Great video. It is why I look for people like you so that I can just purchase the finished part. The amount of time to produce the mold and the cost of the equipment and supplies you have in your lab easily exceeds $ 10-12 K USD. You will need to sell a lot of these lenses to bring the per part cost down to an affordable retail price. Thanks for showing us the process as I think many people don’t understand the amount of time and energy required to procure the molding equipment. cheers
3200 dollars nets you the equipment. 1.2k 3d printer, 1k pressure tank, 200 drill press, 200 vacuum tank and pump, 100 circular saw, 100 warming box, 100 PPE, 100 scanner, 75 resin, 75 resin for mold, 20 wood framing, 15 filament. Getting a perfectly clear part like his will take some trial and error on timings, but his video goes a long way in helping get past the headaches. Amazing job on his part, but equipment costs you state are to high.
Casting optically clear parts definitely is challenging. Really like your walk through of the process and your intelligent use of 3D printing to support this project. Excellent finished product. Always interesting content, Eric. Thanks for sharing!
Make more of these for plastic or rubber parts, It would be awesome, there is so many people (including myself) that don't find spare parts anymore. 3D printing will revolutionize this market
Absolutely fantastic. I had no idea you could do this 'at home'. Simply remarkable outcome, and I am glad you portrayed the cost as it is, so I would have no illusions to DIY any time soon; but I am storing it away in my mental archive. Thank you.
I have played at this in a DIY capacity. Vacuum chamber essential in my opinion, a few hundred GBPs from Easy Composites. Don't have a pressure chamber but have got away with it so far (with smaller parts)
Fantastic work. I have never casted clear parts. The difference between small bubbles in an opaque part and Zero bubbles in a good quality transparent part is enormous. A pressure can is on my ToGet list.
The most readily available pressure tank is the 2.5 gallon one from Harbor Freight. There are some videos out there on setting it up for pressure casting.
The end product looks fantastic, the gloss level is amazing. It does look good all red but I live in the UK and we have to have Amber indicators/Turn signals on vehicle past 1965.
A 4 part mold could give you both colors. Use a blocking plate for the red, and then when it sets but before it cures remove the plate, bolt the 2nd cavity set up and pour the amber.
Came across your channel by chance, and I must say, your content is exceptional! I thoroughly enjoyed the video, especially your comprehensive documentation and explanations throughout the entire process. While I may not have the skills or equipment to attempt this myself, it's always a delight to witness someone else masterfully undertake such a fascinating process and gain insights into its mechanics. Thank you! Subbed!
Awesome video, Really love the use of 3dprinting to simplify the mold making process. Awesome results too, I couldn't find a flaw if I tried. Its so fortunate your customer was able to provide such nice examples to replicate.
I’m pretty sure that somewhere in the comments somebody had said this before. Making a slight modification in your mold where the air vent is at the very top of the tail light mold, you can use two large syringes for two tone lenses. Red one at the bottom and the orange one at the top. You will inject the red fluid and then vacuum process the mold with the red fluid being up to the level of the adjoining orange fluid. The red fluid has hardened enough in the mold before adding the orange fluid with the vent all the way at the top. Now inject the orange fluid until the orange fluid comes out the top vent. Vacuum chamber process the whole thing a second time. Remove both syringes from the mold, and then crack open the mold. You might have to saw off the syringes first. Then grind any remaining material at the very top of the lens. Red gets injected from the bottom of the red region. Orange gets injected from the bottom of the orange region. The vent is at the top. The mold is oriented vertically. This is a two-step vacuum chamber process. I am sure that you can do this a third time with a Clear lens in the middle of one or both of the colors. You would just have to use a modified mold To inject in the clear fluid and vacuum chamber that new material. So for three colors, you will use two different molds and three vacuum stages. You will corner the market in MG, Mercedes, and other exotic classic parts that are impossible to find for hobbyists and college students alike. Give it a whirl. Get rich? Send me some. Make three color lenses in any shape. Guess how much a Mercedes 190B tail light costs. You probably already figured this out. Gravity and orientation during degassing is the challenge.
@@Lennart1995 the techniques are great. I just think that if help was hired in a vacant warehouse, this artist could corner the market on remanufactured parts. People will be able to love their old cars again. Just keep making copies until they stop selling. Then move onto British cars and classic motorbikes. The dream lives on!!
I can't believe how much messing about you had to do just for two small parts which most people would see as OEM. Fantastic job, incredible detail you should be well pleased with them and yourself. 👍🏼 I'm now Subscribed to see what other amazing thins you can magic up.
Eric. This was awesome. For many years I've pondered on how to do this. Excellent job. I appreciate your transparency related to cost and sharing your technique. Next level challenge. Custom lenses.
Wow, this guy does such excellent work. These old plastic parts are impossible to get now, and for collector cars is worth it. I could use some new speaker grilles for my 1998 Mercedes, however, $1000 is about half of what the car is worth.
