New Kickstarter Campaign for Casting Molds

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tkbarron

tkbarron

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Hey all!

I've been super busy over the past year working on a new project and now I want to share the news.

I just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a very innovative casting system. It's called "Gator Mold - Combo Pen Blank Casting System". Please follow the link for more info.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/183515118/gator-mold-combo-pen-blank-casting-system

I've spent hundreds of hours developing and testing this system and I believe it may help a lot of you!

Please let me know if you have any questions! I'm in the process of transferring my website to a new domain called http://maneatercrafts.com. It should go live early next week. I will also be changing over my FB page and email account in the next few days.

Thanks!
 
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Good to see your making these available to the public. I've been using these since May of this year. I put them in the oven with the tubes installed to make sure they're moisture free and haven't seen any warping or cracking. I tap the on the edge of a table to demold and haven't had one chip or crack. I've cast hundreds of different blanks. Everything from tube in to solid blanks. I guess as of now I can tell you they're awesome molds but I can't say how long they will last. That's because I haven't had a mold fail as of now.
 
i can't wait to try the new system, correct me if Im wrong but one mold can cast from 7mm tubes to 12.5 mm tubes and everything in between just changing the stopper ends....... I can't wait. Ive used other molds in the past but I find sometimes the blanks I'm casting are not square, I'm guessing the pressure inside the tank is causing the silicone molds to open up a little.
 
Thanks guys!

Yes William, the inserts are intended to support most all tube sizes. I will take a look in the morning and report back on the range each size stopper will handle. I just can't remember the details off the top of my head.

These molds will remain completely square, unlike silicone. You can expect no warping, twisting or cupping. The surface of the the casting chambers will remain smooth. No wrinkling like silicone. Think of the polar opposite to silicone molds. That's what these are.

Tom
 
Tom, question.......Liquid Diamonds is extremely thin, I've had minor issues casting in silicone molds and I'm sure it's operator error. My question is when using Liquid Diamonds in your molds, are the stoppers tight enough to avoid leakage? I don't want the end up having 1/2 of a blank.
 
Is the casting system available ONLY through the Kickstarter campaign? Someone mentioned they had been using the molds since May. Will they be available through your new website once the domain changes, or through FB once it changes? Definitely interested in doing my own casting and leaning toward the Super Deluxe Pckg on Kickstarter. Just a little confused about source(s) of mold system since (like I said) someone here mentioned they have already been using your system since May.
Thanks for the info, Jeff
 
The stopper diameters range as follows:

Small - 6mm to about 11mm (top to bottom).
Large - 9mm to about 14mm (top to bottom).

You can use the small stoppers for tubes ranging from 7mm to about 10.5mm. I will warn you that using 7mm tubes doesn't allow for any wiggle room. It will be a tight fit at the tip so make sure the tubes are well seated before casting. I couldn't go any smaller with the tip diameter because the integrity of the pressure relief holes would have been compromised.

The large stoppers will comfortably accommodate 27/64" tubes and larger. The large tube from and over-under kit will pretty much bottom out on the large stopper. I couldn't go any bigger because the end mill would have chewed into side wall of my insert casting mold.
 
William Menard said:
Tom, question.......Liquid Diamonds is extremely thin, I've had minor issues casting in silicone molds and I'm sure it's operator error. My question is when using Liquid Diamonds in your molds, are the stoppers tight enough to avoid leakage? I don't want the end up having 1/2 of a blank.
Click to expand...



Yes! The inserts are precision designed for the mold chambers to avoid leakage. Here's a picture I just took using water along with 10.5 and 12.5 tubes. No mold release applied, I just dry fitted the inserts and poured water to the top. No leakage!!

Thanks!
 

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Skeleton2014 said:
Is the casting system available ONLY through the Kickstarter campaign? Someone mentioned they had been using the molds since May. Will they be available through your new website once the domain changes, or through FB once it changes? Definitely interested in doing my own casting and leaning toward the Super Deluxe Pckg on Kickstarter. Just a little confused about source(s) of mold system since (like I said) someone here mentioned they have already been using your system since May.
Thanks for the info, Jeff
Click to expand...

Sorry for any confusion.

Kenny Durant is a local friend who has been helping me test the system for the past few months. I've tweaked the design here and there to get it just tight. I've done thousands of casts using the first generation mold bodies and between Kenny and I, we've cast hundreds of blanks using inserts and the new generation mold bodies.

The mold bodies with inserts will be available on my site and on Arizona Silhouette once the Kickstarter campaign ends. We'll be selling a variety of mold bodies on our sites within the next week or two.

