G scale locomotive.

[Tim A.]

I decided to tackle the headlight. It came on the tender I got off ebay. It was a dummy, never wired for a bulb. I happened to have a mini bulb that can handle 9v's. A third hand helped me determine where the light will mount on the smoke box before I drill the hole for the wiring to go through the boiler.

 

[Tim A.]

Finally, an endless supply of different size bolt and rivet castings!
The silicone molds Finally made it from Spain. I used Super Sculpey for these.
Excellent!

 

[Tim A.]

The headlight is on. Making it work is one thing, hiding the wiring, yet making it so a burnt bulb can be replaced down the road was the trick.

 

[Rhino]

Outstanding!

 

[moon puppy]

Love it, what's the trick then, where's the wires?

 

[centaur567]

Looks great!! Gary S.

 

[Sharkmouth]

Finally, an endless supply of different size bolt and rivet castings!
The silicone molds Finally made it from Spain. I used Super Sculpey for these.
Excellent!

View attachment 177851

Do tell the make and source! I have ancient steel molds from Greif for which I uses squash molding:

Squash molding sounds like an S-B-S if there is interest. I just found myself about to use it on my Havocs so it isn't limited to ground vehicles!

 

[Sharkmouth]

I also have several punches including the ultra-rare The Small Shop Nutter. It uses a lead foil roll and the reason it don't use it anymore. Not my photo:

 

[Tim A.]

Love it, what's the trick then, where's the wires?

The wiring runs from the bulb through a hole under the bracket on the smokebox front. Then through the boiler to a female plug on the back of the frame and connects to the RC receiver in the tender. The light is activated by the transmitter. The trick was making the bulb secure in the light housing, yet removable. I made the smokebox so it comes off to be able to unplug the bulb wires and pull them through the small hole, then remove the bulb. There is just enough room to push the bulb up into the light housing.

 

[Tim A.]

Do tell the make and source! I have ancient steel molds from Greif for which I uses squash molding:
View attachment 177873

Squash molding sounds like an S-B-S if there is interest. I just found myself about to use it on my Havocs so it isn't limited to ground vehicles!

Green Stuff World is the manufacturer. They're in Spain and as far as I know there isn't a US distributor, but they were all over getting it shipped. It took about 3 weeks to get here, not bad.
I'm using Super Sculpey to press into the molds, no release agent needed for the Sculpey. Pop the mold in the oven at 275° for 15 minutes and presto! Just pop them out of the mold.

 

[Tim A.]

Outstanding!

Thanks Rhino!

 

[Sharkmouth]

Green Stuff World is the manufacturer. View attachment 177886

Now I need to find it as it is great for scratch-building.

However, I started using squash casting when I needed to add missing rivets, bolts, and nuts, to kits without replacing them all so they would match. I used my PAM (spray oil used in cooking) over the fasteners I wanted to replicate, brushed them to ensure it was an even light layer, then mixed two-part epoxy putty (Aves comes to mind but Milliput white has been used). After it hardened, I cut the prue tree frame into lengths which were heated over a candle and squished, squashed, or pressed, into the epoxy putty mold. Slice the perfectly replicated detail off the sprue and use! Getting wiser, I learned to shave several of the items from the kit and glue them close together on a sheet of 0.08" styrene to make molds of multiples since the epoxy putty is so expensive!

 

[Heavens Eagle]

If I remember correctly, Green Stuff is a 2 part epoxy putty that Games Workshop sells and people use on their gaming models. I never really cared for it, but these molds were probably made to use that thus the "GreenStuffWorld".

 

[Tim A.]

If I remember correctly, Green Stuff is a 2 part epoxy putty that Games Workshop sells and people use on their gaming models. I never really cared for it, but these molds were probably made to use that thus the "GreenStuffWorld".

I was wondering why the name 'green stuff'

 

[Tim A.]

Now I need to find it as it is great for scratch-building.

However, I started using squash casting when I needed to add missing rivets, bolts, and nuts, to kits without replacing them all so they would match. I used my PAM (spray oil used in cooking) over the fasteners I wanted to replicate, brushed them to ensure it was an even light layer, then mixed two-part epoxy putty (Aves comes to mind but Milliput white has been used). After it hardened, I cut the prue tree frame into lengths which were heated over a candle and squished, squashed, or pressed, into the epoxy putty mold. Slice the perfectly replicated detail off the sprue and use! Getting wiser, I learned to shave several of the items from the kit and glue them close together on a sheet of 0.08" styrene to make molds of multiples since the epoxy putty is so expensive!

The tutorial video for the silicone molds show milliput being used but it requires a release agent for the mold.

 

[Rhino]

The tutorial video for the silicone molds show milliput being used but it requires a release agent for the mold.

Molds?

 

[Tim A.]

Molds?

Did I spell it wrong and turn this into something potentially deadly? Is it molds or moulds??

 

[Heavens Eagle]

I think it depends on which side of the big pond you live on Tim.

 

[Rhino]

Did I spell it wrong and turn this into something potentially deadly? Is it molds or moulds??

If you guys need quality silicone molds made, let me know. Winter Construction lay-off has come so find my little company at your service.

 

[Tim A.]

If you guys need quality silicone molds made, let me know. Winter Construction lay-off has come so find my little company at your service.

Thanks Rhino!