nickelback227
Jr Member
gosh so many posts in 2 hours!
worlds most greatest mold making site!!!!
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Master Chef
Member
LMAO! Haha. Oh I think I found out why his stuff is so cheap: Check out his Epoxy FAQ's. He talks about how he buys from huge distributors in large quantities and repackages. I'm sure this is the case with his other products.
nickelback227
Jr Member
maybe but hey at least we get it cheap!
nickelback227
Jr Member
Blue Vertex said:
high five too!
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charlie tuna
Member
Looks like Spartan gets to save some shipping charges 
nickelback227
Jr Member
heck ya!
SPARTAN405
Member
Jarhead said:Looks like Spartan gets to save some shipping charges
hehe! Yes I do. Ill try to go in tomorow and see how they are.
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You'll love this place... John has always gone out of his way to help me out with what ever I needed.
A note on latex... When you have the patience to work with it, it's perfectly suitable for making larger i.e. armor molds. I use it for almost all my bigger pieces, helmets, predator armor, shields & set panels... On average, a well made mold takes me 2 to 3 days to make. I've done them in considerably less time, but usualy only for one-offs or emergency castings. I angle a 20" fan over my molding tables, & it dries each layer of latex in about 20-45 minutes, depending on temp & latex thickness.
An average mold is 10 to 15 layers... 2 to 4 'beauty' coats, directly on the model, then I use thickened latex for faster buildup & strength You use wood or pecan flour for this, I usualy use 2 to 4 cups per 2-quarts of latex depending on how 'stiff' I want it...
I do a layer of cheesecloth with the first thick layer, & let that dry for a good hour, then a couple more coats of thick, then a layer of burlap & thick, then 2 final finish coats of thick. Once it's done, it has to sit for a day, maby 2 depending on temp.... Leave the fan on it the entire time to draw of moisture.
Once the latex part is done, I do a mothermold or shell in either fiberglass or plaster & burlap. There is also a super-thick 2-part resin that you can brush or trowel on for a mothermold as well.
A well made latex mold will last for years of use, & was indeed the industry standard untill silicone became more readily available, & more affordable. I have cast both fiberglass & casting resin in latex molds, as well as wax, concrete, & plaster.
The main difference in casting between silicone & latex is that you HAVE to use a release agent to seal the latex when casting. For stones & plasters, I use liquid soap (dish soap), & for resins, I've used cooking spray, vasiline, WD40, silicone spray, etc... Keep in mind that any petrolium product will degrade latex, shortening it's useful life.
I mainly use Synlube release agents, they come in spraycans or jugs... I buy by the gallon & use a spray bottle to coat my molds. They have both silicone & non-silicone formulas, depending on what you're casting... I buy that locally, but ask John if he has or can get it or something similar...
Hope that helps!
Wolf
John has always gone out of his way to help me out with what ever I needed.A note on latex... When you have the patience to work with it, it's perfectly suitable for making larger i.e. armor molds. I use it for almost all my bigger pieces, helmets, predator armor, shields & set panels... On average, a well made mold takes me 2 to 3 days to make. I've done them in considerably less time, but usualy only for one-offs or emergency castings. I angle a 20" fan over my molding tables, & it dries each layer of latex in about 20-45 minutes, depending on temp & latex thickness.
An average mold is 10 to 15 layers... 2 to 4 'beauty' coats, directly on the model, then I use thickened latex for faster buildup & strength You use wood or pecan flour for this, I usualy use 2 to 4 cups per 2-quarts of latex depending on how 'stiff' I want it...
I do a layer of cheesecloth with the first thick layer, & let that dry for a good hour, then a couple more coats of thick, then a layer of burlap & thick, then 2 final finish coats of thick. Once it's done, it has to sit for a day, maby 2 depending on temp.... Leave the fan on it the entire time to draw of moisture.
Once the latex part is done, I do a mothermold or shell in either fiberglass or plaster & burlap. There is also a super-thick 2-part resin that you can brush or trowel on for a mothermold as well.
A well made latex mold will last for years of use, & was indeed the industry standard untill silicone became more readily available, & more affordable. I have cast both fiberglass & casting resin in latex molds, as well as wax, concrete, & plaster.
The main difference in casting between silicone & latex is that you HAVE to use a release agent to seal the latex when casting. For stones & plasters, I use liquid soap (dish soap), & for resins, I've used cooking spray, vasiline, WD40, silicone spray, etc... Keep in mind that any petrolium product will degrade latex, shortening it's useful life.
I mainly use Synlube release agents, they come in spraycans or jugs... I buy by the gallon & use a spray bottle to coat my molds. They have both silicone & non-silicone formulas, depending on what you're casting... I buy that locally, but ask John if he has or can get it or something similar...
Hope that helps!
Wolf
charlie tuna
Member
Ask him if the fiberglass resin is low, no odor since the normal stuff will my mom a headache a min after I open the can, ferget mixing and spreading itSPARTAN405 said:
Going to need odorless stuff if I'm going to do anything more than folding before next spring when I can get back outside. (don't have a garage to contain the stink )
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SPARTAN405
Member
Sure will do!
Fiberglass resin, even his, smells... It's actualy not the resin itself, but the catylist... It's pure hydrogen peroxide. I have yet to find an 'oderless' FG catylist.
The difference between fiberglassing resin & casting resin is this-
Fiberglassing resin is a polystyrene base, Casting resin is a polyurathane base. Chemicaly, they are very different. Both are exothermic (they heat up) to a degree, fiberglassing resin more-so. I've actualy had a FG resin cup kick & get so hot in seconds that it caused burns on my hand... Casting resin is seriously safer, has much better properties strength & impact-wise...
If you've got the money, the very best you can do is the epoxy resin. It costs alot more, but you can't beat it for strength & durability. This is what is used for bonding kevlar into hard items, like ballistic helmets for the military. Alot of boat makers use it for improved impact protection on speedboat hulls.
To do truly professional parts, you have to vacum-bag or use draw molds. Basicly, you lay your fiberglass cloth & mat into the molds, seal it with a thick 'saranwrap' like plastic, & suck the resin into the mold, while drawing out any air... For 2 part molds, you have an in & an out hole, attach the vacum tube to the out, & a tube into your resin bucket... It can get complicated, but not overly so...
Wolf
The difference between fiberglassing resin & casting resin is this-
Fiberglassing resin is a polystyrene base, Casting resin is a polyurathane base. Chemicaly, they are very different. Both are exothermic (they heat up) to a degree, fiberglassing resin more-so. I've actualy had a FG resin cup kick & get so hot in seconds that it caused burns on my hand... Casting resin is seriously safer, has much better properties strength & impact-wise...
If you've got the money, the very best you can do is the epoxy resin. It costs alot more, but you can't beat it for strength & durability. This is what is used for bonding kevlar into hard items, like ballistic helmets for the military. Alot of boat makers use it for improved impact protection on speedboat hulls.
To do truly professional parts, you have to vacum-bag or use draw molds. Basicly, you lay your fiberglass cloth & mat into the molds, seal it with a thick 'saranwrap' like plastic, & suck the resin into the mold, while drawing out any air... For 2 part molds, you have an in & an out hole, attach the vacum tube to the out, & a tube into your resin bucket... It can get complicated, but not overly so...
Wolf
honest insanity
Active Member
These prices ARE awesome!
But im just curious on the resin durability of his versus the smoothcast 300 i use from a nearby smooth-on retailer
But im just curious on the resin durability of his versus the smoothcast 300 i use from a nearby smooth-on retailer
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