NegativeEleven's budget blaster (re)build

[NegativeEleven]

Update May 2014: Sale thread over in the trade forum: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=11557

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Almost there guys. A lot of people have asked when I'll make more blasters. I am almost done with a 2nd mold of my modded Kenner blaster and should be able to pour more next week if everything works out. Here's a rundown of the process.

 

I started with this straight up recast of a Kenner blaster I found on eBay. You could even see the outline of the "Return of the Jedi" stickers that were left on it when it was molded.

 

I sanded off some of the excess details and cut off the trigger. Sanding the texture off the handle took a while and required cutting off the pressure button, so I replaced that with the correct transistor and slotted screws. I carved away at the scope for a while so I could put the accurate scope ring on there, then built up the base underneath the scope ring with bondo.

 

 

Size compare with an older scout's movie sized blaster:

 

This was one of the first two-part molds I've made, so a lot of trial and error led to decent castings with a lot of air pockets that had to be filled with bondo before I could sell them. Making blasters took a long time and since it's a Kenner (10% larger than the original), I felt I couldn't sell them for the $80-$125 that other blasters are going for on the boards here. I cut it to half of that, despite the fact they were way more work to make because of the incorrect mold. Now that I know a lot more about making molds, I decided to remake it. I figured if I'm pouring close to $100 worth of silicone, I might as well make the original blaster better before I mold it. I've spent the last month and a half trimming more of the details, cleaning up the lines, and replacing some other parts (especially the screws in the finger guard).

 

I tried a different approach to the scope's mold. I made it one piece split down the inner side of the scope where you won't see a seam and I made the eyepiece the pour spout. If the resin is relatively bubble-free, this will take almost no effort to clean up right out of the mold.

 

I'm trying the blaster mold again with several pour spouts so air doesn't get trapped in the spots I always had trouble with in the last mold. I had to keep adding cuts to the silicone on the last mold to let the air out and that led to a lot of excess resin that had to be cut away when the blasters were made. I was wasting a lot of material and making more work for myself. Hopefully this will work better and I can be back to pouring blasters soon.

 

Based on troubles I had with the last mold, I've already made separate molds of the barrel and the rings on the back (power supply?) so that if those pieces don't cure properly, I can make replacements to screw on right away.

 

I have troops on Friday and Saturday, so I should be posting early next week to let you guys know if I'm back in business.

[EnigmaEngine]

As someone who knows absolutely zilch about how casting, molding.....really any of it is done, I find this absolutely fascinating.

 

.....it's black magic, all of it. I knew it!

[NegativeEleven]

It's mostly gravity more than magic. I don't think you can read how to make molds, you just have to try it (much like StudioCreations vac-forming tutorial says you have to be prepared to ruin a lot of plastic while figuring it out). I'm on my fifth gallon of silicone, but every bad mold is a learning experience. You figure out where air gets trapped and where spills are gonna happen.

 

I am thinking my next step is to buy a slower curing resin. The one that cures in 7 minutes doesn't let bubbles rise before it is hard. I built a vac chamber to get bubbles out, but I can't leave it in there long enough to get all the bubbles out.

[NegativeEleven]

I'm pretty happy with this first pull (the blue is clay from the original that was stuck in the mold). I haven't trimmed anything, just had to break off the pour spout parts to get it out of the mold. There's definitely some air getting trapped in a few spots. I think I can just cut a little away from the mold to get that figured out. The new screws on the finger guard didn't come thru in the casting, so I might have to cast those separate and glue em on or put real screws into each blaster. The other side looks amazing. A couple of bubbles in the mold, but those can easily be cut out of the castings with an Xacto knife.

 

[NegativeEleven]

If you've bought one of my blasters without magnets in the pressure button (for holding it in the holster), here's my tutorial for adding them: http://forum.bikerscout.net/index.php?showtopic=11894

 

And hey, I just realized there's no picture of a finished blaster in this thread, so let's borrow a picture from that tutuorial: