pigdestroyer Posted November 30, 2011 Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 I am looking for suggestions on making a hard master from an injected mold. I have a mold that was created custom for me, but the maker retired and I can't get anymore made. I want to make a hard master from the mold so I can make some new molds from silicone. I was thinking of using plastic and adding a bunch of hardener to it, but I was curious if there is a better way before I start wasting money. Is there another/better material that I can use to make a hard master with an aluminum mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munkin Posted December 1, 2011 Report Share Posted December 1, 2011 You maybe able to use Almulite resin but depending on the shape I would worry about it locking into the mold? Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigdestroyer Posted December 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2011 I am worried about locking the mold. I spoke with the technicians at alumulite and they said that is definitely a risk since their product will bond with aluminum. I have some old aluminum molds that I don't use that I am considering using for testing. If I lock one of them I won't be as upset. I am thinking about trying EZflo 60 or Poly 15-3x to create a master of either the bait or mold. Has nobody on this site had success, or even attempted this? Any help/information is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 How about just injecting a super hard plastisol. Plastisol with lots of hardner is kind of a pain to work with, but it won't lock into your mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basseducer Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 From the sounds of it I belive your mold is aluminum. Have you thought of sending your mold to another mold maker to have it copied? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonteSS Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Ya, Not sure why you would need a "hard" master. Medium with a little hardener should work fine to make a silicon or resin mold. ....Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 From the sounds of it I belive your mold is aluminum. Have you thought of sending your mold to another mold maker to have it copied? Copying a mold is a pain. A touch probe will get kinda close, but it take s along time. Laser scanning gets closer, and is much faster, but the hardware is expensive so the time is expensive. There is a DIY laser scan setup out there using a camera and a laser, but I haven't talked with anybody who has used it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigdestroyer Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 How about just injecting a super hard plastisol. Plastisol with lots of hardner is kind of a pain to work with, but it won't lock into your mold. This was my first idea, but I was unsure if I could get the bait hard enough. I will try this first. I am new to making silicone molds. This is a 2 piece mold, with appendages, so the harder I can get the bait the easier it will be to mold. From the sounds of it I belive your mold is aluminum. Have you thought of sending your mold to another mold maker to have it copied? Like Bob said, it is hard to make an exact copy. It is also very expensive for me to have custom stuff made out of aluminum. I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to my baits, so I prefer the aluminum, but I just can't afford to start over with a new maker at this point in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC Molds N Stuff Posted December 20, 2011 Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 One thing to bear in mind. Silicone molds will not cool the plastic as quickly as aluminum. If ramping up production is your goal then you will need to make a lot of molds in silicone. In the long run it might be worth the cost to have your mold laser scanned and reproduced. Look up 3d laser scan on Google and get some quotes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigdestroyer Posted December 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks Bob. I just talked to a local EMD and they are going to give me a quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rixon529 Posted December 27, 2011 Report Share Posted December 27, 2011 This might be a roundabout way of doing things, but... How about using a soft plastic made from your custom mold to make another (disposable) mold from plaster. Create your hard master in the plaster mold using the material of your choice and break up the plaster mold when your hard master sets? Just a thought... Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
