| comradetexas | 04 May 2010 2:06 p.m. PST |
Does anyone know of a place where I can get a hobby quality vulcanizer and spincaster? By hobby quality I mean smaller, less expensive equipment used for small volume casting. I have done gravity fed molds out of silicone and plaster. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. |
| nycjadie | 04 May 2010 2:12 p.m. PST |
Try Centricast, but you're still looking at $4K to start with a low-grade hobby package. |
| comradetexas | 04 May 2010 2:53 p.m. PST |
Wow! That's some serious coin. |
| headzombie | 04 May 2010 3:38 p.m. PST |
Build one! I run my entire operation from a home built casting machine and vulcanizer. Cost me about $200 USD and a case of beer in parts. |
| Paintbeast | 04 May 2010 4:49 p.m. PST |
I have a home built spin caster, several actually, but I haven't had the nerve to actually build a vulcanizer for home use yet. Are you doing the trick with the c-clamps and an old oven or something more inventive? |
| headzombie | 04 May 2010 6:12 p.m. PST |
Yep, mold can, c-clamps and an oven work great. 200+ molds and counting later. |
| shaun from s and s models | 05 May 2010 2:31 a.m. PST |
my vulcaniser was built from bits for approx £100.00 GBP and a few hours labour, it was made by my brother, but apart from the electrical side i could have done it myself if i had a welder. |
| Zinkala | 05 May 2010 5:05 p.m. PST |
Any instructions for building the home made spincasters? I'm wanting to try a few things out but have balked at paying thousands of dollars for the equipment. I have more time than money and am fairly handy at building/fixing things. |
| headzombie | 05 May 2010 10:43 p.m. PST |
Zinkala -- email me: josh at zombiesmith.com There seems to be an awful lot of interest in this. I think I will put up a nice write-up on my forums in the near future. |
| WolfgangG | 07 May 2010 11:13 a.m. PST |
Yes – that would be nice! I got my homemade "vulcanizer" perfectly running. It consist out of an 22cm mold ring which was watwercut out of a 2,5 cm steelplate (not cheap) . It has a 4cm wide rim with 4x 1 cm holes drilled into it to house the srews needed to apply the pressure between the mold ring which is sandwiched between the upper and lower circular 26 cm plates with identical screwholes for fit. All I have to do is putting together the botton disc and the mold ring inserting the first silicone disc than arranging the masters around, adding a little steel plug forming the pourhole, dust everyrthing with talcum put on the second silicone disc, finally attaching the top plate an tighten the the screws. After that is done training muscle training-tine. Carry the rather heavy mold into the kitchen avoiding to meet my wife, setting the needed temperature, plus an extra 15 degrees celsius to our oven – and than enjoing the fact not needing a expensive refrigerator-sized extra gadget for the hobby. Honestly more important to me than the money saved is the fact of saving space!
With the spincaster I went the wrong route. Got the wrong motor to start, did not pay enought attention to solve the clambing issue of the rubber disc. So I might buy a Centricast machine if I can make a bargain one of these days. I have quit with messing around expensive rtv once and for all. Took me some time to learn but I have returned to resin casting doing very detailed and complex one-piece 70mm figures in heat cured rubber using square mold frames for these molds. I use the mold for pressure casting resin. Still room to improve – again the clambing issue…
Anyway I would very much welcome a plan for building a spincaster. Thank you for the offer anyway.
regards
Wolfgang |
| Minionhunter | 26 Jan 2011 8:16 p.m. PST |
Headzombie – did you ever post the directions on how to make these two devices? I would really love to see the plans on how you made your spincaster, and your vulcanizer. Your minis on your site look fantastic. WolfgangG – can you post pictures of your homemade vulcanizer. Your write up is pretty good, but it would help to see pictures to visualize it if I am to repeat it. I've seen 2 short pictorial write ups on how to make a spincaster (one from scratch, one from an old centrifuge). The old centrifuge method looks like it would be easiest, but you would really have to get the spinning parts balanced to pull it off. I've also read people talking about needing air pressure to make it work and the right clamping pressure, however it would seem like if you got the right materials (aluminum plates) to clamp the two rubber mold halves together it could be done with a single large nut in the center (provided you can pour through it). I'm probably missing something though. |
| Ciuccio | 25 Oct 2011 6:18 a.m. PST |
Making a spin cast machine is not so complex, but doing a vulcanize machine seems to me more complex. Any tutorials? |
| headzombie | 25 Oct 2011 11:19 p.m. PST |
No tutorial really, but you can see mine here at the video I just finished up: YouTube link |
