How Would I Go About Making A Mold For Something Like An Odst Chest?

[Master Ikrit]

Yes, another noob, another ODST. I am using a Chestpiece as a testpiece. I have pepped, resined, fiber glassed(what a sticky process, made worse by the fast latex glove are veeeeery loose as i am a small 13 year old with tiny hands), and i am going to bondo and possibly mold and cast it this weekend. YES I HAVE READ THE STICKIES!!!! I am wondering how to mold something weird shaped without a flat bottom. I have seen many tuts to know how to mold a helmet and something with a flat bottom but what about irregular shapes? I have thought about getting a small bucket of the pink mold stuff, put the chest in with a small pipe attached and then cutting it into 2 pieces? I would like to hear from you guys about how YOU mold something odd and irregular.

Many Thanks, Master Ikrit

 

[1swimmerman]

ya i think that cutting it in half would probably work best

 

[5N0WM4N]

I'd recommend putting a piece of card board of some sort on the back side of the chest plate and then make a hole in that cardboard then fill it with your casting material, "slush cast" it

 

[Master Ikrit]

Hmmmm 5nowm4ns idea is OK but wouldn't the cast get smaller everytime you cast it? well still open to ideas, keep em comin!

 

[UNSC Leatherneck]

You can mount the chestpiece on a piece of MDF or plywood, fill in the gaps underneath with clay, then pour your mold. Remember to spray the chestpiece with mold release or you may not get it out of the mold cleanly. Alternately you can brush on the silicone mold material to the front of your chestpiece, then build a fiberglass mother mold over that. After the mold cures you can slush cast with Smoothcast, just like casting a helmet. This will give you a finished piece that is not solid plastic (heavy and expensive).

 

[Master Ikrit]

You can mount the chestpiece on a piece of MDF or plywood, fill in the gaps underneath with clay, then pour your mold. Remember to spray the chestpiece with mold release or you may not get it out of the mold cleanly. Alternately you can brush on the silicone mold material to the front of your chestpiece, then build a fiberglass mother mold over that. After the mold cures you can slush cast with Smoothcast, just like casting a helmet. This will give you a finished piece that is not solid plastic (heavy and expensive).

ooooo i like the 1st idea! Its not all that complicated and will give me a chest with a flat inside that i can sand to custom fit almost anyone! Thanks!

 

[UNSC Leatherneck]

Actually, I would not recommend casting the chest as a solid piece (unless you're doing it in FlexFoam). That is a LOT of plastic and it will not only be heavy it will also be expensive. Sanding that down to fit people will be a bear. I recommend "slush casting" to build up a piece that has thin but even thickness. You're looking at between around an eighth of an inch to a quarter inch. You can then profile the edges however you need. I'll see if I can dig up some pics of ODST chestplate molds. I think I have a couple on the external drive.

 

[Master Ikrit]

Alright i'm going shopping for...

-bondo

-some plywood and something to mix and apply the bondo and smooth cast stuff

-something to make mold out of (any suggestions?)

-something to make cast out of (any suggestions)

so ya im gonna go for the second method you mentioned there leatherneck. So let me get this straight. this is goin from bottom up.i put my chest and cover it with molding material(how many layers?)i basically fiberglass the top (outside) of the mold to reinforce it. Then i slush cast using the casting material. Is this what you meant?(the second method)

So reccomendations of what brands, exact kinds of materials, and where to get the mold/cast stuff would be GREATLY appreciated.(i wont reply til morning bye)

 

[UNSC Leatherneck]

Alright i'm going shopping for...

-bondo

-some plywood and something to mix and apply the bondo and smooth cast stuff

-something to make mold out of (any suggestions?)

-something to make cast out of (any suggestions)

so ya im gonna go for the second method you mentioned there leatherneck. So let me get this straight. this is goin from bottom up.i put my chest and cover it with molding material(how many layers?)i basically fiberglass the top (outside) of the mold to reinforce it. Then i slush cast using the casting material. Is this what you meant?(the second method)

So reccomendations of what brands, exact kinds of materials, and where to get the mold/cast stuff would be GREATLY appreciated.(i wont reply til morning bye)

I would recommend Rebound 25 for the mold. A trial kit should get you through molding a chest piece, but you may want to check with the sales rep to be sure. Several layers will be required to get a durable mold. As for casting, you have a couple of options. Smooth-On's SmoothCast series is awesome stuff. I prefer SmoothCast 320, but 300 will work as well. Another option is to cast it in FlexFoam, FlexFoamIt 25, to be exact. FlexFoam gives you a slightly flexible part that is easier to move in and VERY tough. You may want to spread a thin coating of vaseline on your rubber mold to keep the fiberglass from sticking. Casting SmoothCast is very easy. It's 1:1 by volume. Just pour it in, slush it around until it "flashes" and cures up. I HIGHLY recommend watching the molding and casting videos that are floating around. They can be found in the videos section, or on the 405th Source Livestream.

 

[Master Ikrit]

I would recommend Rebound 25 for the mold. A trial kit should get you through molding a chest piece, but you may want to check with the sales rep to be sure. Several layers will be required to get a durable mold. As for casting, you have a couple of options. Smooth-On's SmoothCast series is awesome stuff. I prefer SmoothCast 320, but 300 will work as well. Another option is to cast it in FlexFoam, FlexFoamIt 25, to be exact. FlexFoam gives you a slightly flexible part that is easier to move in and VERY tough. You may want to spread a thin coating of vaseline on your rubber mold to keep the fiberglass from sticking. Casting SmoothCast is very easy. It's 1:1 by volume. Just pour it in, slush it around until it "flashes" and cures up. I HIGHLY recommend watching the molding and casting videos that are floating around. They can be found in the videos section, or on the 405th Source Livestream.

Alright thanks for all the help It's really goining to help me out! Now its time to actually work on the project! bye (let this thread diiiiiiieeeeee)