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Help with casting a 1/35 Wheel.

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  • Member since
    September 2008
Help with casting a 1/35 Wheel.
Posted by thunderpilot on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 12:25 AM

Well I bought a Tamiya 25 lb field gun kit on Ebay and lo and behold one of the wheels is missing.

Anyway, I couldn't find any resin duplicates on the market so I am going to head into casting one of the wheels to create the missing one.  Are there any casting kits that will walk me through the process.  Also, will I destroy the good part if I make a cast?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:28 AM

Make a mold of the part using RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) rubber... Make the mold box out of plastic (I use old credit-cards that I get in the mail all the time, or sheet plastic cut from garage sale type signs).  Suspend the wheel horizontaly in the mold box after coating it with vaseline or baby oil and fill the box halfway with the RTV rubber and let it cure completely.  Then, cut keys into the first half of the mold, coat the mold face and the other half of the wheel with the release agent again, then pour the second half and let cure.  After that's done,  break open the mold halves and remove the master.

Now cut a pouring hole and air escape hole into the mold halves. Put the halves back together after coating with release agent again, and secure them tightly sandwiched between two pieces of plastic sheet or wood, making sure you don't push them together so hard that they deform.

  Mix the resin (I use either "Amazing" brand or Alumalite) per the instructions in a paper cup (NOT styrofoam, the resin will melt it), and slowly pour the resin into the pouring hole, allowing air to escape from the other one.  You'll have to tap the mold gently sometimes, to get air bubbles out to the top, but keep going (don'tdawdle now, the resin will start setting fairly quickly) until the resin is at the top of bothe holes... Tap it some more to remove any trapped air, top off if necessary, and let the resin cure.  It'll generate heat during this time...   After the resin cures, break open the mold and remove the part... It might not be perfect the first time, they seldom are, but with practice, you'll get a rejection rate of about 1 outta 5 castings.

Another way is to do a single-side mold, press the wheel a skosh past half-way into the RTV. Then, after that sets, remove the wheel and press down the other side the same way into a second mold-box of RTV.  Pour the resin into each half and let cure, then remove the castings.  You have two wheel-halves that you can sand down to size and glue together with CA or epoxy...

  • Member since
    October 2003
  • From: Southern California
Posted by ModelNerd on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 8:18 PM

You won't harm the kit part(s) if you make molds from it. If this is the only molding you plan to do, consider that it may be cheaper to buy another kit than the $60 (minimum) or so dollars required for proper molding/casting. If that price doesn't scare you, or if you plan on doing other parts, head over to Micromark.com. Get their one-to-one silicone mix, and their CR-600 resin. The silicone comes with basic instructions for making molds. It's a very easy process.

- Mark

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: The Red Hills of South Carolina
Posted by grizz30_06 on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 9:27 AM

Alumalite makes a kit that Hobby Lobby sells that should do the trick.  I like their RTV but the resin is not fun to work with.

Grizz

Denial, it's not just a coping mechanism, it's a way of life.
  • Member since
    March 2005
Posted by philo426 on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 12:27 PM
No it will not harm the kit part. Find a suitable closed container,and glue the wheel to the bottom with white glue and allow to dry. Mix up the RTV according to the instructions and pour it over the wheel in the container and allow to dry.When cured,pull off the rtv mold and mix the 2 part resin.It is important to mix the resin exactly so that the resin will cure properly.Make as many copies as needed and you can re-use the mold when needed.I like Ace resin which sells a compl;ete kit and I have had good results.
  • Member since
    May 2008
  • From: Wherever the hunt takes me
Posted by Boba Fett on Monday, February 2, 2009 7:53 PM
Aluminite is awesome! Thumbs Up [tup] I got a kit for Christmas from my parents, and so far, I got to cast a Star Wars miniature and some other stuff. The mini was so well reproduced, every little detail was there. I used the copy o creat my own fig. Anyways, the origional will be fine, and just follow instructions EXACTLY!!! I messed up 1 mold, and it turned into a blob of white goo...

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