Stop in for a cup of coffee

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Well, I finally did it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the foundation for our greenhouse. The bricks are set in concrete. Fairly level, too.

Yes, I am treating myself to beer.

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Hey guys, went on a fun cruise through NE Iowa and SE Minnesota. We traveled windy hilly roads, stopped in little towns for a beer and a burnout and had a great time. Lots of cool cars and we brought along some nice Mopars. A few pics to follow.
 
Went to a local car show today, poor Mopar showing. 3 pre 75 cars and half dozen late models 1 Hellcat. Did however see this! Pretty cool IMO owner built with a Cadillac Northstar in the trunk!

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I drove over 250 miles today, hills, curves, hot rodding, a couple burn outs. Averaged 17.5 mpg. 65+ mph on the 4 lane coming home.
 
toolmanmike said:
I drove over 250 miles today, hills, curves, hot rodding, a couple burn outs. Averaged 17.5 mpg. 65+ mph on the 4 lane coming home.
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Hey Mike, I know its probably common knowledge what your driving but, I haven't a clue. So can you fill a guy in?
 
well, no house painting done here... did wash the Scamp and go for a short ride though - washed the truck too. Ended up being a really good day to screw off - so we did! :thumbsup:
 
Evening all.


Well plaster mold failed. Cracked apart as soon as I tried to get the dash frame out of it. I think I need to make it thicker. Or add wire support. It's the length I think causing the issue
 
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dukeboy_318 said:
Evening all.


Well plaster mold failed. Cracked apart as soon as I tried to get the dash frame out of it. I think I need to make it thicker. Or add wire support. It's the length I think causing the issue
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this is why people get paid so much to make custom parts - back to the drawing board or done with it?
 
Chris - isn't there something that is supposed to go between the frame and plaster to make getting them apart easier?
 
ScampMike said:
this is why people get paid so much to make custom parts - back to the drawing board or done with it?
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Back to drawing board. I'm only out 6 bucks and 30 minutes of trying. Beats 599.99 plus shipping for one
 
ScampMike said:
Chris - isn't there something that is supposed to go between the frame and plaster to make getting them apart easier?
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Yes, mold release. Releasing wasnt the problem. It released fine but the mold fell apart once the frame was out. I think it was too thin to support its own weight
 
dukeboy_318 said:
Yes, mold release. Releasing wasnt the problem. It released fine but the mold fell apart once the frame was out. I think it was too thin to support its own weight
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The guy who built my custom '69 Charger fiberglass fascia for my '06 Charger uses chopped fiberglass to make his molds. Plaster doesn't work for large pieces. This guy also makes the big front faces for the "Thomas the Tank Engine" trains. I can give you his whole technique if you'd like.

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Ddaddy said:
The guy who built my custom '69 Charger fiberglass fascia for my '06 Charger uses chopped fiberglass to make his molds. Plaster doesn't work for large pieces. This guy also makes the big front faces for the "Thomas the Tank Engine" trains. I can give you his whole technique if you'd like.

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That'd be great. I'm making a fiberg lass dash and grille. The molds are breaking
 
dukeboy_318 said:
That'd be great. I'm making a fiberg lass dash and grille. The molds are breaking
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Yah, I've been following along. :)

What he does is make the mold by spreading chopped fiber glass in resin over the surface of the object using a large trowel/spatula after applying mold release. Sometimes he simply layers the object in Saran Wrap after spraying with oil to get the Saran wrap to cling to the surface. He spreads the glass fiber resin in layers until he gets a mold about 1/2-3/4" thick. He makes his own using chopped fiberglass but you can also buy something called kitty hair in gallon containers at any auto body supply shop. It doesn't matter how fast you apply it or if you let it set between layers (although he likes to let each layer set before building up the next). A thicker layer mold is better. If it is a big mold, he might lay glass mat over the whole thing and apply resin to strengthen it.

Once you have the fully set mold, release it from the object. Then set it into a wooden frame box with enclosed sides and some holes drilled on all sides. Then pump in expandable foam insulation (the stuff you get in cans at home depot) through the holes in the sides to fill in under the mold and support it. Once the foam insulation has cured, use the mold to cast the part. The low expansion foam is best so that the mold doesn't get pushed up out of the box when it cures. He will also sometimes fill the mold with water or sand before pumping in the foam to give it some weight to keep it in place.
 
In another evolution of my Dad's aging and Alzheimer's progression, he is no longer able to wear his wedding ring and doesn't want it around. His hands have shrunken so much with age that the ring won't stay on his finger, so we took it off a few weeks ago and put it in his keepsake box on his dresser. He kept taking it out and throwing it in the trash (no one knows why). So after a few weeks of retrieving it and putting it back, I now have inherited it.

It's a strange emotional feeling to be wearing the wedding ring that father had on his finger for as long as you can remember (he was married for 57 years when my mom passed). This ring was the one my mom gave him on their 10th anniversary to replace the original plain gold band.

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