Vodkaman

My ex-wife left me for the washing machine. So That is where I pour mine (on top, not inside)(on top of the washing machine, not the ex-wife).

What mildly irritates me, is the feeling of being on a reality TV show. TU is our house and all these strangers are looking in. I just checked out the 'who's online' feature. Online were 18 members and 35 non-members. Of the members, only two were in the gallery and none viewing personal profiles. Of the non-members, 8 were in the gallery and 4 viewing personal data. The personal profile section should be closed to non-members and just a random selection of gallery should be made available only. Enough has to be made available so as to attract new members, but by opening everything, who needs to join. TU is getting big and needs a lot of work to keep it at the standard that we want. I would sooner pay than consider the alternative of having those tedious mortgage adds, or 'click here for your free visa to the USA'. You then try to close the thing, to read what's hidden, then it's gotcha.

Nova. Nothing directed towards your post. In the world of computers and electronics, CNC is very low-tech. What commands the big bucks, as DelW explained, is experience of the engineer operating the system. Just grasping the very basics is not that difficult, but the experience to get it right first time, every time, can take many years. But we are only cutting a few body molds using 3-axis. Providing we accept that a few mistakes are going to be made, possibly the odd expensive mistake too. Then CNC is very do-able to anyone with the aptitude to learn and a good feel for engineering. It's not for everyone. An evening course in a local tech college, as mentioned earlier in this thread, would be a very good idea.

The only thing that is fifty years old and not worth squat is my aching body! Your lures probably hold an appreciating value. How about some pics.

Everything that has been written in this thread is true, but grossly overstated in places. Because we are not trying to machine the parachute release mechanism for the next generation space shuttle, then we probably won’t need to purchase a $100,000+ machine. Also, you are going to feel like your not making the most of your 8’x4’ CNC router table if your cutting a mold for a 3” crank body. The fact is that there are many smaller sized machines out there at a fraction of the cost of the ‘big boys’, that possibly could get the job you want, done. They are out there on the WWW and most have associated member web sites for users, just like TU, where you can ask questions and get dodgy answers. Research is the key and make sure you get ALL the answers before moving to the next step. As for software. Again, true. This stuff is very expensive at the sharp end of the industry. But, for some simple 3-axis machining g-code and a little CAD modeling, I’m sure there are a lot of choices that come a bit more wallet friendly. The machines that I checked out, mostly offer compatible software as an extra or even part of the deal. True, NASA probably don’t use these for their space flight R+D program, but there again, what do they know about fishing lures. I am not suggesting that pirate software is a good idea either, apart from being a bit illegal, you don’t know what these little hacker nasties have added to the code for their own entertainment. But if you are just looking for yourself, no big company is going to come knocking at your door, at least they haven’t found me yet, nor the huge Chinese car company that I am indirectly working for. Yes, they are blatantly using pirate software, they are not the only large Chinese car company doing it either. Ironically, the company that I am working for, IS paying and paying BIG. True, if you decide to go ahead, regardless of how much you spend, you have got some hours of studying ahead of you, CAD modeling, G code programming, machining techniques. You are also going to break stuff, Just try to preserve at least a couple of fingers for ordering drinks. Mostly, you have to ask the question WHY? Because I could not answer this question satisfactorily, I set aside the project for now, but re-appraise the situation occasionally, usually when a thread like this one comes along. There are three things that I was personally looking for: Speed, accuracy and labor/time saving. It is not really going to help you with the speed. By the time you have read the first chapter of the CAD manual, in fact, in the time it has taken me to write this post, I could have carved a master. So speed, definitely not. Accuracy. Yes, the two halves will be perfectly symmetrical, at least until you started manually polishing off the machining marks. They do not come off the machine nice and shiny, that process takes time, effort, care, experience and skill. Yes, two halves, that’s the best you are going to achieve with 3-axis CNC. As for time/labor saving, I think I have adequately covered that in the two previous paragraphs. I still want one, but I’m still not convinced for my applications at this time. Send a PM to Rossrods, he has been doing some work with small CNC machines. Try a Google on maxnc. I have heard their after sales service is not too good, but it is a good place to start your research. I wish you lots of luck and if you do move forward with this project, I would like to hear of your progress, post or PM me. My best advice is to read up on RTV and what it can do for you.

Big YES from me.

shape the snake out of. My picture shows that it is possible. Obviously spend a lot more time than I did. One thing I learned, after rolling, cut a flat before getting into detail work, or you'll destroy the work trying to cut a flat.

Could have been some trapped air around. A good solution, that has been discussed a lot lately, is to brush some resin over the masters. This wets the surface and gives the bubbles nothing to bind to. Time how long it takes to go off, then next time you will know how long to stir and how long to let it settle before pouring, with a descent safety margin of course. Still time for another try.

I poured some lead ballast weights yesturday, after an hour. They were fine. You can judge the surface, if it is not tacky, it is OK.

This took about 15 minutes. I tried to cram it into my mold box, but just could not get it in. I'll have to make a bigger box.

It may sound silly, but why not make the master out of plasticine, I think it's called silly putty in USA. Simply roll it out (get the kids to help), you can easily carve the markings on the surface, even press some netting into the surface for instant scales. I molded a tarantula a few months ago, just as an experiment. The spider was made of plasticine and it came out great. You will need to bottom pour, ie. fix the master to the bottom of a tin and pour the pop over the master.