Fasinating! I think the video was recommended to me as I do watch a lot of “Jag” videos. those parts looked amazing really great work, i never knew that that was even possible!!
This is my first time watching one of you videos. I don't know what to make of it. The explanation and walk through of your process was great. $2000 for taillights that's insane. I've done rear taillights for my Volvo. The finished product was great but i did mine without a pressure tank. I had to do some extra post work but my cost for materials was only $143. The taillights were gorgeous and i had them on the car till i got rid of it. I'm glad you can make such a substantial profit. Maybe I'm in the wrong business. 😂 Be blessed.
You talk about the cost of materials, he talks about all the cost including his time. And someone has to pay for the pressure chambers and all that. I have no idea if that price is reasonable. But I think it is good that he mentions it. Some companies or enthusiast will pay that money. Lots of private person won't pay it so there is no point in contacting him. Win/win.
I've done some similar casting of mid-50's Ford transmission shifter position lenses and other plastic parts that are not reproduced. I appreciate your posting of the costs involved! Too many people think this type of project shouldn't be expensive or time consuming. I do what I want for myself, knowing that no one wants to pay what it's worth to make parts that are no longer available. Sad too. I am wondering about your "10-gallon pressure pot" though. I'm guessing you've had that for a long time or found it used. A quick search found nothing that large available, assuming I used the right search words! As many others here have already stated, GREAT VIDEO! 😍😍😎
You are correct, people have no concept how much it really costs to get parts reproduced, especially to the very high standard shown here. Just the silicone and resin are an arm and a leg! Search “10 gallon pressure tank for casting” $500-1200. C.A. Technologies makes a nice unit. I think Eric did find his used.
Thanks for your reply! So many times, on some of the FACEBOOK forums I'm on, I read people complaining about price. It's hard to give them a reality check, and not be a bit sarcastic! 😔 @@getdirecti0ns
Wow, they came out beautiful. Great info. I was thinking of maybe having a block off for the orange/amber & poor the two colors separately but you may have bleed through or no structural locking between the two parts. Thanks for sharing.
I would (in my limited knowledge) assume you would have to break the original down into two parts mould and cast each then attach the separate cast together
@rogierius epoxy resin glue should do, if you look carefully at the original between the two colours their seams to be an overlap to increase the surface area for glueing
Really great video showcasing your replication skillset, and some cool materials in action. To note, the first silicone used is TC-5150 as the video noted, Eric was saying 5051. But Eric using many methods of additive manufacturing here is pretty great.
Excellent work. I watch your videos all the time. Thank you for explaining each step you take. Please.. I would really love to see you do this again and how you would go about getting the two-tone orange/red color like the original. Please keep the videos coming. :)
I'm sure there is a great way to cut it into parts. One way, Eric, is to take a table saw or similar, and cut 2 of your castings in half. The reason why I suggest doing 2 castings, is because the width of the blade takes away some material. So you could cut off a little less than you need from each half, and shave them down with a sanding machine (one that is stationary), until it is exact. But you did a really great job! Looks nice! :)
Another fantastic work. Something makes me think that this wouldn't be quite possible anywhere else than the US. I mean to have your home workshop and all the needed tools and material to produce this kind of result. Finding even the most non-ubiquitous materials and tools I think is only possible in the US.
If you want a two-tone replica like the original, try casting in the orange color, then mask and coat the red portion with Tamiya Clear Red (or similar). I'd try hitting just the interior first-- sometimes you get really good color refraction (?) that way. Just a thought, anyway. Great video Eric, and as always, I enjoy seeing your process! You truly engineer your molds with precision! ;)
There is a way you could do it two tone but you have to make two at the same time. Cast them in that orange color and then dipp them in red dye for synthetic clothing. I did that with acrylic glass by accident when coloring nylon SLS prints. Its permanent and grips the plastic really good!
That's a really nice pressure tank. I have three of them, in different lengths. Made by the Pressed Steel Tank Company in the USA at a plant that's been closed and empty (if not completely demolished by now) for a long time. The company still exists but does not make such tanks anymore. A new tank with a removable lid like that would cost at least $2,000. (I got a quote on one a few years ago.) So if you're looking for such a tank, used is the way to go. Using them for pressure casting resin, there's zero chance they'll rupture or break a lid clamp or fail in any way. One of mine has a tag with crazy high specifications. IIRC 150 PSI at 650F. 50 to 60 PSI at room temperature is like nothing to these tanks. I like the 3D printed knobs you put on the bolt heads. I just use a Crescent wrench on mine. Another possibility for surplus, used, or scrap source for a tank for resin casting is a high pressure autoclave. There are low pressure ones that are used up to 20 PSI or so. If they're not rated for a much higher maximum, I wouldn't try it. High pressure ones can go up to 200 PSI or more, while being full of superheated steam. So a used one picked up for scrap value is going to be fine at sub 100 PSI at room temperature. Strip it down to the bare tank and lid, install plugs in all the holes except for one for the regulated air inlet, one for a safety popoff valve, and one for a pressure gauge on the lid or tank wall. All my pressure tanks, the three big ones and eight 2 to 2.5 gallon ones, have a gauge mounted on the lid to directly read the tank pressure. I set the pressure by the gauge on the regulator but I rely on the gauge on the lid to know for certain the pressure in the tank.
