Crimea_River
Marshal
A couple of rainy days ahead Karl so let me see what I can come up with.
**** DONE: GB-59 1/48 Ki84 - WW2 PTO V
- Thread starter rochie
- Start date
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Vic Balshaw
Major General
Bit of a bugger Karl, but what a responce from our Canadian delegation, it's what the forum is all about. Well responded chaps. 
Crimea_River
Marshal
Well, I have to try and enhance our reputation on the global stage, unlike the clowns in our government.....
Anyway Karl, I offer no guarantees but I'll post progress of the casting as I go. It may well go south but at least I tried. I had already glued my engine parts together and there was no way prying the parts apart again. This creates some issues for casting in that there are voids that the silicone mould would fill and therefore I would not be able to pull the engine out without damaging the mould. This includes the two wiring harness loops, which I've cut off and will replace later with lead wire or solder both on my engine and the one I'll cast for you, if it turns out well enough. The other thing I had to do was to fill in the spaces behind the magneto and crank case sump for the same reason. That means you'll get a solid block directly behind these that will obscure the two back cylinders but this really won't be seen.
Here's the stripped engine in the mould box, supported on plasticine. Good thing we kept the kids' Lego sets as these come in handy for this!
The silicone, which comes as a 2 part mix, was then prepared and poured in. The maker says you can strip the form after 30 minutes but waiting 24 hours will give a maximum set so that's what I'll do.
Fingers crossed!
Anyway Karl, I offer no guarantees but I'll post progress of the casting as I go. It may well go south but at least I tried. I had already glued my engine parts together and there was no way prying the parts apart again. This creates some issues for casting in that there are voids that the silicone mould would fill and therefore I would not be able to pull the engine out without damaging the mould. This includes the two wiring harness loops, which I've cut off and will replace later with lead wire or solder both on my engine and the one I'll cast for you, if it turns out well enough. The other thing I had to do was to fill in the spaces behind the magneto and crank case sump for the same reason. That means you'll get a solid block directly behind these that will obscure the two back cylinders but this really won't be seen.
Here's the stripped engine in the mould box, supported on plasticine. Good thing we kept the kids' Lego sets as these come in handy for this!
The silicone, which comes as a 2 part mix, was then prepared and poured in. The maker says you can strip the form after 30 minutes but waiting 24 hours will give a maximum set so that's what I'll do.
Fingers crossed!
Crimea_River
Marshal
Form came out well and I now have a resin casting curing away. Should be able to pop it out tomorrow evening and see how it looks.
Vic Balshaw
Major General
Great. 
fubar57
General
We'll done Andy. My decals should pass your engine Mid-Atlantic and then take four months to cross Canada
- Thread starter
- #28
Great stuff Andy, thank you very much.
I'll pm you my address as I've probably moved since we last swapped bits
I'll pm you my address as I've probably moved since we last swapped bits
Crimea_River
Marshal
Been out all day and will be again tomorrow but I stripped the casting from the mould tonight. My resin is clear so it's hard to see detail but everything formed up well for the most part. The prop shaft didn't though as I didn't get the resin to go down the narrow hole. No big deal as I'll just flatten the end of the crank case and drill in a brass or styrene one. There are lots of air bubbles which is a common problem with resin casts. I don't have enough practice with the technique to know of a way to avoid them. If they are internal then no big deal but if they are on the surface then they will be noticeable. I won't really know how bad it is until I apply a coat of primer, probably late tomorrow or Sunday.
Vic Balshaw
Major General
Re the air bubbles Andy, when you pour the resin, I've never done it myself but if you tap the filled mould on a hard surface, like the desk top, would that not help to bring the bubbles to the surface and pop out. Just wondering.
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- Thread starter
- #32
looks good to me 
Crimea_River
Marshal
Well, Karl, I'm pretty happy how it turned out. There are a few bubbles that affected the surface detail a bit but I'd say it's not too bad. I drilled a hole and glued in a prop shaft using styrene rod - the prop will be a tight fit but it won't turn so no running around your back yard making airplane noises with your model. The ignition harnesses, which couldn't be moulded, have been replaced with solder wire. Pics below of yours and then with the original for comparison.
There are locating pins on the back of the original that I didn't replicate. I think if you take a bit of care and make sure the magneto is vertical when you glue the plug in then you should be fine.
I'll pack this up tomorrow and put it in the post Monday morning. Enjoy!
There are locating pins on the back of the original that I didn't replicate. I think if you take a bit of care and make sure the magneto is vertical when you glue the plug in then you should be fine.
I'll pack this up tomorrow and put it in the post Monday morning. Enjoy!
Vic Balshaw
Major General
Very nicely done Andy.
- Thread starter
- #36
Looks pretty fantastic from here Andy, thank you so much.
Top stuff Andy.
le_steph40
Chief Master Sergeant
Well done Andy (who is always ready to help) 
Nicely done so far Andy!
