Re: Plastic moulding

On Nov 5, 11:57am, Clay Cowgill wrote:
> Subject: RE: Plastic moulding
>
> > Anyway, if someone knows anything about having plastic moulds done,
> > let me
> > know, as I'd like to look into how much it would cost to reproduce a
> > Blaster
> > joystick.
> >
> Yeah, that was me. One of our contractors here has been doing a bunch
> of casting and stuff. (Making replica Storm Trooper suits and
> equipment.)
>
> Spin casting is used to make a hollow-one-piece aluminum casting. The
> most economical way to make reproductions in small quantity seems to be
> making a negative mould out of silicone moulding agent and then using a
> casting resin to make the actual part. The casting resin can be
> colored, or simply painted. They're tough too-- it's essentially epoxy.
> Amazing amount of detail is possible-- Mike had a 2nd world-war era tank
> scope that they resin cast that you could read the lettering from the
> stamped model-nameplate.

That sounds good to me.

> Doing plastic injection moulding is expensive (as in probably $30-40K to
> set up you joystick handle mould) to have a "real" shop do it.
> Hobbiest-machines are non-trivial as well.

I was hoping maybe some hobby kit was available. Oh well.

> Depending on the complexity of the joystick handles (I kinda remember
> them), a vacuum-formed mould might work too. Tough to get good detail
> with it (were the handles checkered?), but you can use "real" plastic.

Yeah, the handles have checker/dimples on them.

> > BTW, does anyone read my posted questions about using a Sega G-08 w/
> > Amplifone
> > tube, or are people just ignoring me, or does no one know the answer,
> > or is the
> > question just too stupid? Or all of the above? :-)
> >
> Afraid I didn't see a question-- were you the one that used the
> paint-stripper to remove the plastic collar off the neck of the tube? I
> thought that was a really cool solution... ;-)

YMMV, but I like the thought of gooping on some sort of solvent more than
taking a cutting tool that close to glass. I'm known for having the philosophy
of "Less work for me? Sounds good!" :-)

I'd be interested in any form of replicating the joystick handle. I'm sure
there are other Blaster owners who would be interested as well.

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Mark Jenison E-mail address: jenison@cig.mot.com
Cellular Infrastructure Group Motorola--Arlington Heights, IL
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Received on Thu Nov 5 15:05:30 1998