Resin Supplies
- Thread starter cookster
- Start date
Dragon Forge Design
New member
Hey if your in the US.. then www.smooth-on.com is your best bet for RTV rubber and resin. For resin Id go with smooth cast 320.
If elsewhere I have no clue.
If elsewhere I have no clue.
Shawn R. L.
New member
If you are in the US go to TAP Plastic.
Dragon Forge Design
New member
TAP Plastics is a good source, but arent they pretty much a West coast operation?
I know on the smooth-on.com page they have a locator page where you can find distrubutors for all ove the US, Canada and even the rest of the world.
Distributors
I know on the smooth-on.com page they have a locator page where you can find distrubutors for all ove the US, Canada and even the rest of the world.
Distributors
Dragon Forge Design
New member
Well then Id give smooth-on a look..
Einion
New member
Oh in that case give Douglas and Sturgess a look.
They also have an online help service if you want to ask them a question about what they sell that would suit your specific application(s) best. For example I wanted a silicone rubber for casting resin but I also wanted to be able to cast some copies in low-melt alloys to make quick copies for myself and maybe as freebies for friends.
Einion
lahatiel
New member
Go to www.micro-mark.com and put \"resin\" in the keyword search field. In the list of items that comes up, you\'ll see the \"Complete Resin Casting Starter Kit\" in both U.S. and export versions. I believe the U.S. version will be near the bottom of the list; I\'m not saying you have to buy that kit but if you check it out, it should show you everything you might need. The page even has a link to a .pdf file explaining an overview of casting techniques using the stuff in the kit.
Click here and it might take you directly to the kit\'s specific page. I\'m not sure if the url is session-dependant though, so it might not work; if not, just go to the home page and search \"resin\" as mentioned above.
Click here and it might take you directly to the kit\'s specific page. I\'m not sure if the url is session-dependant though, so it might not work; if not, just go to the home page and search \"resin\" as mentioned above.
Einion
New member
As I mentioned above a platinum-cure rubber is a good choice (tend to be expensive but good quality and they last, also strong enough to take low-melt alloy casting if you want to try this too) but even within this class there are variations in Shore A hardness, which relates to how flexible the mould is and therefore how it might need to be designed/engineered to allow the castings to be removed without tearing, as well as other factors.
But as for resins there are a heap of different kinds you could buy which have different properties that would better suit some applications over others. Various resins have different:
viscosities (some are practically water-thin, others thicker);
setting times (is three minutes enough working time for you?);
measuring requirements (some resins you really have to use a good digital scale as they\'re that particular about resin-to-hardener proportion, others you just mix 1:1 by volume);
moisture sensitivity (some resins you can\'t use wooden sticks to stir, others don\'t care);
etc.
Einion
Originally posted by cookster
Well im not really looking for companies i guess. Just what do i need.
Sounds like i will need:
Silicon rubber for the molds and resin for the actuall model. Is that it?
Treadhead, are you the treadhead from 40kforums?
yup - thats me! :flip:
right, to make a mould and a cast you will need...
1) a master to cast from
2) a bounding box to put the silicon into - ideally not too big to conserve expensive silicon, but leaving about 1/2\" clearance on all sides - i use lego for this as that way you can build upp boxes to fit whatever size you want...
3) a fastcast resin - if you\'re doing big casting (fist sized upwards) you\'ll need a slower setting resin (20 mins instead of 5) to avoid excessive heat buildup...
and thats good for single part moulds - fairly basic shapes that will demould with relative ease - fairly basic shapes - just cut a slit down one side of the mould with a SHARP blade to make demoulding easier...
for complicated things youll need two - or more parts so to do this you\'ll need:
4) plasticine/clay - to bed the model into when making the first mould half. use a sculpting tool to smooth the plasticine neatly up to your chosen separation lineo n the model...
5) a realease agant - you can use vaseline for this or a dedicated release just remember if you\'re buying release, make sure it is NON-Silicone release agent (ie it doesnt contain silicone) - otherwise youll encase your model in silicone...
6) some wire/rod/old sprue for air channels - air will naturally want to collect at the top of the mould so youve got to make sure it can get out - the easiest way to do his is glue rod for channels onto the model or bed the rod into the plasticine and cast the channels into the mould... you can cut them out later on but thats not good mouldmaking!
oh, and dont forget sundries like mixing cups, stirrers, rubber/latex gloves (resin and skin are not happy bedfellows), expendable clothing and a weighing scales (fastcast resins are normally mixed 50:50 by weight)
