Vodkaman

I have never used these kinds of heavy sealers that involve days of soaking and so on. There is a terrific thread on stripersonline.com titled 'Plug sealing experiment' posted Dec 11, 2007, by Woodbuster. There is a massive amount of very useful information there, if you want a good read. Stripers have sharp teeth like the muskie, and so these sealing techniques are used extensively by stripers members. I am not providing a link, as I don't think it is fair to the other forum, but well worth a visit. Dave

Fishon - thanks for the reply. I brought it up because you mentioned that you do stuff for the automotive industry. You certainly live in the right place for that opportunity. I worked in the Chrysler Jeep design office a few years back. Most Auto customers would usually insist that you not only had CAD, but the same system as the customer. BUT, given the types of parts that you specialize in, this certainly would not be necessary. I guess this is more applicable for shaped panel tool machining. The lure stuff that I design is never going to a CNC shop, it is designed for rapid prototype (RP) ABS 3D printing. From the print model of a mold negative, I then pour a silicone mold. RP and silicone means that I can have lots of undercuts with no 3-axis limitations. I can make the parts exactly how I want them. As you see from the pic below, the complexity of the mold plate would not be feasible without CAD. Dave

Dieter - glad you jumped in here, I was just about to link all your stuff DAve

Grundlman - so is your silicone mold one piece or two? DAve

I would say that the most important piece of equipment is a turner, to get a smooth, even epoxy finish. Dave

Fishon-son - All this G-code, mesh and all the rest is all well and good. BUT, in the real world, you do use CAD, yes? DAve

As this thread is instructional, can you please post the pics here - thanks, good job. Dave

Ah yes, there are additional issues to be dealt with, not unsermountable though. At the initial stage of product testing, it is well worth knowing that you do not need to commit specialist equipment before seeing any results. Once the decision is made, a small UV lamp setup may well be very convenient and not too expensive. Dave

Catia V5 is a system that can be adapted to just about any design industries requirements, but accordingly it is a huge system. You only need to learn the sections that apply to you. Catia V5 is now windows based and can but run successfully on just about any system without having to buy anything special. The Catia V5 is made available, unofficially, free for anyone and can be downloaded using the torrent system, just like downloading a movie. The company does this, to allow anyone to train up on their software and thus make the Catia product more attractive to industry, as more users of Catia are in the market. You cannot buy this software, it is only available OFFICIALLY under a very expensive license. Lots of free training materials on the web also. DAve

As a hobby builder, special lights are not necessary. I would simply plug my lure turner into an extension cable and move it outside. No, it won't cure in 4 seconds, but 30 minutes is plenty convenient for me and more than enough time for natural UV cure, even on a cloudy day. Dave

Kent - not sure what you mean by free form; do you mean drawing a simple surface and then pulling the shape around. I use Catia V5 and use engineering construction. Dave

The only way a silicone mold is going to wear out, is if you mold the part in one piece and pull the cast out through the pour hole. If this is the case, then if you make a regular two part mold with the silicone, your problems will go away. DAve

It wouldn't work here in Indonesia, all the fish are Halal Dave

Have you tried a smear of oil or something, to hold the halves in place in the mold. Dave

Mark - By soda, I presume you are talking about a baking soda, sodium bicarbonate type formula/product. This reacts vigorously with any acid. The plastic obviously has an acid content as part of its make-up. Dave

Dale - It has been a really good thread. You cannot do everything, just pick out what appeals to you for your project. Dave

Travis - yes, there were problems at the start for everyone, probably for about ten minutes or so. It was resolved and after that it all went smoothly. A very good presentation I might add, particularly worth watching for those just getting started. Dave

I fell asleep - certainly not because of the content of the webinar, but I had been up all night. The last I remember is the paints section. Most unfortunate really, I was sat here clutching my HP-C plus, waiting for the action to begin. I will certainly pick it up from the replay layer on. Although I have not painted with an airbrush before, after 8 years on TU, I have read just about everything on the subject. I was looking forward to the actual painting part. I know there are plenty of vids on the internet to learn with, and when I gather enough enthusiasm on the subject, I will watch them. But, at the moment, I have nothing to paint anyway. I have just started work on a 4" four section lipless perch. The plan is for a hollow resin, to achieve close to neutral buoyancy. I had better get my calculations right, as this one is going from CAD straight to mold. I was thinking that this would be a good project to finally get some painting done, if it swims of course. Dave

Ben's link above did not work, so I have added this link for those wanting the information. Remember, the search function does not accept 3-letter words. The best search word for this subject is 'bloxygen', which is always mentioned in tapping the can discussions. You have to think out of the box when coming up with search words. Dave

It is hard to imagine how the mold can wear out so fast. I assume it is a 2-part mold. DAve

It is a one part, therefore the only reaction is with the atmosphere. I suspect that if you tried to make a mold with the required volume, it would skin over and the rest would not harden. You could apply a skin of the lab metal and then back that up with a 2-part filler. Dave

Dale - it is just an option to consider. Get this job out of the way, then you can experiment. Dave

I didn't get my first calculator until my 2nd year in college. It was log tables for me, as I could not figure the slide rule out. NC was only just starting up, hence the course. Tech moved so fast in those days, now it is moving even faster and no sign of a slow down. Dave

Ben - no joke, this fantastic new material is called AZEK PVC decking. The specifications could have been set up for lure builders, it is that perfect for our application. But some will not use it because it is not wood. Easy to drill, cut and shape. the right density. Completely waterproof. Holds paint and topcoat no problem. Screw eyes hold. BUT IT'S PLASTIC! pfft. Dave

I did a 5 day course on punch card programming, it probably helped. Dave