Thread: Project $ 3 K Is Underway

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Thanks for the nice comments. I plan on going back and editing out all the screw ups later on so it looks like I actually know what I'm doing.

That should cut this thread down to maybe two pages.


BTW........WELCOME.


Don

Don napom was coming to mind there a minute . That was some smooth work as a rookie i get to see another technic .

Don---Beware of plastic sheeting----I found out (much to my dismay) that resin will migrate thru plastic sheeting, enough to ruin finished paint. I found that out when molding the 3/4" plywood surround to fit around the rear of the cockpit in the roadster pickup to attach the convertible top frame to. And yes, the quickest, easiest forming plaster is the pre-mixed tubs of stuff that they use for drywall taping/plastering.---Build your form close with masking tape---or wood lath---or cardboard---or fine mesh chicken wire, coat it with a thin coat of drywall mud, let it set up overnight, and sand to shape---then coat with 3 coats of Johnsons paste wax (meant for floors)---do not polish. This plaster is not meant to go on in great gobs, as it has a high shrinkage factor, and will take forever to dry, but in light coats it will set up overnight (heatlamps and a fan can help set it up quicker)---and it is as easy as foam to sand to shape.---then lay up your cloth and resin right over top of it---no female mold required---and I gaurantee that the resin will not melt or soften it.

See, that is really my biggest fear in doing the foam thing again. I am afraid I will build another mold, put some barrier coat on top, like plastic, and that it will still get through there and it will be deja vu all over again.

I'm going to play it safe and do the cardboard route, and I think I will try the plaster over top to get a smooth surface.


Don

I have been told that aluminum foil (as in Reynolds wrap) makes an excellent barrier, but I haven't tried it.

Well, I already have the new electric carving knife I went out and bought the other day, so a little tin foil and I'm all ready for the Thanksgiving turkey.


With my luck Brian, there would be this one tiny hole in the foil and resin would somehow find it's way down into the foam. Wish I would have had a video camera to take a movie of the foam shrinking up. It would have had to be without sound though, because you would have had to bleep out all of my little comments. To say the least, I was a little shocked.


Well, can't put this off any longer, time to head to the shop and try this again.


Don

If you buy the bags of drywall mud and mix it yourself, you can get it to dry quicker, they sell 10 minute mud and 45 minute mud, the 45 sets up fairly quick, the 10 on the other hand sets up in less than five so work fast, but it is good for large spots that you need to pack mud in, but dont want it to crack like the premixed stuff will, cause it sets up to fast to crack

Plaster of Paris is usually available in craft stores. It is a powder that you mix with water. It hardens very quickly (10 - 15 min.) and can be shaped with a bondo file, wood rasp, grinder, sandpaper, etc. The problem with it is the dust. If you've ever sanded the spackling on drywall, you know the dust goes everywhere and coats everything with fine white dust - same thing. It's hazardous to your lungs and a mess to clean up. Unless you are making a buck for a permanent mold, it ain't worth the trouble...

Good luck with the second attempt.

Plaster of Paris is usually available in craft stores. It is a powder that you mix with water. It hardens very quickly (10 - 15 min.) and can be shaped with a bondo file, wood rasp, grinder, sandpaper, etc. The problem with it is the dust. If you've ever sanded the spackling on drywall, you know the dust goes everywhere and coats everything with fine white dust - same thing. It's hazardous to your lungs and a mess to clean up. Unless you are making a buck for a permanent mold, it ain't worth the trouble...

Good luck with the second attempt.

Thanks John and Jim for the suggestions, I just got in and read them. A little late though, because I already bought the premixed drywall mud and used it today.

On the way to the shop it occurred to me that there was no reason to scrap the foam base that is there. It is not going to shrink any more, and it has all these sharp resin points all over it, making it perfect to hold some of the drywall mud on top of it. So, I went to Home Depot and got 5 gallons of it ($ 5 for one gallon or $ 10 for five gallons.......a no brainer) Good thing I did, becuase I used about half of it already and will have some touching up to do before it is over.

I got the initial top coating on and it went pretty well. No doubt it will take a while to dry, but that is ok, I am in no hurry. I have lots of other things on the car to keep me busy, and I am going to make sure it is rock hard before I go on. One good thing about Florida is that it won't take long for the heat to dry it. It was almost 90 in the shop today.

Here are some shots of how it covered the foam.


Don

Don,

Are you going to put some type of mould release on the plaster so it will come out of the 'glass? Drywall mud is porous, and the 'glass resin could sink into it.

Yep Jack, I'm gonna grease the heck out of it. Brian suggested Johnsons paste wax and I saw some mold release liquid at the marine supplier where I bought the resin. It was pricey, so I think a few coats of wax will work.

In any event, I am going to let this stuff dry rock hard. I have enough little jobs to do to keep me busy while it drys, like painting the transmission, etc. Today I worked on my taillights. I bought some '32 Ford taillights for it, and want them mounted a little high so that some of the senior citizens driving around down here in Florida have a chance of seeing them. I made up a temporary mount to see if it was what I wanted, and it seems fine, so tomorrow I will make up the same shape in 3/16 steel and weld them to the frame.

I also figured out how I am going to do my license plate and light. I have been saving an old, original Hollywood light for a special car, and this is that car. I am also going to transfer the personalized plate off of the '27. I figure the wording is appropriate for this car too.

Don

Don foam came in handy so no wasted work i see. I do Hobby H.O trains and when i would latex rubber a rock for scenery i used soapy water for a release agent worked well for that application. Then plaster in side mold same way to transfer reverse image .

Bob,

Then, you're an old hand with Hydrocal . . .

It's nice to see another ferroequinologist among the hot rod bunch.

Oh oh, now we have trouble. Those ferroequinologists can be a rowdy bunch sometimes.


Don