Another resin print coating option I’ve seen used successfully is to dissolve some pmma (acrylic) in acetone and use that as a dip or paint on your resin prints. The ratio is not super critical, 1-2% by weight is sufficient so 10-20g acrylic in 1000mL of acetone. It’s thinner than shellac and good for not softening really fine details.
Does the customer keep the mold for next time? If not, how do you structure the pricing to account for later small batch or on-demand production runs for other owners of the same vehicle? And how many reuses do you get before the silicon mold wears out? It'd be pretty easy to run out of storage space for all the molds for all the different parts made. Balancing the cost to reflect the limitations of mold life and the costs of storage must be a challenge. Can the same technique be used for Bakelite parts?
You can make about 20-30 parts, sometimes they want the mold but usually they stays here. Sometimes they want more down the line, but it it is rare, just depends on the project, most of the time I am just making one off prototypes.
First off love the outro!! Second those parts came out flawlessly. They don’t make tail light lens for a 98-02 trans am any more, would like to see if that would be a possible project in the future.
Awesome video thanks for posting. Gonna have to do something similar for my XD Falcon. How would you cast the amber part? Could you precisely trim the silicone mould on the split line then sit the cut silicone in mould box, with cut line butted up to wood. Then pour both red and amber parts, then glue together?
I had a pair of Hillman Minx Lenses cast in two colours Red and Amber. They came out perfect like these . Only cost me $250.00 "Classic Plastic" was the man. Sadly he's retired now.
someone told me if you do manage to create a glossy rubber mold, if you are casting many parts the glossy surface of the mold will eventually dull. not sure if you have had this experience? and if you know roughly how many copies one can expect before this happens? thank you
@@EricStrebelcrap. that's not very many parts. total bummer. but thanks. doesn't sound like rubber molds can be used for production, if your part needs to be glossy to achieve transparent parts. sounds like i might have to move on to injection molding.
Why pressure instead of vacuum for the final curing; does the resin keep producing bubbles even though being fully degassed by the first vacuum treatment? Can you use vacuum in the final cure, or does it have to be pressure? Stunningly beautiful parts! 😊
@@EricStrebel Well thank you, I'd never guessed it would be the moisture. Once again, absolute beautiful castings. I bet there is a pretty good market to where maybe you could sell additional ones; have not idea how many times you can use the mold though...
I will never be attempting this but thanks for sharing your impressive skills and knowledge. I’m interested to know how many times the moulds could be used ? If they could be used many times then they are indeed very valuable.Thanks again and regards from England.
stunning job!! However, you say that natural wood is stronger than let's say MDF? I learned that MDF is almost entirely of glue and glue is stronger than wood so wouldn't be the other way round correct? Thanks
Could you put a dam in across the raised bit of red cast the amber, remove the dam and cast in the red? Not sure if it would join up OK? Wonder how they did it originally.
Great results. But could result in trouble for forgery of documents with that copied certification mark of the original parts?! Or whats your opinon on that topic? In Germany its taken very serious with stuff like that.
@@mglenadeltwo part pour most likely, block off the amber area for the red pour (or cut off the top of red after the pour) after its cured leave the red in place and pour the amber into the remaining space, it should then cure as a joined peice.
I would love to learn to do molds of my own. the boss wants clear, color forms for some of our projects, and the 3D printer in SLA is okay, but it's not CLEAR. it's translucent. I think the only way we could do this would be to make a polished part, and then create a mold of it. Thanks for showing the steps. It's so hard to design a negative space or imagine it.
I am just curious if the buyer wanted these for their own vehicle or were producing them to sell for other collectors/restorers. Seems like the investment could be worth while to fill a gap in the market like this, assuming the cost/each goes down a bit since you've already produced the molds. Very neat process. Thank you for sharing.
Really doubt it was for other collectors or restorers, most would want them to look original so would want the amber, also the US is one of the few places in the world that doesnt legaly require the direction indicators to be amber, so unlikely to be road legal outside USA.
Why were the 3D printed injection funnel shapes printed pointy-end down, with supports? Wouldn't it have been easier to print them pointy-end up, without supports? I'm sure there's a good reason, but I'm not seeing it.
Several reasons actually, the main on eis that this allows me to break the cone off the part and remove the part from the mold so it is not locked in the mold.
When you split the mold you should blow compressed air into the bleed holes to reduce wear on the mold. It will pop open on its own if you blow it out.
