19 Sep
2009
19 Sep
'09
9:07 a.m.
hello ,here are some explanations
I made the mold with a two components silicone product used by dentists
,several makes exits according to local ressources.I just used a
surviving handle .It is the silicone mix that is poured over the handle when
liquid,all that in a small plastic box to contain everything of course.
After is is solid (like rubber of course) the silicon is cut in two with a
cutter ,the original handle is
carefully removed.The Fimo paste is
rather smooth ,not solid ,not rigid when new and not cooked .I fill the hole
in the mold with light but firm pressure ,take care of filling everything
,not leaving holes .The result is not porous ,to make it even better , when
still hot I cleaned the fabricated handle with a soft sand paper.The result
is bright handle ,no hole ,no porous surface.
No not forget the metal piece inside the fimo,and the small rod as axis
,Fimo is not strong enought to sustain mecanical efforts.Cooking of Fimo
paste is done in a microwave owen:the fabricated handle in the mold is put
in a small glass with a few quantity of water,10 minutes cooking....ask xyl
for the user's manual of your microwave owen:-)))
I hope it is precise enought ,excuse for some unprecise or inappropriate
words,the vocabulary about making DEC pdp8 handles is not in my
dictionnary:-))
best regards alain
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles H Dickman" <chd_1 at nktelco.net>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: samedi 19 septembre 2009 01:20
Subject: Re: pdp8/e toggles
Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 18 Sep 2009 at 18:30, Charles H Dickman
wrote:
It seems like the mold would have to be rigid (plaster of Paris, as you
suggest) since there was a need to force the clay into it, in contrast
to using something like silicone rubber as a mold and then pouring a
liquid polymer into it.
Thanks,
-chuck
Are you familiar with this material and what his
process might have
been? Was the mold of the same material, do you think?
I don't know what he made the mold of, but anything, including
plaster of Paris should work. I've never worked with Fimo, but I've
done a few things with Sculpey; it's kind of porous, which makes me
wonder how good it would be for a toggle switch handle.
It might be better to try this with one of the two-part epoxy
sculpting material, say Apoxie:
http://avesstudio.com/Products/Apoxie_Sculpt/apoxie_sculpt.html