My trip to TAP Plastics was a success! I have more mold making stuff, some epoxy resin to play with, a urethane foam kit in case I decide to use it, some opaque red dye for the external coat, 1200 and 2400 grit sandpaper, and mold release spray. The marine epoxy was tempting for its claim to be a non-odourous product, but the store guy said that the slightly cheaper general-use epoxy will suit my purposes.

On with the show:

Instead of making a mold out of solid silicone like last time, I'm going to try a different technique to save on that expensive stuff and back a thin layer of silicone with a hard fiberglass shell.

I made the matching part for the prototype locking mechanism out of modelling clay and I've poured 2 fl. oz. of RTV silicone mold making compound over it:


As you can see, 2 fl. oz was way too much and it made a big mess.

Now do I go for a second coat of silicone, or pour the supporting resin with a little chopped fiberglass over it?

It's late for a decision and the silicone is still curing anyway.
Next time, I'll definitely have to get the Fast Cure catalyst instead of the Regular...

G'nite!