- Joined
- Jan 27, 2012
- Messages
- 1,247
Recently Awesom-o-4000 started a thread -- and I chimed in -- regarding making a mould for creating our own scales to fit Becker knives. In both Awesom's case and mine, the attempt was a bust.
Ma always told me to not give up, and I persisted. On the Web I found a company called TAP plastics that apparently has retail stores on the Left Coast but no place else, but does have some great online videos that explain the moulding process. They have several different materials for mould making, as well as different types of casting materials.
In Awesom's thread, DerekH posted that there is a process (called RTV) that involves making the mixed mould product drop in a thin stream over some 4 feet into the mould cavity to make sure there were no air bubbles in the final mould. I found that to be an unacceptable process for me (I envisioned sticky goop all over kitchen cabinet doors) and opted for a more expensive product that they call their Platinum silicone process. It produces a flexible mould that requires no mould release agent for the kind of things we'd be moulding -- and you don't have to get involved with vacuum pumps or streaming it 4 feet.
OK, the results:
The first mould I made was for Tweener scales. In two hours from liquid to this...
The mould is downright floppy -- until you set it onto a table for the pour, and it firms up more than enough.
For my first scale pour the first actual medium I had was some stuff I bought at a crafts store. It turned out to be a polyester-based epoxy, very fast setting (10 minutes) but the strangest part is it mixes up clear, but hardens white. You can actually watch it turn white in the mould. I released the white scales from the mould, sanded down the side facing the knife to make it flat, trimmed the flashing, reamed the holes, and mounted them on a BK15. I actually kind of like the white against the black.
It may be obvious in the photo, but "my" scales are significantly thicker than a stock scale. One of my disappointments in the Tweeners was the thickness of the scales, so now I'm happy!
Notice a pair of stock scales sitting in the mould just so the cavities would show up in the photo.
The poly material is just OK. It is not very hard -- not in the sense that it is rubbery -- but in the sense that it feels like it might dent easily. Maybe I'm just used to the feel of the super-hard Grivory.
Next, I mixed up some epoxy-based (non-poly) mix and tried that. I poured it and checked a half hour later and it was still liquid! What the... So when all else fails, read the instructions.
Turns out everything is normal. I had anticipated a rapid cure, but it turns out this product, which is supposed to dry crystal clear, takes 24 hours just to get to the point of being firm enough to remove from the mould! It doesn't reach full hardness for 72 hours! I didn't know they even made an epoxy that slow... So much to learn. So that pair is still off in the corner getting hard.
While I was waiting, and buoyed by the success of the Tweener mould, I made a 4-cavity mould for full-sized Becker scales -- two thick and two even thicker. Here is the result in poly of the first pour. An attempt at adding amber dye to the mix to make it look more "ivory" instead came out "flesh colored". See what I mean about still learning?
Note the flashing on the edges and the incomplete holes that had to be finish drilled. Also note the missing lanyard hole in the upper left one. The stud in the mould broke off when I was taking it out of it's form. Simple enough job to line it up and drill after.
Check out how sharp the edges are on the hex holes. This stuff is amazing in the detail it is able to pick up.
And here are the flesh-colored scales on a BK-9. Note the dark circle between the front and middle screw holes. I have no clue what that is. It doesn't sand out, it's not a bubble in the poly or it would have broken through. There is nothing in the mould that corresponds to that area. One of those mysterious things. Let's just call it a birthmark!
Other side:
So there they are. First shot.
For those considering it, watch the online videos. Fairly sizable investment going in, but the actual pour materials are not too pricey. And there is definitely a learning curve to this stuff.
Ma always told me to not give up, and I persisted. On the Web I found a company called TAP plastics that apparently has retail stores on the Left Coast but no place else, but does have some great online videos that explain the moulding process. They have several different materials for mould making, as well as different types of casting materials.
In Awesom's thread, DerekH posted that there is a process (called RTV) that involves making the mixed mould product drop in a thin stream over some 4 feet into the mould cavity to make sure there were no air bubbles in the final mould. I found that to be an unacceptable process for me (I envisioned sticky goop all over kitchen cabinet doors) and opted for a more expensive product that they call their Platinum silicone process. It produces a flexible mould that requires no mould release agent for the kind of things we'd be moulding -- and you don't have to get involved with vacuum pumps or streaming it 4 feet.
OK, the results:
The first mould I made was for Tweener scales. In two hours from liquid to this...
The mould is downright floppy -- until you set it onto a table for the pour, and it firms up more than enough.
For my first scale pour the first actual medium I had was some stuff I bought at a crafts store. It turned out to be a polyester-based epoxy, very fast setting (10 minutes) but the strangest part is it mixes up clear, but hardens white. You can actually watch it turn white in the mould. I released the white scales from the mould, sanded down the side facing the knife to make it flat, trimmed the flashing, reamed the holes, and mounted them on a BK15. I actually kind of like the white against the black.
It may be obvious in the photo, but "my" scales are significantly thicker than a stock scale. One of my disappointments in the Tweeners was the thickness of the scales, so now I'm happy!
Notice a pair of stock scales sitting in the mould just so the cavities would show up in the photo.
The poly material is just OK. It is not very hard -- not in the sense that it is rubbery -- but in the sense that it feels like it might dent easily. Maybe I'm just used to the feel of the super-hard Grivory.
Next, I mixed up some epoxy-based (non-poly) mix and tried that. I poured it and checked a half hour later and it was still liquid! What the... So when all else fails, read the instructions.
Turns out everything is normal. I had anticipated a rapid cure, but it turns out this product, which is supposed to dry crystal clear, takes 24 hours just to get to the point of being firm enough to remove from the mould! It doesn't reach full hardness for 72 hours! I didn't know they even made an epoxy that slow... So much to learn. So that pair is still off in the corner getting hard.While I was waiting, and buoyed by the success of the Tweener mould, I made a 4-cavity mould for full-sized Becker scales -- two thick and two even thicker. Here is the result in poly of the first pour. An attempt at adding amber dye to the mix to make it look more "ivory" instead came out "flesh colored". See what I mean about still learning?
Note the flashing on the edges and the incomplete holes that had to be finish drilled. Also note the missing lanyard hole in the upper left one. The stud in the mould broke off when I was taking it out of it's form. Simple enough job to line it up and drill after.
Check out how sharp the edges are on the hex holes. This stuff is amazing in the detail it is able to pick up.
And here are the flesh-colored scales on a BK-9. Note the dark circle between the front and middle screw holes. I have no clue what that is. It doesn't sand out, it's not a bubble in the poly or it would have broken through. There is nothing in the mould that corresponds to that area. One of those mysterious things. Let's just call it a birthmark!
Other side:
So there they are. First shot.
For those considering it, watch the online videos. Fairly sizable investment going in, but the actual pour materials are not too pricey. And there is definitely a learning curve to this stuff.
lol