How were the original lenses made with 2 colours ? Any idea ? Is there a split line between the plastic colours or were they cast as 1 clear pieces (structural) and then recast/coated in the appropriate colours ? Just curious. Excellent video on the process. Thanks for sharing.
How many castings can such a mold make? If that customer returned again, would it be cheaper for them since you already have a mold and it's just the materials + time to mix/occupy the pressure drum?
@@EricStrebel so the car isn't in Europe, where most countries require amber turn signals on the rear? I did some amber turn signal lenses for a 1947 Cadillac in an undisclosed European country. The owner had made some crude orange plexiglas lenses. I made molds off the glass lenses, and also off the tail light lenses, then included a pair of plastic replicas of the tail light lenses along with the amber plastic turn signal lenses. I charge plenty for one-off jobs like that. I've sold one other set. Of course I still have the molds so anyone with a 47 Cad or other year that has the same lights... ;)
Be tricky but could you mould a silicone barrier inside the mould so you fill the lower red part up, let it cure, then remove the silicone barrier to fill the top amber part, assuming the resin adheres to itself. Very fiddly and a pain in the arse but i think it could be done.
Hello Eric, thanks a ton for the video. It's a much nicer way of casting as opposed to my traditional way, i definitely learned a new technique. Now how do we cast dual color tail lights. Like orange and red combinations.
Excellent work: would be interesting to see the part moulded as original with both the amber and red sections.
Definitely more harder
Definitely
@@EricStrebel maybe you can trim off the amber part, put the remaining red in mold again and pour an amber batch of resin?
@@stezz90 yes, in theory that's how something like that would go
@@stezz90 Or try to put a 'barrier' in between the red & amber sections.
Great video. It is why I look for people like you so that I can just purchase the finished part. The amount of time to produce the mold and the cost of the equipment and supplies you have in your lab easily exceeds $ 10-12 K USD. You will need to sell a lot of these lenses to bring the per part cost down to an affordable retail price. Thanks for showing us the process as I think many people don’t understand the amount of time and energy required to procure the molding equipment. cheers
But how many people out there need taillights for a old Jag?
Who knows!
@@davem5333 Those of us who own old Jags. Cheers
Plenty apparently! 😀
3200 dollars nets you the equipment. 1.2k 3d printer, 1k pressure tank, 200 drill press, 200 vacuum tank and pump, 100 circular saw, 100 warming box, 100 PPE, 100 scanner, 75 resin, 75 resin for mold, 20 wood framing, 15 filament. Getting a perfectly clear part like his will take some trial and error on timings, but his video goes a long way in helping get past the headaches.
Amazing job on his part, but equipment costs you state are to high.
With skills like that, you can say Jag however you wish. Absolutely amazing work.
Thanks
I'm and Industrial designer as well and this video just captivated me, I can feel the passion you have for the trade. Subscribing!
Casting optically clear parts definitely is challenging. Really like your walk through of the process and your intelligent use of 3D printing to support this project. Excellent finished product. Always interesting content, Eric. Thanks for sharing!
Make more of these for plastic or rubber parts, It would be awesome, there is so many people (including myself) that don't find spare parts anymore.
3D printing will revolutionize this market
Absolutely fantastic. I had no idea you could do this 'at home'. Simply remarkable outcome, and I am glad you portrayed the cost as it is, so I would have no illusions to DIY any time soon; but I am storing it away in my mental archive. Thank you.
Well kinda.. it takes a lot of equipment. He mentioned the cost of $2k
You probably could do it with less equipment. But don't expect same result.
I have played at this in a DIY capacity. Vacuum chamber essential in my opinion, a few hundred GBPs from Easy Composites. Don't have a pressure chamber but have got away with it so far (with smaller parts)
This is definitely not a 'do this at home' execution!
Fantastic work. I have never casted clear parts. The difference between small bubbles in an opaque part and Zero bubbles in a good quality transparent part is enormous. A pressure can is on my ToGet list.
It's a must, the right resin helps of course as well
The most readily available pressure tank is the 2.5 gallon one from Harbor Freight. There are some videos out there on setting it up for pressure casting.
This is sorcery level of craftmanship ! love your work!
Impressive from the first 30 seconds of this video!!
You raised the bar quite a bit, one of the best videos so far, in my opinion.
Thanks
The end product looks fantastic, the gloss level is amazing. It does look good all red but I live in the UK and we have to have Amber indicators/Turn signals on vehicle past 1965.
Thanks. Correct!
A 4 part mold could give you both colors. Use a blocking plate for the red, and then when it sets but before it cures remove the plate, bolt the 2nd cavity set up and pour the amber.
Please, Please, Please, MORE videos like this!! I've been following you for a long time now, but this was the video that made me extremely excited.!!
