Just wondering if anyone can help me with some info on mold making. I’m looking for a good write up on making molds.
I looked at the sticky, but the links don’t work for me.
Thanks, Jay
Search feature. and get the $2 cd rom book from www.fiberglasssite.com Also buy this book as it is very useful…
Also do the search feature of this forum.
You’ll be set after about 40 hours of study time… which is really not much time in the grand scheme of things.
You should be able to find pretty much anything you need on this site.
Also try the tutorials on fibreglast.com, but don’t buy their overpriced stuff!
I agree… fibreglast is crazy expensive. I don’t know how they get away with their pricing.
The great thing about this spot - nothing is “for sale.” (well - some unsold bits at the header - but no materials) Most others that have info are wanting to sell you something - their kit, parts, etc.
CST had a good tut - but it is down now. Nice pics and all showing one part open molding and 2 part too. No VRTM - but they maybe getting into vacuum bagging.
This one:
http://www.fiberglasswarehouse.com/fiberglass_mold_making.asp
no pics but a pretty good word picture - and of course things to sell. Hope that helps. Its all in the study, planning and preparation!
Cheers - Jim
HEY! for what its worth - if you google “making fiberglass mold” about 4 or 5 down I found the CST pdf downloaded and it works - maybe its in Google’s near term archive - but its off the CST site~ or try the wayback machine!
Welcome TrEw!
Always good to have new folks on board!
I figured out lots of things by using the search feature on
this site. Spend some time reading between the lines on
supplier sites too. You will pick up small tidbits of info
everywhere and eventually it will all come together.
I have spent several weeks just reading the old posts on this site
going back over the past 3 years and following every posted link.
To get a more complete education you will have to go back to
Google for some subjects. Complete information on how to do
something may take days of 'net surfing.
For example, if you were planning on making something with a
foam mold. Search Google for just foam and read a few lines
of each site to see if it might lead to something useful, if
not go back and do it again with the next site. Then search
foam molds after you run that one into the ground, search foam
suppliers, and so on. Some of the best info to be found is on
local supplier sites who want your business as opposed to manufacturers
who don’t want to bother with you (yet).
Then find bulletin boards that discuss your direct interest,
mine is kayak building. I have several kayak specific board sites I
visit to look for new ideas and techniques, then I see if they
will apply to my project. I have found everything from free
design software, materials and detailed assistance on my project
by just lurking. I now feel I am ready to start my project by
applying ideas put together from at least 50 sites. The unique
construction of my boat is like no one else is building today.
I know it will work, it can be done, but I am not following the herd.
That said, try these links for different points of view on molding:
http://www.paint-sculpt.com/tutorials/mold-making-tutorial/mold-making-tutorial-overview.html
http://www.silpak.com/video-tutorials/56-mold-making-videos/265-mold-making-how-to-part-1
http://hacknmod.com/hack/8-mold-making-tips-and-techniques/
http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/CarbonFiberHowTo1.pdf
http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/CarbonFiberHowTo2.pdf
Everyone should look at this link list!
http://www.vaglinks.com/VAGLinks.asp
Links to fabrication, fiberglass, carbon fiber, metal
fabrication, etc. are toward the bottom of the list.
Peace Out!
Jim
Peace through Victory
The Only Lasting Peace
CTjim…so you are into kayaks…you would be as sick as myself when they closed my Composites, Fiberglass and Plastics ROP program…the school threw out 4 sets of FG kayaks molds that I had told them I would take them and donate them to a boating school.
That sucks! Were they rapid’s type, or, recreational/fishing molds?
Building parts for kayaks is all I do lately (for myself, not the stuff I do at work).
Bummer!! :eek:
Im really scratching my head at the moment, went on a course last week 500 GBP later things are slowly starting to click.
One thing I cant get my head round is that the lecturer said that when I create a mould out of polyester resin I then cannot use epoxy for wet layup of the carbon fibre part (it must be polyester resin). But what im thinking is that if I made the mould out of polyester gel coat and then placed a barrier (i.e. Wax) between the polyester resin and epoxy resin this should work right?
So many questions floating around - he also said epoxy resin is crap for making moulds unless if its mixed with silica and some other powders. Also said that epoxy resin cannot be used on its own to make the mould as its too brittle? Epoxy gel coat is also too expensive and often doesnt work?
Please someone stop me from getting headache! 
Welcome to the forum…
PER molds are perfect for any resin matrix for making the parts.
But Epoxy resin has rare “face coats” for the gel coat…if you want to make the molds from epoxy.
Any new “Green” mold has to be mold release prepped. I like / only use semi perm mold releasing coatings but even those need to be high heat cycled (and with mold release wax too) to set the semi perm into the molds and after any mold repairs.
If using PER there are odor suppressor for the strong smell of PER. I was selling bottle of it but I can’t find any 1 oz steel or glass containers as the plastic ones deform.