Simple procedure for copying parts using silicone putty and light curi

[Kyrre]

I did search to see if this has been covered earlier. If it has, well, then here's another one.

 

I Thought I'd share my experience since I'm pretty pleased with the outcome of my first molding attempt.

 

Short story is that part of my 1:32 Ju88 undercarriage was molded short. I could have written to Revell for a replacement, but instead I thought I'd try making a copy of the missing part of the part. The wheel legs are handed, but the parts are quite similar, so I was able to use the opposite bit as a master (You'll understand when you see the picture).

 

I used reusable silicone putty, the kind you put in hot water (Don't know the name, I bought it in Japan) but you can also use two component Silicone putty available in most craft stores.

The master was pressed into the putty, ensuring that I squeezed silicone into every nook and cranny. The silicone turns quite hard, but soft, so you can easily pry the master out afterwards.

 

First attempt of casting was with superglue, but I'd forgotten that curing superglue produces heat - and my silicone turned soft.

Then I remembered I'd bought some Tamiya light curing putty and while I made a mess the last time I tried using it, this time I stirred the putty around a bit to ensure that all components were mixed thoroughly. I then pressed the Tamiya putty into the mold, once again making sure I got putty into every nook and cranny.

The mold was placed under my working lamp for two minutes and hey presto! It worked!

Some bits were molded short and there were a couple air bubbles, but this was easily fixed with more putty. Fortunately this part of the undercarriage isn't going to be very visible, but I think once in place it will do the job standing up against the Maglite Brigade.

 

Quick pics but I hope you get the idea.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2012 by Kyrre

[LSP_Kevin]

That's brilliant!

 

Kev

[Vandy 1 VX 4]

Nice Thinking outside the box, I love it. I will have try that one. Cheers

[wunwinglow]

very neat idea. I've both materials in the toolbx so I'll give it a go. Thanks!

 

Tim

[Av8fan]

Would it be this stuff? Called Oyumaru?

 

 

They have it HLJ and other places.

[Kyrre]

Yup. Mine's very much like that, but very clear. I think possibly the advantage of it being clear is that the light curing putty can be applied in thicker layers, since it will be cured from the "inside" as well, if you flip the mold under the light. (Having said that, I don't know if the light gets through the mold in a "good" way.)

Edit: Found it on Amazon, even. http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Mini-or-Not-9001/dp/B005PODIVY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355923389&sr=8-1&keywords=oyumaru

Edited December 19, 2012 by Kyrre

[Kyrre]

Another example of what can be done with this method.
I am not really happy with the Hobbyboss F-84 speedbrake, since the holes don't come all the way through. Having looked at pictures of the original I realised that the Hobbyboss issue isn't entirely correct, but it works for me - as a master. So I press molded the front and the back, applied some light curing putty and then drilled and sanded the parts until satisfactory.
The second picture shows the parts placed on top of each other, but not glued, so not quite as it will be when finished.