geekhack Projects > Making Stuff Together!
KatzenKinder Capworks
KatzenKinder:
So in light of a recent lull of work, I decided that I'd try my hand at some amateur cap-crafting to sort of rejuvenate the creative mindset (or something like that, as a motion designer by trade I like to pretend that what I'm doing actually interests me but it wears on you after a while). Researched a bunch of things, found the ideal materials that I was going to be using, and then sat around waiting for everything to arrive.
Before I begin, this was an incredibly useful resource that I stumbled upon in my digging, in case anyone else wants to get into resin casting without the slightest degree of experience. It's very in-depth.
http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/gcnc/ch4/
I went ahead and followed the majority of the recommendations in this article regarding the specific products used. These included Quantum Silicones QM262 for the mold, Innovative Polymers IE3075 for the Polyurethne resin, and some cheap random beakers and wax-carving tools that have proven to be rather helpful.
I decided to use the stock PBT caps from my Poker II since I'm missing one of them anyways, and I didn't know whether I'd lose a few brave caps in the process of experimentation. Went ahead and sculpted two caps to just experiment with, maybe half an hour invested into each of these.
Didn't take pictures while I was pouring, since I don't have that many hands :v
Cut cardboard in a + pattern each with a lip to wrap around the side of the adjacent fold, and then used masking tape to secure each of the flaps. Then mixed and weighed the silicone with the reactor (?) and poured it in. 10:1 ratio by volume.
Innovative Polymers recommends 8-12 hours for demold time, but I just left it overnight as I wanted to play it safe for the first run.
After the first parts of the molds were set, flipped and cleaned up a bit, proceeded to make the second part of the mold. Used Super Sculpey to create channels to pour in the resin as well as allow for air to escape out the top. A little bit of a pain to clean off the resin afterwards, but it seemingly helped.
The bottom part of the cap came out really clean in the mold! It's incredibly accurate; even the texture / markings on the inside of the cap were preserved.
Rubber-banded these guys up in preparation for the resin pouring.
The results! Not too bad, though the details don't really pop without some dramatic light. Perhaps its the material itself (without pigment), or maybe my detail work was too hesitant. Also, lots of bubbles.
Here's where things didn't work out:
As I figured might be a problem, even though the resin was coming out of the top channel the stems didn't form completely inside the mold. Going to have to perhaps widen the channel to allow better flow within the mold.
Going to keep experimenting as time goes on.
EDIT: Big thanks to Binge for all his documented trials with crafting, it really helped. Thanks to mkawa for convincing me to not explode myself with a pressure pot <3
heedpantsnow:
Thanks so much for sharing! Keep up the good work, dude!
GL1TCH3D:
Awesome share! Keep us updated on your future attemps and let us know what changes / tips you have
Heliosphere:
Very cool! Thanks for sharing the process. Casting seems like it creates a lot of waste for a single keycap - about how much does it cost in material just for one casting?
heedpantsnow:
So is there a way to deal with the bubbles in the resin without a pressure pot?
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