Riplip. I would definately stick with th rotating table. The microwaves bounce around and tend to focus at certain positions, causing hot spots. Rotating helps reduce the problem to a hot hoop! King. 1250 is BIG, but it will come down to you testing for the right times. Even two micro's the same will have different times. It is the same problem with the pots, that have been discussed many times. The problem I think is the crappy thermostats they use and the 'stat is not in the middle of the plastic, where you want it. I used to make brewing vats for mashing beer. I could control the temp at 150f and hold it to 1/2 a degree for four hours, using electronics with a couple of thermistors. The technology is there and not expensive, but these companies choose not to spoil you.

It is still necessary to break up the heating times. Microwave heating is not constant, but has hot spots, also the microwaves cannot penetrate very deep. This is why all microwaves have a rotating platter and the packet always says "leave to stand for one minute". This is to allow the heat to spread throughout the food. If you blasted the plastic for too long, you could burn part of the plastic, while other areas are not there yet. Most members have written, heat for two minutes, stir, then 30 secs and stir, until the correct temperature is reached. Each microwave heats at different rates, so it is best to do some tests, to find out the best times for your equipment. Obviously, the amount of plastic that you are heating affects the timing, so it is best to be consistant with the amount you heat each time. Very soon you develope a 'feel' for the timing.

Absolutely correct. You can hear the power switching in and out.

I've booked a holiday tomorrow, would not miss this one. I worked in Germany in '96. That year England lost on penalties. The bar was a Turkish bar, I nearly stayed home. To my surprise, everyone was rootin' for England. After the match, everyone gets in the car and promenades around the town, horns blaring (Have you any idea how annoying this is!). With the strong Turkish presence in Germany, the atmosphere is going to be awesome, just wish I was there (schwaebisch hall).

I'm actually sealing some PoP right now. The fifth coat went on 30 mins ago, and it is still not ready. Number six goes on at bed time and will throw another on regardless, before I leave for work in the morning. I think that the original mix of the PoP could have an effect on the sealing. This particular mix was 1:1 by weight. It was a bit thin and had some water left on the surface. So maybe the pours pores were larger than a thicker mix. I know I don't normally require this many coats.

Diemai. You could well have read it here, it was mentioned back in February and covered two weeks ago (thanks to JrHopkins). I have included the link so anyone can catch up with the tecnique. http://www.tackleunderground.com/forum/hard-baits/13607-attaching-fiber-fins.html That bait is looking so good.

With only two coats of 50/50, you probably have not filled all the pores of the PoP. The surface of PoP is like a micro sponge, all the pores give the plastic something to hold on to. I would add another couple of coats and give the final coat 24 hours before pouring. The time may seem excessive, but by this time you have invested a lot of work, so why risk spoiling it. When the elmers is dry, it should have a shiny surface. If it is the slightest bit dulled, it needs at least another coat.

Natural. I did read your suggestion of the dowel insert and have been chewing over since then. I think it is a very good idea. Increases the contact area of the glue.

What about 7 strand. Once it is kinked to the shape you want, it will hold the shape and spring back. A touch of super glue will stop it unravelling. Most hobby shops carry it. You need a good pair of snips to get a clean cut.

What's next? How do you want it to swim? How deep? What lip do you have in mind? Time to make some decisions. I do like the shape.

I tried an experiment last week. I mixed a teaspoon of silicone micro spheres with some vaseline. The theory being that, if the vaseline gets absorbed, which it does, a thin layer of silicone dust will keep the surfaces separated. It worked. As MDC stated, vaseline does work, this just worked a bit better. This trial was with RTV, but has to be worth a trial with polyester resin. The micro spheres may help with the shrinkage of the mold if you mix it with the polyester resin. Detail will still be good, only the mold will be opaque white rather than transparent pink (well mine is pink!). As this stuff is relatively cheap compared with RTV, it is worth experimenting with and teaching us all a thing or two. For my bodies, I mix 3.5grams of spheres with 20 grams of resin. This is quite a thick mix, so I would suggest 2.5 - 3.0 grams per 20 gram of resin, for a little more fluidity. Keep us all informed of your progress.

I've never tried to split a body. I would be too nervous of screwing up after all the work. I dowel two pieces of 10mm thick balsa sheets together with wooden BBQ skewers or satay sticks. This way I can shape until perfect and simply pull apart. One solution to your hanger problem is to cut a trench, as mentioned by Diemai above, but I would cut it along the back. This would leave room for the ballast in the belly. Filling the trench is no problem, with a little filler. Regarding sanding finer, not much point at this stage, as balsa is so 'hairy'. It will need sealing though. I cannot advise on what to use for this, as every time I suggest something, it turns out not to be water proof. One favourite here on TU, is thinned epoxy. This will soak into the wood surface and give you something solid to work with. After sealing, you could finish the surface with 600 grit, a bit fine, but it is what I have lying around.

I think most people bottom mount the masters, rather than floating. I think bottom mounting gives more control over the split line. But I had trouble finding a technique for the bottom mounting. It would be interesting to hear how everyone else does this.

A tip I received here on TU (thanks) is to paint a layer of the RTV onto the master first, just before pouring. This "wets" the surface and gives the bubble nothing to attach to. Also, pour slowly, away from the master and allow the RTV to find its own route across the master pattern. Ideally, you should invest in a vaccuum chamber. This would definately solve the problem. I have read on suppliers web sites that the chamber is recommended. This causes the bubbles to expand to many times their normal size and they come to the surface very quickly. Not sure how long the vaccuum operation is, not more than a minute is my guess. If you make a lot of molds, this is the way to go, but if you just make the occasional mold, like me at the moment, method 1 works for me. Obviously, find a mixing technique that does not whip too much air into the mix. Most instructions (I always read the instructions!) suggest a figure 8 motion. What ever! Some of the RTV's have a very small working time before they start to go off. My next purchase will buy me at least fifteen minutes of working time, even if it is at the expense of set time. Whats the rush!