Warped mold

[Jig Man]

I have an injection baby brush hog mold.  It sets on a shelf in my garage along with my other aluminum molds.  When I injected it today there was all kinds of flash.  The only way I can get it to work is to add clamps.  Even then there is some flash.

Anyone had this kind of thing happen to an aluminum mold?  Is there a cure?

Edited July 28, 2019 by Jig Man

[Bass-Boys]

never had this happen to a mold  ,

but for other items of aluminum - automotive or what ever .. you can sand um flat . 

 It will take off a very small amount unless it is warped bad .. 

 you need a perfectly flat surface ,,  Glass table top ,,  some counter tops .. pc of steel that has been milled flat ..

 use wet dry sand paper ,, not sure what grit .. maybe 1000 ????     not course at all ..

  tape sand paper down grit side up and move mold half in a figure 8 motion with your hand,,

 you should see the high spots on the mold getting sanded rite a way .

 would be a good Idea to get more opinions on grit of sand paper.

 for clear coat Car paint repair  I have used as mild as 2000 grit 

 

[Jig Man]

Thanks that is a good idea and one that I had not thought of.

[Basseducer]

Jig Man, if it has a hinge you might check it. I had one with an add-on hinge do the same thing. I ended up replacing the hinge to fix it.

[Jig Man]

3 hours ago, Basseducer said:

Jig Man, if it has a hinge you might check it. I had one with an add-on hinge do the same thing. I ended up replacing the hinge to fix it.

No hinge but thanks for the idea.  I am going to have to get materials and go to a shop that has a flat work table.

[Frank]

Well that will work on one side of the mold but the side with pins it won’t. You will have to take them out and reinstall after. But I think one of the corners got damaged and needs to be filed down. This is more of a usual thing that would happen. Take a close look and see where the high spot is. Bumping them or dropping them will cause this.  

[Baitjunkys]

Im with frank, Check for a burr from a drop or something, Aluminum dont warp on the shelf.

[Jig Man]

Ok that is another thing I didn’t think of.  I haven’t dropped it but have some high school kids from the fishing team who come over and make baits.

[Jig Man]

I closely inspected the mold.  There is no apparent corner damage.  When I assemble it and press it together there is a slight gap either at a top corner or the opposite bottom corner.  So I guess I may be back to.Bass-Boys sanding idea.  One of my fishing buddies used to own a cabinet shop.  I’m going to try to get his assistance with this problem.

[joe406]

2 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I closely inspected the mold.  There is no apparent corner damage.  When I assemble it and press it together there is a slight gap either at a top corner or the opposite bottom corner.  So I guess I may be back to.Bass-Boys sanding idea.  One of my fishing buddies used to own a cabinet shop.  I’m going to try to get his assistance with this problem.

I think your problem is going to be difficult.  I have very limited experience with wood or metal.  With that being said, my guess is that first you will have to figure out which half is warped/bent (if not both).  I would also suspect that if the middle is the "high" area, sanding the middle and making the surface a plane that fits the other half is going to be a challenge.  Best of luck, please let us know how you get it done.

Joe

[Bass-Boys]

when you find your flat surface you can lay it on there and see if it rocks back and forth.

 if not then use a flash lite to shine between mold and flat surface , with lights  in room turned down . 

 Then you will have an idea where the highs and lows are .

 Also use a black sharpie to coat the surface of the mold to be sanded , after a couple swipes on the sand paper this will show where the highs and lows are for sure .

 

[Jig Man]

I have rocked the one side and it seems high in the middle.  I will pull the pins and check the other side.