unmentioned businesses we all know would follow that line. It is a quick and detailed response.  to Smooth-On.

Will I follow all this and try it? I don't know, my sail is lacking wind.

I thought you might appreciate reading their expert advice.

Okay, after taking a look at your photos there are things you can do to improve your mold design. This is a very difficult part to mold. I understand why you want to lay it on its side and inject it but that gives your part a large flat surface that wants to trap air. You'd have less air entrapment if you stood this part up on end but that would require your making a tiny vents between most of teeth of your gear that would need to be snipped away each and every casting. 

So, if you look at the gear straight on with the axel facing you this is what I suggest...
You would want to either glue a short peg or make a cut between all the teeth from about 7-9 and also between 5-3 from 9-12 and 12 to 3 you need a vent that goes up to the top of the mold Then the axel should be vented from it's outer tip back to the top of the gear wheel as high up as possible at the 12 position. I'd put the injection port at the bottom of your mold from the side of the gear on either the left or right side, not straight into the gear as you now have it and keep the whole thing a two part mold as you have it or make it a cut block mold with the bottom still attached and you'd cut it down from the top to the 9-3 positions respectively. You would then inject the part very slowly until you see resin coming out of all the vents at the top. If possible you'd want to pressure cast this for the best results. If you can't then just be careful that you do not flex the mold and suck air into it from the vents. You will also either need to leave your syringe in place until it cures or plug that bottom hole with a small stick or clay after injecting it. 

The way your mold is not you will always get air entrapment on the wheel face just because the tension is so high that face will want to hold the bubble in place. Plus you will always need to brush resin in and do all those extra steps to try to fill in the detail before filling the mold completely. 

Heating your mold a little before casting could help and also injecting about a 1/4 of the resin in then rotating the mold all the way around a couple of times as if it is spinning on the axle of the gear may help push air out to the teeth and help the resin flow into these areas better. 

As I said this is not a simple part but I believe you'd be able to get fairly good castings if you design your mold as described above. 

Thank you,

WOW! Now that's some help! Sounds like good advice to me. 

"Wow" is right. That's some customer service.

Yeah and they followed up with if I send them a sketch of how I see doing it, they will review things for me. Pretty nice. Their good service makes me want to try it. THAT, and the dogged mule in me.

We shall see. My job is taking all my time, losing wind in my sails. Lack of time is killing this project. 

Bakster

We shall see. My job is taking all my time, losing wind in my sails. Lack of time is killing this project.

Ditto.

And things which make efficient use of my time (or can be started and left unattended) get first priority.

Mind, forking over for a new laptop for work reasons is also putting a ding in my time, too.  (Buying the thing is easy, installing software and files, not so much . . . )

Hang in there Steve,  things will get better . 

Bako me old mate, you have had a hard road with this project, but so far you have pushed on and overcome. I have learnt much and been greatly entertained by this thread, but you set yourself a real challenge with this build and with all the other things going on around you at the moment, I'm not suprised that you are feeling the strain.

It may well be time to take a break and re-charge your batteries. A different project, something simple and uncomplicated, or some gardening, hiking, or whatever. (I have no idea of your other interests, or physical abilities).

I love the other blokes suggestions of a Nemo junkyard however. The advice from Dr. Dodgy is: take a break and have a drink, concentrate on the things that you need to, have a drink, get away for the weekend, have a drink, watch 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, have a drink, watch the War Wagon, have a drink, take two aspros and call me in the morning. And if the aspros don't work, have drink. Rum heals everything........ eventually. Take it from an old matelot and if in doubt, have a drink.

PS That was an awsome response to your query. It takes customer service to a new level.

Dodgy

It may well be time to take a break and re-charge your batteries. A different project, something simple and uncomplicated, or some gardening, hiking, or whatever. (I have no idea of your other interests, or physical abilities).

Hey there Dodgy. The thought crossed my mind about shelving it, that things are too chaotic right now. The thing is, I enjoy modeling too much. I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I did. And if I start a different project, I'd still be just as frustrated because in either case, it's the lack of time that frustrates me. So, an easier project won't save me. Lol.

Mate! If I do all that drinking, I won't get nothing done! THAT, and then maybe I will get called in for an intervention. 

Speaking of service. Smooth-On reached out to me, unsolicited, that he will be out of the office for a week and he referred me to another person should I need more help. He even sent my case to that person in advance. Wow. I only do that sort of thing for my best customers, but who am I to them? I am just some moe. Clearly, they understand the value of CS. That there folks is what customer service looks like. Another thumbs up to Smooth-On. 

