This is a bit of a followup to a conversation I had with Dave Chanter about possible ways to make lightweight futuristic nerf guns, but I suspect others might be curious.
That covers making a resin mold of an existing prop, not exactly what we were discussing, but similar and still interesting.
The current edition of make (32) has an article about some guys who made full Warhammer 40k space marine outfits using vacuum forming. This is pretty much what my suggested direction was, with cnc cut parts to make the molds.
FYI: More Background, Some friends and I will be attempting to make props of weapons & other costume items from the Mass Effect Series of video games. Hopefully in preparation for a good showing at the Penny Arcade Expo next year.
Expect to see me in the space working away on guns and armour if all goes well. If this interests anyone else then let me know, the more the merrier.
On Thursday, 11 October 2012 23:26:40 UTC+11, John Spencer wrote:
> Hi Everyone
> This is a bit of a followup to a conversation I had with Dave Chanter > about possible ways to make lightweight futuristic nerf guns, but I > suspect others might be curious.
> Make recently ran an article that was basically a repeat of one in Make > 24:
> That covers making a resin mold of an existing prop, not exactly what we > were discussing, but similar and still interesting.
> The current edition of make (32) has an article about some guys who made > full Warhammer 40k space marine outfits using vacuum forming. This is > pretty much what my suggested direction was, with cnc cut parts to make > the molds.
What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy to carve etc.
Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release film.
After than, laminate with glass fibre!
Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can be dissolved out with acetone.
I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.com for more info.
The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy to carve etc.
Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release film.
After than, laminate with glass fibre!
Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can be dissolved out with acetone.
I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.com for more info.
The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
> What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy to carve etc.
> Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release film.
> After than, laminate with glass fibre!
> Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can be dissolved out with acetone.
> I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.com for more info.
> The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
> Sam, @samotage
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Some more exploration around how this guy did things (you should be able to
find his website) shows some very cool hits and misses and great ideas for
different ways to do this...
Hope this helps.
On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, John Spencer
<john.spencer.9...@gmail.com>wrote:
> I like the idea of using foam. I've heard of people routing it, but I'll
> have to do more research.
> With the hard coating is the mold reusable?
> John S
> On 13/10/2012, at 8:14 AM, samotage <sam.sa...@esskware.com.au> wrote:
> > What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy to
> carve etc.
> > Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the
> surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release
> film.
> > After than, laminate with glass fibre!
> > Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can be
> dissolved out with acetone.
> > I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, and
> its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.com for
> more info.
> > The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
> > Sam, @samotage
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There is a whole heap of interesting videos on the
http://www.youtube.com/user/jamesbruton youtube channel, he is currently
building an iron-man costume. Starting from expanded foam based on
papercraft models which he seals, then paints, to give an ok costume, He
then created molds from those and casted / fibreglassed to give the current
one.
On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Keith Franks <keithdfra...@gmail.com>wrote:
> Some more exploration around how this guy did things (you should be able
> to find his website) shows some very cool hits and misses and great ideas
> for different ways to do this...
> Hope this helps.
> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, John Spencer <john.spencer.9...@gmail.com
> > wrote:
>> I like the idea of using foam. I've heard of people routing it, but I'll
>> have to do more research.
>> With the hard coating is the mold reusable?
>> John S
>> On 13/10/2012, at 8:14 AM, samotage <sam.sa...@esskware.com.au> wrote:
>> > What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy
>> to carve etc.
>> > Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the
>> surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release
>> film.
>> > After than, laminate with glass fibre!
>> > Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can
>> be dissolved out with acetone.
>> > I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques,
>> and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.comfor more info.
>> > The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
>> > Sam, @samotage
>> > --
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>> Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.
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The texture there actually looks worse than it is. There are a few
problems with it caused by my meshcam paths (and the difference between
climb and conventional milling). This particular foam is slightly rubbery,
which may mean I have the wrong stuff.
The piece of foam is 80mm deep but the model is only 40mm, so there's a
fair bit of wasted depth. I machined this at a maximum speed of
2400mm/minute, but in reality it rarely got over about 600mm/minute due
to acceleration. I used a 1/4" 4 flute upspiral bit that was 3" long with
1" of blades. Most of it was machined at 6500-7000rpm, however without the
dust extractor running the blue foam electrostatically stuck to the sensor
and it would occasional spin up to 32000rpm. I ran the dust extractor for
the first half of the machine, but realised it was making a lot of noise
for not a lot of benefit as foam still ended up almost everywhere.