Came across your channel by chance, and I must say, your content is exceptional! I thoroughly enjoyed the video, especially your comprehensive documentation and explanations throughout the entire process. While I may not have the skills or equipment to attempt this myself, it's always a delight to witness someone else masterfully undertake such a fascinating process and gain insights into its mechanics. Thank you! Subbed!
Awesome video, Really love the use of 3dprinting to simplify the mold making process. Awesome results too, I couldn't find a flaw if I tried. Its so fortunate your customer was able to provide such nice examples to replicate.
I’m pretty sure that somewhere in the comments somebody had said this before. Making a slight modification in your mold where the air vent is at the very top of the tail light mold, you can use two large syringes for two tone lenses. Red one at the bottom and the orange one at the top. You will inject the red fluid and then vacuum process the mold with the red fluid being up to the level of the adjoining orange fluid. The red fluid has hardened enough in the mold before adding the orange fluid with the vent all the way at the top. Now inject the orange fluid until the orange fluid comes out the top vent. Vacuum chamber process the whole thing a second time. Remove both syringes from the mold, and then crack open the mold. You might have to saw off the syringes first. Then grind any remaining material at the very top of the lens. Red gets injected from the bottom of the red region. Orange gets injected from the bottom of the orange region. The vent is at the top. The mold is oriented vertically. This is a two-step vacuum chamber process. I am sure that you can do this a third time with a Clear lens in the middle of one or both of the colors. You would just have to use a modified mold To inject in the clear fluid and vacuum chamber that new material. So for three colors, you will use two different molds and three vacuum stages. You will corner the market in MG, Mercedes, and other exotic classic parts that are impossible to find for hobbyists and college students alike. Give it a whirl. Get rich? Send me some. Make three color lenses in any shape. Guess how much a Mercedes 190B tail light costs. You probably already figured this out. Gravity and orientation during degassing is the challenge.
The solid red was per the client's request, though
@@Lennart1995 the techniques are great. I just think that if help was hired in a vacant warehouse, this artist could corner the market on remanufactured parts. People will be able to love their old cars again. Just keep making copies until they stop selling. Then move onto British cars and classic motorbikes. The dream lives on!!
Wow! Great detail for incredible results! Glad to have found super talented, intelligence and knowledgeable producer of valuable videos.
Thanks
I can't believe how much messing about you had to do just for two small parts which most people would see as OEM. Fantastic job, incredible detail you should be well pleased with them and yourself. 👍🏼 I'm now Subscribed to see what other amazing thins you can magic up.
This is what I have been dreaming about since I was a child & now its here....Liked:)
Really well done. I know not exactly cost effective for some parts. But I like that parts can be recreated without buying from the manufacturer
Eric. This was awesome. For many years I've pondered on how to do this. Excellent job. I appreciate your transparency related to cost and sharing your technique.
Next level challenge. Custom lenses.
Wow, this guy does such excellent work. These old plastic parts are impossible to get now, and for collector cars is worth it. I could use some new speaker grilles for my 1998 Mercedes, however, $1000 is about half of what the car is worth.
$1000 to $2000 Yikes
easier to find a replacement part in Europe
Search internationally you may get it cheaper in another country...maybe with shipping too
those are also 1 colored and made out of resin which is worse then pressure casted plastic. $1000 is insane price even for 2 days of work.
It is fascinating to watch this process with a detailed explanation. The end result is absolutely stunning.
Fasinating! I think the video was recommended to me as I do watch a lot of “Jag” videos. those parts looked amazing really great work, i never knew that that was even possible!!
Not sure how I got here, But I'm glad I Stayed Fantastic work from a fellow maker. I now realise I should have studied Industrial design.
This is my first time watching one of you videos. I don't know what to make of it. The explanation and walk through of your process was great. $2000 for taillights that's insane. I've done rear taillights for my Volvo. The finished product was great but i did mine without a pressure tank. I had to do some extra post work but my cost for materials was only $143. The taillights were gorgeous and i had them on the car till i got rid of it. I'm glad you can make such a substantial profit. Maybe I'm in the wrong business. 😂 Be blessed.
Fred do you have any info you can provide me on your process?
Oh? How much would you charge me to make me a set of tail lights for my car? $150 ish then?
You talk about the cost of materials, he talks about all the cost including his time. And someone has to pay for the pressure chambers and all that. I have no idea if that price is reasonable. But I think it is good that he mentions it. Some companies or enthusiast will pay that money. Lots of private person won't pay it so there is no point in contacting him. Win/win.
I've done some similar casting of mid-50's Ford transmission shifter position lenses and other plastic parts that are not reproduced. I appreciate your posting of the costs involved! Too many people think this type of project shouldn't be expensive or time consuming. I do what I want for myself, knowing that no one wants to pay what it's worth to make parts that are no longer available. Sad too. I am wondering about your "10-gallon pressure pot" though. I'm guessing you've had that for a long time or found it used. A quick search found nothing that large available, assuming I used the right search words! As many others here have already stated, GREAT VIDEO! 😍😍😎
You are correct, people have no concept how much it really costs to get parts reproduced, especially to the very high standard shown here. Just the silicone and resin are an arm and a leg! Search “10 gallon pressure tank for casting” $500-1200. C.A. Technologies makes a nice unit. I think Eric did find his used.
