ORIGINAL: SCALECRAFT
A lighter lay up if vac bagged, infusion, or pressure mold , perhaps if an ounces scale is used, then yes technically lighter. But the extra materials for a few ounces, in our experience is not worth it.
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Ounces? We must live in different worlds.
In the DLG realm saving 10 grams can mean everything. A 40" long tooth pick fuse that weighs 50 grams goes for $120. If you can get the exact layup down to 42 grams they will pay $190. That's a $70 price difference on every part. After 50 parts you just banked an extra $3500. The extra 15 hours that you just put into the mold so you can use a 60 psi bladder just made $233 per hour for those 15 hours. If you do 100 fuse you make $466 per hour for those 15 hours.
I guess it depends on the realm in which you are working and the expectations of those who you are working for.
Wouldn't a guy be ecstatic if the fuses came out pre-primed. No sanding, pin hole filling, feathering or sanding down stepped seams, priming, sanding again, priming....just simply add the color. Put the base color on there and you could save half a pound or more on a 1/4 scale by having no primer or filler in the fuse. That's a serious labor savings (that a builder can provide for a fee). You put some investment into the mold and every part that comes out of it can bring you savings (or make you money). Even if you're not in business the amount of labor that is spent prepping a composite part for paint is huge and surprisingly heavy. In fact the prepping of the part for paint can be the most drawn out process in a composites build. If the part pops out painted or primed you just saved yourself some serious time, money, and weight. If the seam is wide or stepped then it has to fixed.....more sanding, filling, priming on EVERY part.
How many parts does it take to save you extra time and money on the back end when it comes to finishing? In my experience it doesn’t take very many. If you put the time and money in early you get to save time and money on every part that comes out of the mold. The more parts you make the more time and money that you save. The cheapest mold is not the one that cost the least (labor + materials). Its the one that produces the best quality part with the least amount of labor including finishing (unless you are only making a few parts...in that case you didn't need a mold).
Does a standard glass backed mold work? Yes! Is it viable? Yes! Do I respect those who invest the time to make a standard glassed back mold? You bet!!! Is it the most economical for creating 25 seamed and painted parts? In my experience it's not.
I'm really not trying to be critical. I'm just living on the other side with parts that pop out painted or primed and ready for paint and seams that are only .003" wide with no steps. I think everybody should join me!
Anyway....you can see that I have opinions on the subject.