It also took about an hour and a half. Definitely have to work on the
toolpaths.
On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Zac Watts <zwa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is a whole heap of interesting videos on the
> http://www.youtube.com/user/jamesbruton youtube channel, he is currently
> building an iron-man costume. Starting from expanded foam based on
> papercraft models which he seals, then paints, to give an ok costume, He
> then created molds from those and casted / fibreglassed to give the current
> one.
> On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Keith Franks <keithdfra...@gmail.com>wrote:
>> Hey, I was looking into this a while back and found this link:
>> Some more exploration around how this guy did things (you should be able
>> to find his website) shows some very cool hits and misses and great ideas
>> for different ways to do this...
>> Hope this helps.
>> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, John Spencer <
>> john.spencer.9...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I like the idea of using foam. I've heard of people routing it, but I'll
>>> have to do more research.
>>> With the hard coating is the mold reusable?
>>> John S
>>> On 13/10/2012, at 8:14 AM, samotage <sam.sa...@esskware.com.au> wrote:
>>> > What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy
>>> to carve etc.
>>> > Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray
>>> the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release
>>> film.
>>> > After than, laminate with glass fibre!
>>> > Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can
>>> be dissolved out with acetone.
>>> > I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques,
>>> and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on
>>> rcgroups.com for more info.
>>> > The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
>>> > Sam, @samotage
>>> > --
>>> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
>>> Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group.
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>>> connected-community-hackerspace@googlegroups.com.
>>> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
>>> connected-community-hackerspace+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
>>> > To view this discussion on the web, visit
>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/cLc... >>> .
>>> > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>>> --
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> The texture there actually looks worse than it is. There are a few > problems with it caused by my meshcam paths (and the difference between > climb and conventional milling). This particular foam is slightly rubbery, > which may mean I have the wrong stuff.
> The piece of foam is 80mm deep but the model is only 40mm, so there's a > fair bit of wasted depth. I machined this at a maximum speed of > 2400mm/minute, but in reality it rarely got over about 600mm/minute due > to acceleration. I used a 1/4" 4 flute upspiral bit that was 3" long with > 1" of blades. Most of it was machined at 6500-7000rpm, however without the > dust extractor running the blue foam electrostatically stuck to the sensor > and it would occasional spin up to 32000rpm. I ran the dust extractor for > the first half of the machine, but realised it was making a lot of noise > for not a lot of benefit as foam still ended up almost everywhere.
> It also took about an hour and a half. Definitely have to work on the > toolpaths.
> Anyway, I'll bring it in Tuesday and people can have a look.
> John S
> On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Zac Watts <zwa...@gmail.com <javascript:> > > wrote:
>> There is a whole heap of interesting videos on the >> http://www.youtube.com/user/jamesbruton youtube channel, he is currently >> building an iron-man costume. Starting from expanded foam based on >> papercraft models which he seals, then paints, to give an ok costume, He >> then created molds from those and casted / fibreglassed to give the current >> one.
>> On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Keith Franks <keithd...@gmail.com<javascript:> >> > wrote:
>>> Hey, I was looking into this a while back and found this link:
>>> Some more exploration around how this guy did things (you should be able >>> to find his website) shows some very cool hits and misses and great ideas >>> for different ways to do this...
>>> Hope this helps.
>>> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, John Spencer <john.spe...@gmail.com<javascript:> >>> > wrote:
>>>> I like the idea of using foam. I've heard of people routing it, but >>>> I'll have to do more research.
>>>> With the hard coating is the mold reusable?
>>>> John S
>>>> On 13/10/2012, at 8:14 AM, samotage <sam....@esskware.com.au<javascript:>> >>>> wrote:
>>>> > What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy >>>> to carve etc.
>>>> > Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray >>>> the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release >>>> film.
>>>> > After than, laminate with glass fibre!
>>>> > Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can >>>> be dissolved out with acetone.