Thanks for your reply! So many times, on some of the FACEBOOK forums I'm on, I read people complaining about price. It's hard to give them a reality check, and not be a bit sarcastic! 😔 @@getdirecti0ns
Takes time and resources to make something quality
Man that is so impressive and incredible workmanship..
The UA-cam algorithm brought me here, wen5 down the rabbit hole. Glad I did. Really nice video
Wow, they came out beautiful. Great info. I was thinking of maybe having a block off for the orange/amber & poor the two colors separately but you may have bleed through or no structural locking between the two parts. Thanks for sharing.
This is more than molding. This is art!
i'm curious how you could make it two-toned like the original
I would (in my limited knowledge) assume you would have to break the original down into two parts mould and cast each then attach the separate cast together
Correct
@@beni446 I wonder how you would take in the account structural integrity when joining these two. I assume glueing will not do the trick,
@rogierius epoxy resin glue should do, if you look carefully at the original between the two colours their seams to be an overlap to increase the surface area for glueing
@@beni446Perhaps you can break the reproduction, now that you have it :) And then recast the whole thing one over preserving the originals.
Really great video showcasing your replication skillset, and some cool materials in action. To note, the first silicone used is TC-5150 as the video noted, Eric was saying 5051. But Eric using many methods of additive manufacturing here is pretty great.
Apologies about misspeaking, but the text is correct in the video when the product is used. Very nice materials that I liked using.
Excellent work. I watch your videos all the time. Thank you for explaining each step you take.
Please.. I would really love to see you do this again and how you would go about getting the two-tone orange/red color like the original.
Please keep the videos coming. :)
I don't really do two part molds but I love the idea behind a splitter board.
That was OUTSTANDING. Such great creativity and talent, and excellent attention to detail. Just loved watching your process!!!
I'm sure there is a great way to cut it into parts.
One way, Eric, is to take a table saw or similar, and cut 2 of your castings in half.
The reason why I suggest doing 2 castings, is because the width of the blade takes away some material.
So you could cut off a little less than you need from each half, and shave them down with a sanding machine (one that is stationary), until it is exact.
But you did a really great job!
Looks nice!
:)
Another fantastic work. Something makes me think that this wouldn't be quite possible anywhere else than the US. I mean to have your home workshop and all the needed tools and material to produce this kind of result. Finding even the most non-ubiquitous materials and tools I think is only possible in the US.
If you want a two-tone replica like the original, try casting in the orange color, then mask and coat the red portion with Tamiya Clear Red (or similar). I'd try hitting just the interior first-- sometimes you get really good color refraction (?) that way. Just a thought, anyway. Great video Eric, and as always, I enjoy seeing your process! You truly engineer your molds with precision! ;)
Is so thrilling to see this level of attention to detail being documented
your channel is criminally undersubscribed!
Absolutely Stunning Results - 👍👍😎👍👍 Thanks Eric for the glimpse of what is possible.
Amazing process! Looks like quite a hell of an upfront investment cost in materials, machines etc. But what a fantastic result!
Thanks
my guy, you are very talented at what you do and I will be happy to give you money for your work
This is totally cool. The tail lights on my Barchetta are starting to fade. Your project is something to think about.
Enjoyed the video. Excellent process. And i like that you would charge a realistic value to cover your costs and make some profit.
Nice work I can do a split color resin light I've done it years back took me a lot of tries to get it done right
I would like to see that piece made with the two tones and how you would divide the mold for it
Yeah, me too, I would like to make a video about that.
Wow very cool, thanks for sharing
Thank you for posting this! I was looking for this information last week and still had some gaps in my knowledge.
1:36 the scanned photo is actually really nice
There is a way you could do it two tone but you have to make two at the same time. Cast them in that orange color and then dipp them in red dye for synthetic clothing. I did that with acrylic glass by accident when coloring nylon SLS prints. Its permanent and grips the plastic really good!
That's a really nice pressure tank. I have three of them, in different lengths. Made by the Pressed Steel Tank Company in the USA at a plant that's been closed and empty (if not completely demolished by now) for a long time. The company still exists but does not make such tanks anymore. A new tank with a removable lid like that would cost at least $2,000. (I got a quote on one a few years ago.) So if you're looking for such a tank, used is the way to go. Using them for pressure casting resin, there's zero chance they'll rupture or break a lid clamp or fail in any way. One of mine has a tag with crazy high specifications. IIRC 150 PSI at 650F. 50 to 60 PSI at room temperature is like nothing to these tanks.
I like the 3D printed knobs you put on the bolt heads. I just use a Crescent wrench on mine.
