http://www.flickr.com/photos/27816780@N06/5975168001/in/photostream
Hi everyone… my name is Bryan and I was wondering if you guys could help me with making a mold for a cover (skin) for this part… the part will probably be made out of 1 layer of CF (cosmetic part) and fiberglass… today i am gonna try to cover the original part with 2 layers of FG and then sand it smooth and make the mold off of that one…
Is there any other way (easier, faster or better) way to do this ?
thank you
Im not understanding why you would put 2 layers of fiberglass on the original part before making the part.
It looks like the part is painted plastic? If you so you should be able make a mold right off of the original
sounds like he is offsetting the original part so that he can make a cover for the seat piece. Pulling a mold directly off it will reproduce the part but would not fit well over the original piece.
Apply 1mm sheet wax to the original piece. Then make the mould over the wax.
The wax is not self releasing so wax well and apply PVA.
great, thank you r0bsk1… that is exactly what I was looking for… I just didn’t know they make something like that 
I even tried to thin out a layer of clay and cover the plug but it is very hard to work with a very thin layer of clay :o tanx again
No probs. Personally, if you’re not doing a production run i’d simply skin it as a mould would be tricky to release due to the vertical surfaces of the inner. A multipart mould would be better here.
And if you need to remove the CF simply wax the part before you skin it.
Funny you said that because I was debating between single or multi part mold after I covered the part with fiberglass and notice how hard it was to pull the plug out… I was thinking of vacuum infusion process to make roughly 10-20 parts… what parting line do you suggest to create the multi part mold? I was thinking just split it in half like this picture…
Tanx for you help
Its a tricky one to call. either way you’d be pulling against a vertical surface. Would a silicone mould be an option for you instead? silicone self releases easily
I have never made a mold out of silicone but I am going to research that … any particular website you can point out to start? can i use silicone mold and VIP ?
You need to build a box around the item you’re moulding to contain the silicone and as you’re using infusion you can leave enough room around the item to use as the flange…unless you’re using a sealed bag.
Once the box is built pour in some silicone to give about a 5mm base. allow to cure over night. This will give you a base to lift your part off the base of the box.
Ensure all open ends of the item you’re moulding are sealed. You dont want the silicone getting inside it.
Mix up some more silicone, put the item in the box and pour in the silicone slowly around your part. You may have to use some balast to stop your part floating up or stop it rising with bracing. Fill it to the top and leave over night.
It should be ready next morning.