Casting small fragile parts

[wavodavo]

Hello,

 

What's the best casting product to make a mold for casting small parts such as undercarriage legs etc?

 

Cheers

 

Dave

[scotmid]

I don't know about metal casting but I'm just trying using blue stuff to cast small green stuff or epoxy putty castings. I am a newbie to the process but  could you reinforce your casting with fine section metal rod? 

Cheers

Alasdair

[Rob de Bie]

You can use regular casting resin, if you use a smalller-diameter metal wire reinforcement. I used a brass wire in this landing gear leg of an old Hawk 1/32 H-43B Huskie. The plastic was (or has become) very brittle, so the top end (right in the photo) snapped off at the smallest cross section. Original part is seen left, next an unreinforced casting, next one with a wire inserted.

 

 

Yet another solution is to use epoxy resin. I used that long time ago, when I hadn't found PU casting resin. The parts in epoxy resin that I saved always amaze me by their stiffness and strength, such a difference! Two drawbacks: your moulds wear out much quicker, and I would recommend giving the parts an in-mould post-cure to say 60 degrees.

 

Rob