I wanted to launch the product on Kickstarter in order to broaden awareness for it. It's the use of the inserts that makes it a "combo mold", which as far as I know is a unique concept. I have mold bodies of all shapes and sizes in the pipeline. Those will be released on our sites as soon as I can get them milled!

Thanks!
 
mckenziedrums said:
Could you add an option with all the accessories but without resin for us alumilite lovers?
Click to expand...


Perhaps if there is enough interest! I haven't given it a lot of thought. My intent was to limit the number of tiers on Kickstarter and keep it as simple as possible. I included Liquid Diamonds because I will carry it on my site (selfish I know)! As much as I like Alumilite I've really grown to love Liquid Diamonds. It can't be beat for clear tub-in casts.

Also, the casting rack was something I designed to accommodate my molds. It's made from HDPE so an resin spillage flakes right off. Same goes for the pressure pot base! The rack and base are precision milled on my CNC but the rack itself uses a lot of material and 1/2" HDPE sheet stock isn't cheap. I've been beating myself up over it, trying to figure out whether it's something that can be sold for a reasonable price and yet carry any profit margin. I love the rack because it's perfectly balanced. I can grab it by the top holes using two or three fingers, swing it over into a pressure pot and drop it into place while the entire bottom makes contact with the base at once. No rocking or spillage along the way!
 
I'll try to post some pics when I have some time. Another plus for these molds are doing multicolor cast. The first time I tried to cast two colors I was slow trying not to spill and make a huge mess. The second time I wrapped blue painters tape around the top of the mold with about a half inch sticking above the top. I then was able to just pour the resin all over the chambers not worrying about spilling resin over the side. When the resin hardened I was able to pop the blanks out because it didn't stick to any part of the mold. I've been casting for several years and this has been the easiest and best way I've tried.
 
Looks like quality craftsmanship. Which 2 1/2 gal pressure pots has your base plate been "qualified" in?

Also, will these prices remain once your website is up and running? Expect any pricing adjustments once the campaign ends?


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app
 
WhiskeyRain said:
Looks like quality craftsmanship. Which 2 1/2 gal pressure pots has your base plate been "qualified" in?

Also, will these prices remain once your website is up and running? Expect any pricing adjustments once the campaign ends?


Sent from my iPad using Penturners.org mobile app
Click to expand...

Thanks Whiskey! Love the name and may need some before the night is over!

The base has been used in HF pots, Binks pots and DeVilbiss pots, all 2.5 gallon. They are milled to within 1/16" of the inside diameter, so there is next to no wiggle room. I have them installed in my pots and ran a bead of clear silicone caulk around the top edge to help hold them down.

The price for the combo mold kits will remain $75. I won't be able to offer the same package deals that are on Kickstarter though. I'm taking a hit on pricing, especially on the top tier.

I expect to make the racks and pressure pot bases available if there is enough interest. Liquid Diamonds resin will for sure be available!

Thanks!!
 
William Menard said:
How does this Kickstart work, you send out kits once campaign is done ?
Click to expand...

Once the campaign ends it will fund and then I'm free to send out the "Rewards". I will be milling like a wild man over the next few weeks to try and get ahead of orders with a goal to ship everything right away.

Thanks!
 
tomtedesco said:
In your directions you mention using a mold release agent. What is it and will you also offer it to customers?
Click to expand...


There are several options on the market. I hadn't planned to carry mold release on my site but may look into it if it helps.

I recommend Ease Release 2831 for Alumilite and PR casts. It's manufactured by Mann and can be ordered from Reynolds Advanced Materials. It comes in a can and is easy to apply with a brush.

If you cast with Liquid Diamonds then I recommend Ease Release 200 by Mann. It's a silicone based agent that can be sprayed or brushed. Liquid Diamonds is VERY sticky so a silicone agent will do a better job with it than the other option.

Any release agent will definitely prolong the life of both the inserts and rubber plugs.

Just be sure to let your mold release dry before casting!! That will save you from a lot of headaches. Trust me, it's worth the few extra minutes.

Thanks!
 
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Tom,

I tried to pledge at the highest level, however, something went wrong with Kickstarter and it did not recognize my pledge. So I went with the next one down.

What I want to know is will the racks and pressure pot bases be available for purchase. They were the main reason that I wanted to pledge at the highest level. They would keep me from having to build my own.
 
eharri446 said:
Tom,

I tried to pledge at the highest level, however, something went wrong with Kickstarter and it did not recognize my pledge. So I went with the next one down.

What I want to know is will the racks and pressure pot bases be available for purchase. They were the main reason that I wanted to pledge at the highest level. They would keep me from having to build my own.
Click to expand...


Hi Elwin, the racks and pressure pot base will be available on my site. I should have it up over the weekend.

Thanks!
 
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