>>>> > I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, >>>> and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on >>>> rcgroups.com for more info.
>>>> > The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
>>>> > Sam, @samotage
>>>> > -- >>>> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group. >>>> > To post to this group, send an email to >>>> connected-community-hackerspace@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. >>>> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> connected-community-hackerspace+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com<javascript:> >>>> . >>>> > To view this discussion on the web, visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/connected-community-hackerspace/-/cLc... >>>> . >>>> > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group. >>>> To post to this group, send an email to >>>> connected-community-hackerspace@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>>> connected-community-hackerspace+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com<javascript:> >>>> . >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Connected Community HackerSpace" group. >>> To post to this group, send an email to >>> connected-community-hackerspace@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> connected-community-hackerspace+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com<javascript:> >>> . >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Connected Community HackerSpace" group. >> To post to this group, send an email to >> connected-community-hackerspace@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> connected-community-hackerspace+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com<javascript:> >> . >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
> I need to get off my ass and into CAD to make the ME guns.
> On Monday, 22 October 2012 11:33:07 UTC+11, John Spencer wrote:
> I just thought I should post a follow up. I had a go machining blue foam yesterday and for my first go it went surprisingly well!
> The texture there actually looks worse than it is. There are a few problems with it caused by my meshcam paths (and the difference between climb and conventional milling). This particular foam is slightly rubbery, which may mean I have the wrong stuff.
> The piece of foam is 80mm deep but the model is only 40mm, so there's a fair bit of wasted depth. I machined this at a maximum speed of 2400mm/minute, but in reality it rarely got over about 600mm/minute due to acceleration. I used a 1/4" 4 flute upspiral bit that was 3" long with 1" of blades. Most of it was machined at 6500-7000rpm, however without the dust extractor running the blue foam electrostatically stuck to the sensor and it would occasional spin up to 32000rpm. I ran the dust extractor for the first half of the machine, but realised it was making a lot of noise for not a lot of benefit as foam still ended up almost everywhere.
> It also took about an hour and a half. Definitely have to work on the toolpaths.
> Anyway, I'll bring it in Tuesday and people can have a look.
> John S
> On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Zac Watts <zwa...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is a whole heap of interesting videos on the http://www.youtube.com/user/jamesbruton youtube channel, he is currently building an iron-man costume. Starting from expanded foam based on papercraft models which he seals, then paints, to give an ok costume, He then created molds from those and casted / fibreglassed to give the current one.
> On Sun, Oct 14, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Keith Franks <keithd...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hey, I was looking into this a while back and found this link:
> Some more exploration around how this guy did things (you should be able to find his website) shows some very cool hits and misses and great ideas for different ways to do this...
> Hope this helps.
> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:17 PM, John Spencer <john.spe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I like the idea of using foam. I've heard of people routing it, but I'll have to do more research.
> With the hard coating is the mold reusable?
> John S
> On 13/10/2012, at 8:14 AM, samotage <sam....@esskware.com.au> wrote:
> > What you should do is use polystyrene foam for the shaped mould, easy to carve etc.
> > Then use the 3M #77 spread adhesive (safe for polystyrene) to spray the surface and apply box tape (use heat gun on curves) to act as a release film.
> > After than, laminate with glass fibre!
> > Fill, sand, finish and paint. The "mold" will either pop off, or can be dissolved out with acetone.
> > I've made many RC plane fuselages and moulds using these techniques, and its easy and fast. Have a look on some of my threads on rcgroups.com for more info.
> > The only thing is an appreciation for sand papering :)
> > Sam, @samotage
> > --
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On 22/10/2012, at 11:32 AM, John Spencer <john.spencer.9...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I just thought I should post a follow up. I had a go machining blue foam yesterday and for my first go it went surprisingly well!
> ...This particular foam is slightly rubbery, which may mean I have the wrong stuff.
It's not unknown to machine rubber - but it's usually done after freezing in LN2.
Not sure how well your foam would freeze due to being a good thermal insulator,
but OTOH that could help - immerse the foam overnight so it freezes hard and
you could machine it to a good surface before it defrosts.
On Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 5:16 PM, samotage <sam.sa...@esskware.com.au> wrote:
> Did you get blue snot?
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