It's kind of funny that YouTube has been pushing Mt Everest documentaries on me. I watched most of them. How does one reach the summit? You reach it one small step at a time. Same with completing a model... one small step at a time.

Not sure what to think about them people taking the journey to the summit. They are passing corpses along the trail. And when they reach the death zone... God help them if they have trouble. You won't be helped because there is no way to help. People will pass you by on their way to the summit. It's a death sentence. 

So, based on my understanding of Phils recommendation, I created this image. I submitted it to Smooth-On for review. 

I have also been watching videos on the Grand Canyon. A few talk about the number of visitors that fall in. Not a way I would want to go. Check this idiot out....

https://youtu.be/fspk-NNZM3c

Darwin runner up, he had his 15 minutes of fame.  Hopefully NPS billed him for the time and personel to get him.

goldhammer88

Hopefully NPS billed him for the time and personel to get him. Add Quote to your Post

Amen! I thought the same thing. I would bill him triple the rate.

think I would have left the jerk there .

steve5

think I would have left the jerk there .

 

For anyone interested  in the topic of Everest, this video sums it up well.

So the US has oxygen thieves too.

Dodgy

So the US has oxygen thieves too.

 

In light of how dependent these climbers are on the Sherpa, I consider climbing Everest a very shallow victory indeed. Having Sherpas lug tables so they can dine, is beyond shameful. Hey Sherpa. I want you to lug my flatscreen TV and a couch so I can relax too. Oh... and don't forget my satellite dish.

Eye opening.

Nice work on the wheel there Bakster, I hope it helps them to work out a plan of attack.

Will have to watch the video this weekend. I wish the Yeti had come and crashed their little party.

'You want table YETI THROW TABLE AT YOU!!!'

Gamera

I wish the Yeti had come and crashed their little party.

Lol. That's a good one too. I bet Yeti would put them all to shame. Yeti would run up that mountain like it's a mole hill. All you would see is a cloud of snow trailing it and bodies being flung as it drives on.

Dodgy

So the US has oxygen thieves too.

Normally, we put them in elected political office, but their spawn & illk run about loose, too.

Curse of having 350 million population.

And crammed into a space not that much larger than Oz.

CapnMac82

Normally, we put them in elected political office, but their spawn & illk run about loose, too.

Lol. So true.

The mule drives on into the desert...

I am in the midst of making a new mold. I have one side poured with silicone.

We shall see if this one will work any better. Don't anyone hold their breath. 

Hee haw! Hee haw!

Bakster

 

The mule drives on into the desert...

I am in the midst of making a new mold. I have one side poured with silicone.

We shall see if this one will work any better. Don't anyone hold their breath. 

Hee haw! Hee haw!

 

 

 

Hee haw, hee haw, he always calls me that......... Sorry couldn't help it. Good luck with the new mold mate. It's all a bit technical for me, but I am very interested to see the outcome.

CapnMac82

 

 

Dodgy

So the US has oxygen thieves too.

 

 

Normally, we put them in elected political office, but their spawn & illk run about loose, too.

Curse of having 350 million population.

And crammed into a space not that much larger than Oz.

 

Hey CapnMac, I feel for you folks, but even though we have a much smaller population, the oxygen thieves seem to be taking over this country.

Dodgy

Sorry couldn't help it. Good luck with the new mold mate. It's all a bit technical for me, but I am very interested to see the outcome

No worries, Dodgy, thanks for following along!

Regarding the new mold. Well, it helped, but it didn't get me to where I want to be, and that is, a perfect cast. I am probably closer than I have ever been, but there are still defects, and that is not good enough. For the record. I could try and repair the defects and move on, but that defeats my goal of making a decent cast. Hee Haw. 

So ... where does it leave me? I am convinced that I can't pass go and collect $200 unless I use a pressure pot. The guys at Smooth On seem to agree.

I have been researching pressure pots and I found one I really like, but I can't justify the expense. Then, I found one guy that built a PP using PVC tubing. A few people claim you can get decent results with pressure as low as 20lbs, some say even lower. He showed the casts that he did and it seemed to work. For my puposes..if it forces the resin into the crannies and kills the surface bubbles, I would be happy. He did note that it might not work as well for the white fast acting resin, and that is what I am using. But if it doesn't work, I could always use the clear slow acting resin that I have, and that is what seems to work best per the author. This could be another rabbit hole I am going into but I think it is worth the try. More on that as things progress. 

PS: I sure do miss forward progress. The defense is putting up a fierce fight at the scrimmage line.