Another possibility for surplus, used, or scrap source for a tank for resin casting is a high pressure autoclave. There are low pressure ones that are used up to 20 PSI or so. If they're not rated for a much higher maximum, I wouldn't try it. High pressure ones can go up to 200 PSI or more, while being full of superheated steam. So a used one picked up for scrap value is going to be fine at sub 100 PSI at room temperature. Strip it down to the bare tank and lid, install plugs in all the holes except for one for the regulated air inlet, one for a safety popoff valve, and one for a pressure gauge on the lid or tank wall. All my pressure tanks, the three big ones and eight 2 to 2.5 gallon ones, have a gauge mounted on the lid to directly read the tank pressure. I set the pressure by the gauge on the regulator but I rely on the gauge on the lid to know for certain the pressure in the tank.
I would love to see how you would tackle the 2 tone
Awesome video, I really enjoyed watching it. The result is stunning!
Thanks
What a great video just loaded with tips, tricks, and how-to's! So you vacuum degas and also use a pressure pot?
Yes
I did not expect the “customer states” thank you!
😀
Smart idea with the shellac on the resin printed bits. Most UV resins for printers have sulfer in them.
Can't be to safe if your gonna invest that much time into a project.
Another resin print coating option I’ve seen used successfully is to dissolve some pmma (acrylic) in acetone and use that as a dip or paint on your resin prints. The ratio is not super critical, 1-2% by weight is sufficient so 10-20g acrylic in 1000mL of acetone. It’s thinner than shellac and good for not softening really fine details.
JUST WOW. Incredible glossy finish! but I wonder HOW would you make the "2-tone Yellow-Red" version, just like the OEM? How's that done?
Does the customer keep the mold for next time?
If not, how do you structure the pricing to account for later small batch or on-demand production runs for other owners of the same vehicle? And how many reuses do you get before the silicon mold wears out?
It'd be pretty easy to run out of storage space for all the molds for all the different parts made. Balancing the cost to reflect the limitations of mold life and the costs of storage must be a challenge.
Can the same technique be used for Bakelite parts?
You can make about 20-30 parts, sometimes they want the mold but usually they stays here. Sometimes they want more down the line, but it it is rare, just depends on the project, most of the time I am just making one off prototypes.
For straightening copper wire put it in a drill no joke spinning it up while pulling the single strand it will strengthen up perfectly
impressive, looks retail and I really salute that you mention price.
First off love the outro!! Second those parts came out flawlessly. They don’t make tail light lens for a 98-02 trans am any more, would like to see if that would be a possible project in the future.
Sure, just a matter of time and money.
Awesome video thanks for posting. Gonna have to do something similar for my XD Falcon. How would you cast the amber part? Could you precisely trim the silicone mould on the split line then sit the cut silicone in mould box, with cut line butted up to wood. Then pour both red and amber parts, then glue together?
You would have and extra mold half to cast one of the parts then swap half's to cast the other color
I had a pair of Hillman Minx Lenses cast in two colours Red and Amber. They came out perfect like these . Only cost me $250.00 "Classic Plastic" was the man. Sadly he's retired now.
That's a more realistic price, I went solid Amber for mine
someone told me if you do manage to create a glossy rubber mold, if you are casting many parts the glossy surface of the mold will eventually dull. not sure if you have had this experience? and if you know roughly how many copies one can expect before this happens? thank you
Ehhh, depends, but you should be able to get 10-20 parts before some degradation begins
@@EricStrebelcrap. that's not very many parts. total bummer. but thanks. doesn't sound like rubber molds can be used for production, if your part needs to be glossy to achieve transparent parts. sounds like i might have to move on to injection molding.
I've cast many things and used many teqniques similar to yours, I can say nice work and great attention to detail..
Thanks
Beautiful work as usual!
I'm gonna take your recommendation on the BJB products for experimenting some smoked tail light lenses !
Good luck
Why pressure instead of vacuum for the final curing; does the resin keep producing bubbles even though being fully degassed by the first vacuum treatment? Can you use vacuum in the final cure, or does it have to be pressure?
Stunningly beautiful parts! 😊
The resin reacts with the moisture in the environment, pressure reduces that effect
@@EricStrebel Well thank you, I'd never guessed it would be the moisture.
Once again, absolute beautiful castings. I bet there is a pretty good market to where maybe you could sell additional ones; have not idea how many times you can use the mold though...
They turned out fantastic! Well done!!
Quedo brutalmente bien.
Felicidades.
Saludos
I will never be attempting this but thanks for sharing your impressive skills and knowledge. I’m interested to know how many times the moulds could be used ? If they could be used many times then they are indeed very valuable.Thanks again and regards from England.
About 30 times
This was so satisfying to watch. Great content. I love learning new things.
stunning job!!
