This is my very first mold. Yes, I should have practiced on something smaller, but it is what it is.
My plug is 60" long and 12" wide. It is a wing, as you can see in the picture. I’m having issues with the parting plane. I have a wooden frame underneath to keep it steady, and am lifting the wing up to match the Masonite, but it isn’t very sturdy. I’m afraid that once I start putting glass on it, the plug will move. Does anyone have an suggestions on how I can keep the plug from moving? Thanks.
I made a foil mould last week, and used a lot of scrap wood and even more hot glue to get it all stable.
Thanks for the reply. So basically just shim and glue and shim and glue until it’s right? That’s what I figured, but was hoping for a trick. lol
You need to start with a sturdy base, then either make a good frame for your flanging, or use solid MDF like I did in the photo. A quick tip is to use aluminum for flanging, glue it on with spray adhesive. No post work to get a smooth surface. Very quick and effective.
Hojo do you have pics of the resulting molds? I’m doing a similar project. What kind of release is best on the aluminum?
not the best photos
Dots of yellow wax filler can do a lot as well.
Wow. I wish I had your shop- and your talent hojo. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks hojo, looks great. I see that you molded almost completely around the leading edge instead if splitting the mold at the point of it. I assume you can do that because the product will release toward the leading edge? Are you using another mold section on the flat side or just finishing that side after molding?
Yes, you can release it towards the TE. I did it to hide the seam on the belly side. Theres a total of 3 mould pieces. The belly has a removable recess flange to bond to the inside of the top skin. This is the third section made before making the full piece.
another view of the section of the wing
Very cool,thanks!
You should put some black pigment into your bonding mixture
I’m not sure if your post is regarding the wing section I shown, but the section you see is only a 1/3 section so you can see a pink bondline that looks ugly. Not to mention that this was a prototype section which the mount plate was cut by hand not by machine as the production pieces were. Full section you cannot see the bondlines except for the edge on the underside of the belly which is filled with a small bead of black filler to hide it.