Now I’m wanting to make my own Fibreglass Proton pack shell
i’m currently producing a buck out of MDF once i’m done i want to make a mould to use for my fibreglass shell
I was wanting some more experienced members to enlighten me on my options and their experiences
Its been suggested to me to make a mould from plaster of Paris or some other plaster, basically once the buck is done place it in some form work, larger than it obviously then fill to a level surface with said plaster.
then when dry flip over remove the buck from the mould then fibreglass away filling detailed parts with resin first to mean less detail to be formed with the fibreglass itself
or similar to above only using latex over the buck first using the dipping method to create a thick mould around it, powder it and remove it from the buck, then form work, plaster etc for a solid mould then fibreglass
and I’ve seen from looking at Venkmans plans and his site, silicone, then fibreglass to create a decent mother mould
however that would be used for more than one pack and would have a longevity i do not require, i’d just crack the mould off the finished fibreglass shell and dispose of it, as i’d have the buck to start again if i needed it
besides i saw the figure of £500 banded around and that is crazy for one pack i could just buy a v71
erm yeah i’m a n00b to this so forgive me, be gentle braces himself
should i done the flame shields? I did search but couldn’t find all the answers i was looking for
Well to be honest, the whole point of making a mold is to mass produces pieces. If not mass then at least a few. I don’t think the costs for making a mold just for one pack is worth it. Your better off buying a pre made fiber glass shell from someone on these boards. By the time you factor in mold cost, time, fiberglass and resin, supplies to make the mold your probably way over what it would cost to just by a made shell. Might not be the answer your looking for but might be the best route in your situation.
Not necessarily. The reason that a mold is so expensive usually is because a good one requires a ton more than a 1-off. You can get away with a single gallon of silicone rubber, whereas for a mold to make a series of shells you want a much more structurally sound and secure product so you are going to get 3-5 gallons. Not to mention you’re going to need to fabricate a fiberglass shell around that for support which’ll add to the cost. But a 1-off can get away with skipping that, or at the very least using a lesser amount.
So when it all is said and done it’ll be pricey, absolutely. However I think it can be done at least in an equal cost. Maybe not less but at least equal, such as $300-$400. That’s also after the cost of the resin, fiberglass, mud, mold release, and everything else.
But the fact hes a beginner is working against him too. Fiberglass isn’t easy and the room for error is pretty large when just starting out. So assuming he hit a home run and does everything perfect first shot, then yes prob 300-400. If any mess ups occur than the cost is gonna escalate (obviously) . If your a beginner, its better to try smaller projects first. Even if he does just the gun body to get a feel for the material its better than wasting all that money on a mold to just screw it up.
practice makes perfect though, if not start now , then when ? You have to start sometime, I say Research it Gibbs, if after you’ve gotten all your advice, budgeted how much it will cost you, and you still want to do it. Then, do it.
over the buck, then remove forming a plaster shell around it not work for a one off mould?
surely after removing that from the buck and flipping it over, i could work the resin/fibreglass into the latex mould for my purposes?
Importing a fibreglass Proton pack to the UK will cost a bomb and runs the risk of loss or damage with the royal mail our notoriously bad postal service one it arrives into the country
see to do what i’ve suggested i’ve costed it up at
Latex £30 / $49
Plaster of paris £30 / $49
Fibreglass (in kit form with resin) £45 / $75
that comes to less than $400 before postage (likely $100)
or am i missing things i’d need for the moulding process?
the buck is virtually free, my dad’s a joiner and we’ve already cut out everything except the cycloton and i’ve only spent £16 / $26 on a hot glue gun,glue and some embroidery rings for the cycloton
If your choosing to cast a mold then good luck. You seem to have it all planned out and fairly inexpensive so that’s a plus. Take some pics so we can see the process if you can. Also, since your using MDF make sure to seal it properly as that stuff will soak up any type type of moisture like a sponge.
yeah i’m hoping to start a progress blog once in the next few days, and i’m going to makesure to seal the mdf since its porous
I completed the general shapes of the Iron arm, Gun Mount, EDA, Booster and powercell last night, just need the ribs so i’m getting some balsa wood for that, then i need to make sure the details are as close to stefans plans as i can do them
I can see why people cast the pack without the iron arm, its huge when placed where it should be, i think it would be best casting that separately as i cannot see a way to so it in the mould with out having a really unusual shape that could be very unwieldy, it would be good to try and incorporate it all though…doubt it but it would be nice to try
I hope i’ve got the general idea right, i’ve emailed a few artist/company’s who had websites detailing casting with silicone,resin and fibreglass for their opinions so hopefully they will come back to me as soon as
I’ve got to give credit to my dad for “collecting” pieces of MDF from work and where possible cutting to shape
I’m so great full for all of your input guys, i’m going to take it onboard and see what i can do, i may make a plaster cast of a smaller item (maybe the iron arm…) then try and fibreglass that and see how it goes first
once i’ve done the pack i’m going to order some stuff from MMM and Nick-a-Tron for the thrower etc
i was even thinking of making 2 throwers with one being TVG style and then making the pack modular so a slime tank can be added
but one step at a time, i’ll complete the pack first i think
yes, def cast the ion arm separate. adding it to the mold just makes it bigger. Also, now you have this deep hole your trying to work fiberglass into and the resin will want to pool at the bottom of the arm. Put it in the same mold off to the side and cast it along with the main body. I would cast the arm beveled part ( part facing to the out side of the pack when installed) down. Then take a piece of plastic, cut it to the right size and “cap” the shell of the ion arm you just created. If you do do this, make sure you subtract the thickness of the plastic from the ion arms overall width so you don’t end up with a piece thats too wide by 1/8" or 1/4" depending on what you decide to use. ( was that a run on sentence? oh well).
