Thanks for the Comments Guys!!
These are really not the real "molds" in the pictures...They are just a temporary version which I made in several pieces so I could reduce some stress while de-molding from my Atlanta...I feared if I did them in two pieces I was really going to risk damaging or destroying my original airplane...By splitting them up in several sections I was able to work around some tight spots which would have probably hung due to "backdraft"...I also made them pretty light weight so they would "give a little" to reduce some stress as well...Technically these are called a "Splash" or a "Transfer"...
Using this transfer I will make a dummy Atlanta (Master Model)...It will be a thick, heavy, sturdy mock-up of the Atlanta fuselage...Then I will do some finish type work to that master model to clean it up a little...I wanna clean up the belly pan/fuselage fit as the factory airplane is sorta crude looking...Then there are some other little details I wanna clean up too...Once I get the Master Model slicked up I'll move on to making the "Real Molds"...
ORIGINAL: Aurora_60
Chuck, I've made simple molds before and they were to make two seperate halves and then join them together off the mold. I asume you plan to have them together In the mold or am I wrong? If you do, how do you do the lay up In the mold?
DM
Dave..I'm making a set of molds (for me) that I will design for vacuum bagging...I will join my halves separately after they have cured...I'm also making a second set of molds which will be designed for joining the halves while wet...Those will have some cutouts and access to the inside of the fuse so a guy can work on the seem with some special long reach tools and lots of patience...
No reason you couldn't vacuum bag with the other tools if you were to use an "envelope bag" which will only require a little more bagging material... [8D]
ORIGINAL: dhal22
Chuck, i am sincerely happy for you on the survival of your atlanta. and the molding results are outf*&^%ing standing!!! wow!!, between you and the strega build on extreme speed prop forum there is some serious molding going on.
david
Hey Dave..Thanks for mentioning the Strega...I looked up that thread and was amazed!! Super clean and neat stuff that guy is doing...What a craftsman that fellow is!!
Seems he's using allot of CNC stuff which is Really Neat!! Boy..I'd like to check into that some day...He's got it goin' on!! Very Fast too!!
I'm all slow, crude and Old School...
While on a trip out to California for work I ran into a guy who use to be a Composite tool builder also...He had just left his tool building job to come to work at Lockheed...We were talking and he starts mentioning all the advancements in that industry...I wouldn't even recognize it today...All my "Old School" techniques are obsolete...
I need to stop by my old job...They are some great people!! I should run by there and check on them...I hear they are rockin' along pretty good and have grown a good bit...Would be nice to catch up and check out all the latest stuff...It's a Kewl Place if your a Composites Guy...I learned allot there...
Have Fun...
Chuck