Do any of you do resin casting? I need an easy way to make flexible 3d molds. I have googled the heck out of it but wanted to see if any members are doing this and what creative ideas they have come up with.

I want to cast a few small items for my tanks.

Thanks,

Pat

Yep.

It gets expensive (materials and equipment).

What exactly do you want to cast? There are cheap ways to do simple things if you manage your expectations and are willing to repair/fix what you pull.

Just keep in mind, a good RTV silicone is about $125 a gallon, resin $90 and they have to be vacuumed for decent results. There's so much air incorporated when you mix, without vacuuming it out you'll always have bubbles and they usually end up in the worst spot. When I say vacuum, you need a true vacuum, 29 inches of mercury, not what a shop vac can pull off.

But if you just want to copy a box or something simple, you can get two part, hand mixable silicones that you stick together and jam on top, wait for cure then fill with resin. If you brush in a slush coat, then fill it up, you may get away without too many bubbles.

You can even get them at Michaels, but if you want the real stuff, google Smooth-On, they're the best in the world, I've been using their stuff for decades. Plus they're in Easton if that helps you. Go by their videos and tech support, not youTube if you want the right answers.

I've thought about resin casting myself, but never gone any farther than thinking. And now I know why the Verlinden resin stuff was so expensive... 3D printing would probably be the better way to go cost wise over the long haul. Molds degrade and must be re-made so there is an ongoing cost that a printer does not have. I'm sure there are some printer maintenance costs though. My problem is getting my projects into digital files because I don't have or know how to use a CAD program. Plus 3D printed parts are still usually rough from the printing process and require some smoothing. As printing matures I think it will mostly replace resin molding. I did say mostly...

You should look into STL printing if you are worried about resolution. Laser printing with resin is quite nice, I've got parts so smooth you can barely see the lines. Shapeways although pretty expensive mostly does STL printing, though I like 3D Hubs for the ability to get something from a local maker and you can get communication with them on what you want and/or need. 3D Hubs also offers a design service if I remember correctly, I think that depends on the shop though, I could be wrong there.

This is an example of one of those prints, sorry for the crappy lighting, it was taken a few months ago at night when I got it. It is a case for a RealACC Fat Shark module that I added a beeper and custom firmware to. Looking at it more than a few inches away it is almost impossible to tell it was 3d printed and that wasn't even the highest resolution either!

Thanks for the replies. I was wanting to make some small stowage items for my different scale projects. I need a lot of fuel/water cans for my PzIV and really do not want to pay $5 to 8 each for them to glue together. I also have some boxes and other items I would like to duplicate to use on some other vehicles. I saw that Michaels has a mix together putty that makes the molds and a resin kit. Together with coupons I could probably end up with $25 total for the two. I had thought of 3d printing but I know nothing about it.

I've looked into this before too and their idea of the resin mix (and correct me if I'm wrong and they have changed the formula) but it ends up being more like a low grade pottery mix... kinda bony & brittle and not the plastic like results the resin that we're used to.

And ausf is right... resin mix IS expensive and even more so in small quantities! You're just better off buying other peoples work or metal cans and even kits to glue together. OR, you create a small business and sell the extra pieces to offset the investment.

Just my opinion on it.

Go to the Micro Mark Tools web site and put in "casting resin" under the search block. I have used this stuff for scale R/C airplane parts like exhaust stacks and also a scratch built Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The Nautilus has 48 teeth which needed to be cast.
The kit comes with the rubber you will need to make your molds and the resin, if your doing small parts this stuff will go a long way. The only issue I have run into is that the molds do not last much more than 15 or 20 parts then you will need to make another mold.
Its a really cool process and the results are usually pretty good.

That's good to know! I may have to re-visit my idea... any idea on just how much the stuff is then? I only gave a negative point of view because the store Michaels was brought up and I have seen that stuff.

These companies have the right answers and neat videos PLUS tech support but I would be afraid of the product being trumped up where as You Tube videos do give you more of a personal experience of homemade mixing. But, I have not yet seen any word on the Micro Mark products.

The full kit for casting resin parts is just under $100, and the resin alone is $36 for the 32oz bottles. It does have a shelf life and as of yet I have not used up all the resin before it went bad. I don't really do all that much casting, mostly the Bf-109E exhaust stacks for the kit I sell & thats only 12 exhaust parts per kit.
I would think it might be pretty easy to mold small tank parts or accessories like oil drums and gas cans with the resin. You do need a "plug" or a "master" part in order to make the mold, and then from there it's just a matter of casting all the parts you want.

The Classy Hobby styrene kit has eight jerry cans and four fuel drums for about $20. With the price of resin I'm not sure you could cast them for that amount. Jeff would know. Can you pour four fuel drums and eight jerry cans with $20 worth of resin?

Yes, I think the ClassyHobby kit is the best route for 1/16th German Jerry cans and Barrels. I wish they made a similar 1/16th US kit.

Springman

I found the Classy Hobby kit but can't find anyone that has it for sale. It is listed on their site and the US distributor is Dragon Models in CA. They don't seem to have it. None on Ebay. Also need some backpacks/boxes and such. I thought they would be easy to mold. I've been looking and just keep striking out for stowage. Also need some cheap PzIV track to cut up for improvised armor on a DAK vehicle (I have about a four inch piece I thought I could mold to make some small sections; they would be flexible for contours).

Thank you for all of the replies!

Pat

Pat, I sent you two private messages that may help you.

Springman

I have used Resin casting. And I recommend Micro-mark as a place to start. They have a broad range of resins, different strengths, colors etc. Be advised, it is not for faint of heart. It is a time consuming and labor intensive process. It requires a master part and 2 piece mold, and 2 part resin to make the parts out of. Also a scale to weigh the resin etc. For really good results a vacuum chamber can be used to remove air bubbles from resin - but is not absolutely required. But the process can produce nice parts, esp large size turret and hulls. Nick Aguilar produced fabulous Sherman hulls and turrets by resin casting - all with minimal air bubbles.

For small delicate parts in low quantities you really cannot beat 3D printing from places like Shapeways. For small detail parts I would 3D print them. But this process requires a CAD program to create the file that can be printed. Onshape is one company making 3D cad that can be done literally on a phone or tablet, and can output a .STL file for printing. Look at the excellent 3D printed projects in this forum (M48 and Scorpion) for inspiration.

In the days before Shapeways the only way to produce custom parts was to resin cast them.

Either process has a learning curve so to speak.
Good luck, Bob