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Resin for Slot Car Bodies

15K views 41 replies 15 participants last post by  mission65 
#1 ·
I am intending to mould some slot car bodies from die cast models, does anyone know what silicone to use for the mould and what resin to use for the body and most importantly where I can get these from in the UK, my local model shop www.galaxymodels.co.uk stocks resin but is it the right sort?
 
#3 ·
thank you for bringing up this topic julian, it is something i have wanted to have a dabble at for some time now. there is surprisingly little in the way of explanation or name dropping of retailers or companies that sell or market these products. other than a rather bland statement of that an item had been constructed using a resin casting.i am sorry that i c,ant be of direct help to you in your enquiry. it would appear that most of the forum guys have their own sources but are loathe to say so in print. i think that this should come as a resourse in these collums so that everyone can draw on it. make their own mistakes what ever and have at least the option to have a go. perhapse some "names" will oblige with an answer. howmet has come nearest so far with his fascinating recent article on shells and vac forms (nice photos) but no detail as to the origin of the materials used. like you i grope in the dark, (give us a sign) best regards peterjon.
 
#6 ·
I will try and find you the address for Roger Corrie, and American with a massive reputation for producing good stuff.

I will also give the email address of the guy who made my Mega-G F1, he is moving house at the moment so will likely be out of reach for a bit.

I am sure both will be happy to discuss the properties of what they use, so you can find a UK equivelant. To my mind too many resins, at least in HO, are way too heavy to be raceable, but that does not apply with these two gents.

That reminds me I must weigh the Williams....
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
Cheers Deane, that will be useful, I'm not too worried about making bodies for racing, it's more making slot cars that aren't available or very good in HO, BTW I may have a nice die cast Lancia Delta HF Intergrale and a Stratos that will be the basis of my first two bodies.

I crash too much during racing to make a resin body viable for me to race, I need a crash proof body for racing.
 
#10 ·
Hi,

I use Tiranti T20 silicone and G26 two part urethane resin. polyester is too noxious to use my dog used to suffer lying on floor directly above cellar were i was casting and the mix ratios are diffficult. also look up Techsil as i use them for some advanced resins for tyres, resin dyes and crystal clear resins(not found a good one yet). Does this help? don,t think its a trade secret but we all build up a bank of casting tricks from experience . I even ran a day course up here in Manchester on Casting last year.
 
#12 ·
Sure I use Spray wax as release agent for making two part mould but not needed for casting from then on. Used to be Ambersol but brand has changed and so has formulation. I have had problems releasing mould half's but this seems to be sorted with more diligent aplications of release agent.
 
#14 ·
QUOTE (Julian_Boolean @ 3 Apr 2009, 09:00) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>It's a 1/64 die cast one made by CMs. Picture to follow.

I think they are a bit on the small side? If they are the same as the stuff that was marketed as Kyosho 2-3 years ago.

Just to throw something out there, Roger Corrie is the master of adding a material that expands the shell by a set amount. I think there is a material that contracts them too. So if the donor body is too small or too large you use a set amount of this stuff to end up where you want to be.
 
#15 ·
I've heard that if you mix white spirit with the rubber it grows. Quite how you control by how much, I don't know.
Another, more expensive way is to cover the pattern with sheet wax, mould that, then use it as a bigger basic pattern to detail. We used to use that method in the full size prototype car industry.
cheers,
C/S
 
#16 ·
Cant add too much to whats been said, i dont think there,s much secret
about the products.
For myself i use Tiranti,s, first class outfit, with T20 rubber its good for
a couple of dozen "pulls" but after that as Steve states it will show wear.
If you are doing the shells for your self and friends you should be ok
but if you are looking at large quantities, say 100 plus, it works out cheeper
and time saving to go to one of the companies that are set up for long runs.
They have one or two packages on offer, 1/ they keep the moulds and bill
you per unit or you buy the moulds and again cost you per unit, the costs do
change, with the first option the unit cost is higher, this is to offset the cost
of the moulds, the second, as you have paid for the moulds the unit cost is
lower because of your mould outlay, take your choise.
you would have to work out what quantities you would sell and price
it to suit your output.
Resin, again Tiranti,s, i use G26 biresin, this is a50/50 mix going off in aprox 3
minuits and has a good history under hard racing conditions
Hope that helps
cheers
Mac P
 
#17 ·
I havn't intentionally been keeping any 'secrets'... I've quoted Tiranti as the source and given the old T20 and Axson references so many times on past postings I thought you were all getting tired of me.
Definitely use a parting agent if you're intending to pull more than a handful of castings. Thinned out Vaseline or commercial sprays- both good. A spray is better just to avoid the slight possiblity of streaks and other application marks.
Most useful ingredients; an enquiring mind & itchy fingers.
 
#21 ·
Hi Guys,

I use Barnes products down under, but they may not be available in the UKor USA.

I use PinkySil for moulding. It is more expensive than the others, but it is runnier, giving better detail on more intricate, small items, very good tear strength, very flexible (shore rating is A25) and takes only 15 - 20 mins to set.

For casting, I use EasyCast, which is an easy 1:1 2 part mixture by volume. Perfect for small casts, as it starts setting in a couple of minutes, so you can produce many in a day if you need to. But I have also used it for casting 1/32 scale bodies, and it seems to work well. May not be as string as others (Shore 65D), but fairly flexible and easy to work with.

For clear casting, I use EasyCast Clear. I know many people have struggles to produce crystal clear bubble free casts, but I have found a few tricks that work well with this product. The main thing is to heat up the individual compunds and the casts prior to mixing and casting, and keep the mixture hot while you are mixing and casting. Also, once the cast is poured, keep the mould hot (about 60c) for a couple of hours afterward. This helps the cast cure quickly, and also helps reduce bubbles, as the resin stays runnier for a little longer, letting bubbles disperse. If you mix and let the resin cure at room temp, is starts to go syruppy very quickly, and the bubbles on't release. Ity will also take several days to cure hard enough to safely demould without distorting. If you keep the mixture hot during mixing and pouring, it will stay very runny for much longer, letting the bubbles disperse naturally, and then will set very quickly after a few minutes. If you do this, you will not need to vacuum degas, which is what most proponents claim is the only way to get bubble free clear casts.

Here are some examples of Scalex bodies I have copied and cast:






Happy to share tips and techniques with anyone who asks. Hope to put out a step by step guide to different types of castings one of these days, if only I had the time.
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi guys!

I'm also planning to try to make some castings and I was looking at Axson (urethane resins).
I've noticed that besides the well-known F-16 type sold at tiranti's , they also offer the F-33, which according to their information is lower in viscosity and more resistant to impact and higher temperature

I was wondering if any of you has already tried the F33, cause now, I'm in doubt about which one to choose


Cheers!

Ricardo Bifulco
 
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