Senkosam Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Can resin molds produce the same detail as aluminum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 I have several resin molds and I love 'em. I don't think the detail is quite that of aluminum, but they make a darn nice bait...............and the price is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Thanks. We have a Micheals Craft opening next month and I know they sell resin kits for making copies of jewelry. I have some protypes that I must mold for the coming season and need the detail which plaster lacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 As I'm sure you know, I do all of my molds in resin. I think resin will duplicate detail better than aluminum. Aluminum is more consistent however. Resin will pick up a thumb print on clay. And when you pour, you can see that print in the cured plastic I don't think you can get much more detail than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Just wanted to add, save your money! The kit at Michael's is nothing special!!! Wal-Mart sells 1 qt w/hardener for $9. Kragen or Auto Zone even Home Depot, has 1 gallon w/hardener for $25. I have used over 12 different brands of resin, including the kit you mentioned. All of the resin performs exactly the same!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish03 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Woodsac have you tried resin for making any of the foamie style crankbaits? Do you think it will work as well as regular Bondo? Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted March 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Thanks Jake I plan on making 2 doz. molds and $25/ gal. seems more economical. I'm talking small molds, single pour and a few double sided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Woodsac have you tried resin for making any of the foamie style crankbaits? Do you think it will work as well as regular Bondo?Robert Robert I haven't tried it for that purpose. I think the problem here is that fiberglass resin is extremely firm and non-giving. It makes it very hard to remove a hard master from the mold. You risk damaging your final product while trying to remove it from the mold. Resin also encounters a small amount of shrinkage. So both sides of your lure might not be exact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish03 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Well I know it can be done especially if they are using Bondo to do the standard ones. I was more curious about the shrinkage issue with soft baits its not as critical. I just like the smoothness of the fiberglass resin but I guess the bondo wouldnt be too much different. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Couldn't hurt to try We're only talking about maybe 10-12 oz of resin? Just try to keep the amount of catalyst as low as possible to help prevent shrinkage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Frank watch out for 2 sided molds in resin. I tried it but the heat it produces as it cures warped the mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish03 Posted March 9, 2005 Report Share Posted March 9, 2005 Well that answers my question also. Guess I will stick to Bondo body filler or try Durhams since I have 25lbs of it. Great to experiment with. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted March 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Durham's is pretty good for detail (much better than plaster). Fish n Fool gave me the low down. The prototypes I plan to mold are the soft plastic hybrids I posted in the hybrid forum - no hard stuff. Mostly grubs, finesse worms, craws and slider grubs. No creatures or beavers or anything with fine appendages. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littletroutchaser Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 i have a micheals right hear by my house,what exactly is resin i would like to try and make my own molds!thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 Well that's kinda the point I was trying to make If you go to Michaels, you can probably find resin, but you're going to pay way too much for it! I use fiberglass resin. Primarily used for repairing boats or automotive body work. It has to have catalyst mixed with it to activate it. The catalyst causes a heat reaction and turns the liquid to a solid after it cures. Go to Home Depot or your local Kragen or Auto Zone and look for resin in the auto body section. At Home Depot it's near the paint. Usually around the epoxy and glues. Look in the 'How-To' section under soft plastics. There is a tutorial there for reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littletroutchaser Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 thank you very much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overkill Posted March 12, 2005 Report Share Posted March 12, 2005 The only good thing about micheals is that they put out 40% and 50% coupons in the paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish03 Posted March 12, 2005 Report Share Posted March 12, 2005 Those do come in handy now and then though Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave V Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 What do you use for a releasing agent when making a mold from a hard master like clay? I would think it would adhere to the hard master. Thanks, Dave V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted October 2, 2005 Report Share Posted October 2, 2005 It'd safer not to use a "hard" master. Use old plastic to make a soft master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 You can release polyester resin from itself, or almost anything else with a release agent. Wax is used, sometimes along with a spray on release agent that amounts to vaseline in a solvent so it goes on real thin. You could make a master of almost any shape out of wax. You can get waxes that are as hard as the resin will be (shore D 65) called machining wax. Casting wax is a little softer, but still makes masters that can be carved in exquisite detail. The wax will melt at a temperature low enough so the mold isn't hurt. I think some candle waxes might work well as well. parafin is a little bit too soft. You can pour casting wax into a mold that isn't undercut, or any mold made out of silicone rubber, then trim and shape and even add material by dipping a small brush in melted wax and applying it. Walla, a new and improved version. One thing to remember is that polyester resin shrinks about 3%. If the master is too hard, something has to give. That's why most master molds are made from Silicone. Epoxy would work if you had to have a hard one, for instance if you wanted to reproduce it in metal with a stylus type reproduction setup. I'm still looking for the best way to get from a good idea to many multi cavity molds. jm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snippp Posted October 3, 2005 Report Share Posted October 3, 2005 Priced some resin locally today. All places carried Bondo fiberglass resin. Walmart 1 qt. $10.84 Kragen 1 qt. $12.97 Home Depot 1 Gal. $31.97 Syd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm Posted October 4, 2005 Report Share Posted October 4, 2005 Here's where I get mine. I use Silmar 41 for molds. http://www.shopmaninc.com/polyesters.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass1cpr Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I make a hard master for my craw chunk using two part epoxy. I used a coated mold. I gave the mold three coats of mold release wax that we use in boat molds. I let it set up for ablut a day then started cutting away the old mold. when I got down to a thin coat of plaster I started peeling it away from the hard master with an exacto knife. The mold cating peeled away from the new master I wasn't sure it would but with some patience it peeled away. Now I have a hard master and can reproduce molds faster and with out all the irregularities I use to get with plastisol masters. It's been great and the detail is outstanding. Now when I pour a new mold I place it under a light to soften up the master making it more pliable. I start at the tip of the claw and slowly work it up on one side then do the other claw. When I have both claws loose I work the arms a little and lift slowly working the body of the trailer out. I only lost one mold because I wasn't being patient enough. Just a little touch up around the edges and then I cure it. Next day I start the coating of the mold with the two ton epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 jm, do you add a color to the silmar 41? If you do, what kind? Thanks, pop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...