Suppliers

[Frizzlefry]

Do you guys make each suit with an new mold every time? Or do you create each suit off of the same mold?

I'm curious which is the best way to fashion replica's of my own armor once it's finished.

 

[WanderingRon1n]

i dont know how many suits but you can make multiple suits with just one mold.

 

[Adam]

good molds will last for a long time. A suit uses a LOT of molds for each different part though. I bet some last longer than others.

 

[Sigma LS]

And as long as you keep the master set of armor, you can always make new molds. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Frizzlefry]

What methods do you use to make the new mold? I mean, do you use some sort of clay imprint of your existing armor to make new armor, or something more sophisticated than that?

 

[Adam]

you'd make a new mold, the same way you made the original mold. probably with silicon.

 

[Sean Bradley]

Theres a bit of a context disconnect going on here. The word 'molds' means different things depending on how you are manufacturing your suit. For instance: if you are vacuumforming, a 'mold' is a solid positive part, usually made of wood or cast in plaster. If you are resin casting, a mold is a rubber negative cast of your original positive.

For more info on mold making visit the TUTORIAL LINKS thread in the Armor Discussion forum.

And yes, most manufacturers cast multiples from the same mold, that way you don't have to start from scratch each time.

 

[Frizzlefry]

That I guess helps me to modify my question. As a supplier, do you prefer to vacuum form or resin cast?

And if you resin cast, how hard was it to make the rubber negative cast of the origional postitive?

I've alread looked at the tutorials, I was just curious which methods you guys prefer and why.

Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I swear I'll run out of them soon. lol

 

[Sean Bradley]

I can't say with experience (I haven't reproduced a full set both ways yet), but I think I'd prefer resin casting for detailed stuff like the helmet, and vacuum forming for the majority of the rest of the armor. Each process has it's pro's and cons. Resin is good for detail but heavy, vacuuming is good for light weight but dulls the detail.

Making rubber molds is an art unto itself. A beginner can make simple and effective molds, but for larger, more complicated stuff it takes practice and a good deal of research. I've been making molds for uh... lets say more than 10 years... (I'm old), and I still think it's challenging.

 

[link4044]

well its up to you on witch materail you prefer, i like to try them all but thats me i like to spend money and try new materail out test things
my AR is a prefect example it has vaccumform parts, resin casting, waterjet cut aluminum, brushable resin and my fav fiberglass/bondo

 

[Frizzlefry]

Ok. Thanks for answering. I have a friend who already told me he wants me to build him one, so I told him I would if he built me a vacuum forming machine. He's an engineer :rock: . So hopefully I can see where that takes me and try resin if it doesn't seem to work out. :notme: