Here ya go DF4L:
Kindly reference the pics I have in page 2 of my online photo album:
http://www.printroom.com/ViewAlbum.asp?use...6&curpage=2
Just look at pics: 58-69.
1) Clean the molds
- sometimes some loose card sticks to the molds when you release it from the master, thus you need to clean the molds. High grit sandpaper, soap & water will do.
2) Wax the molds (pic 58 & 59)
- wax all the molds, wait for it to dry (around 15min.) and wax for the 2nd time. Let dry.
3) Add Gelcoat (pic 60)
-since resin & fiberglass dries clear/opaque, gelcoat adds a bit of color so you can see what you're working on. W/o gelcoat, you'd produce a clear item that is hard to clean-up due to its opaque nature.
Gelcoat is just resin + toner. Toner comes in varying colors or you can customize your own by mixing toners.
4) Lay-up fiberglass and resin to each individual mold section (pic 61)
- sometimes, you can connect multiple mold parts together before you lay-up fiberglass to them all. But when a certain prop is enclosed, you have to glass each section of the mold.
5) Cut excess fiberglass from edges of the molds (pic 62)
- before the resin & fiberglass fully hardens, you can scrape the excess fiberglass from the edges using a sharp knife. You gotta clear all those excess so that the flanges are free of debris so mating could be smooth later on.
6) Wax the flanges and attach all sections together using bolt & nuts (pic 63, 64 & 65).
7) Lay-up fiberglass on all seams of each joined section (pic 66-69)
We finished assembling everything by around 6pm - so we're letting everything cure overnight before prying off the molds from the first product pull. Actually, just an hour or two is enough to cure it - but since the workers have to go home, we left it to cure longer
The helmet seams are easily fiberglassed since there is a big opening (neck area) where you can fit in your hand & brush/lay-up fiberglass. However, if your prop is fully enclosed (like molding a basketball) - then you have to lay-up fiberglass on each half mold section, adding resin putty (resin + patching compound) on the edges then joining them up to cure.
As an example of an enclosed prop - check the pics below of our jet thrusters for the jetpack of a Boba Fett costume:
I also enclosed a pic that shows the rocket & thrusters of the jetpack right after pulling them from their molds.
As you can see, there is still some thin resin residue around the prop as a result of the flanging - but this is easily removed by your fingers and sanding them off smooth.
Hope that gives you a bit of insight in our hard molding process.
Mardon (MLC)
mlcallanta@gmail.com