However, you say that natural wood is stronger than let's say MDF? I learned that MDF is almost entirely of glue and glue is stronger than wood so wouldn't be the other way round correct? Thanks
No, definitely not in this application.
Absolutely loved your presentation and insights into the product design. Challenging and excellent work, thanks for sharing it !
Could you put a dam in across the raised bit of red cast the amber, remove the dam and cast in the red? Not sure if it would join up OK? Wonder how they did it originally.
Fascinating. So much work but what an amazing result. Thanks for sharing.
Great results. But could result in trouble for forgery of documents with that copied certification mark of the original parts?! Or whats your opinon on that topic? In Germany its taken very serious with stuff like that.
would love to see how to make it in 2 colors or more!!
Yeah, in theory, how would you go about making this part in two colors?
@@mglenadeltwo part pour most likely, block off the amber area for the red pour (or cut off the top of red after the pour) after its cured leave the red in place and pour the amber into the remaining space, it should then cure as a joined peice.
@@branbroken yes, but how to build the vents and pour gates, should the mold be oriented differently for each color pour… many questions.
Very nice, i really can appreciate knowledge like this and experience. It looks so satisfying to be able to make things like this 😊
wonderful video showing your techniques. Could you share how you would go about doing a 2 tone yellow red split?
This is a good point. Anywhere outside the US a single colour tail light is probably illegal. Honestly, I don't know why they're legal in the US tbh.
I would love to learn to do molds of my own. the boss wants clear, color forms for some of our projects, and the 3D printer in SLA is okay, but it's not CLEAR. it's translucent. I think the only way we could do this would be to make a polished part, and then create a mold of it.
Thanks for showing the steps. It's so hard to design a negative space or imagine it.
Your welcome
Fantastic!! can't believe that supreme quality
I am just curious if the buyer wanted these for their own vehicle or were producing them to sell for other collectors/restorers. Seems like the investment could be worth while to fill a gap in the market like this, assuming the cost/each goes down a bit since you've already produced the molds.
Very neat process. Thank you for sharing.
Really doubt it was for other collectors or restorers, most would want them to look original so would want the amber, also the US is one of the few places in the world that doesnt legaly require the direction indicators to be amber, so unlikely to be road legal outside USA.
@@branbroken Not road legal in the US either way without DOT approval.
Why were the 3D printed injection funnel shapes printed pointy-end down, with supports? Wouldn't it have been easier to print them pointy-end up, without supports? I'm sure there's a good reason, but I'm not seeing it.
Several reasons actually, the main on eis that this allows me to break the cone off the part and remove the part from the mold so it is not locked in the mold.
Very informative, Very good info. champion of the molding casting people.
Very, very nice project. They came out perfect. Thank you.
end mandolorian guitar is amazing lol good molding and précisions part
When you split the mold you should blow compressed air into the bleed holes to reduce wear on the mold. It will pop open on its own if you blow it out.
How were the original lenses made with 2 colours ? Any idea ? Is there a split line between the plastic colours or were they cast as 1 clear pieces (structural) and then recast/coated in the appropriate colours ? Just curious. Excellent video on the process. Thanks for sharing.
The original lenses are made with the process called insert molding.
@@EricStrebel Thanks. I’ll look it up.
I loved this. Beautiful parts. Is the use of the super glue non destructive to the original.
They're so little of it used that it can be removed with a little bit of effort
How many castings can such a mold make? If that customer returned again, would it be cheaper for them since you already have a mold and it's just the materials + time to mix/occupy the pressure drum?
20-30
Beautiful work! Was solid red chosen as a customer preference, or was it because it was easier/feasible with your methods?
Custom for the customer, that's actually the way they came from the factory back in the day
@@EricStrebel so the car isn't in Europe, where most countries require amber turn signals on the rear? I did some amber turn signal lenses for a 1947 Cadillac in an undisclosed European country. The owner had made some crude orange plexiglas lenses. I made molds off the glass lenses, and also off the tail light lenses, then included a pair of plastic replicas of the tail light lenses along with the amber plastic turn signal lenses. I charge plenty for one-off jobs like that. I've sold one other set. Of course I still have the molds so anyone with a 47 Cad or other year that has the same lights... ;)
Would be interesting to see how you would do one like the original with a split color.
I was wondering that as well
Impressive. Saving this video for future business reference.
Be tricky but could you mould a silicone barrier inside the mould so you fill the lower red part up, let it cure, then remove the silicone barrier to fill the top amber part, assuming the resin adheres to itself. Very fiddly and a pain in the arse but i think it could be done.
It's doable, just a matter of money.
Very nice work - engineering meets art!
If u ever decide to do a class i would pay to learn this!!! I am sure there are others too!!! ❤
Hello Eric, thanks a ton for the video. It's a much nicer way of casting as opposed to my traditional way, i definitely learned a new technique. Now how do we cast dual color tail lights. Like orange and red combinations.
Amazing work.
Thanks