By Shredder565
#236523
Just curious, but what does it involve to create a fiberglass mold?

We might have some friends come live with us for a while. Their house was just sold and new one won't be ready for another month. The husband is a wood worker, and figured a nice payment for room and board could be crafting a shell that I could make molds from and then sell for extra money.

Curious if the time and expense put out for it is worth the money received....
By Shredder565
#236552
Well, in this case, I was thinking of a Real Ghostbusters Mold :). Once pack #2 is started, I'd abosolutely LOVE a RGB one..
User avatar
By AJ Quick
#236554
You don't make a mold from fiberglass.

As for that video. Its a shame they didn't make parts 2 and 3. I wouldn't really recommend making a mold like that.. but they next step would have been to cover the ouside of the silicone in fiberglass to make a solid backing to it. The silicone would have been too floppy otherwise. Then fiberglass on the inside of the silicone.

That type of silicone and method would really have only been good for a few pack shells.
User avatar
By ProtonCharger
#236601
jackdoud wrote: You're looking at about $400-$500 in materials plus the fact that there are already 3-4 producers in the market.
which means that you should do this, because those 3-4 people need more competition. im 100 percent serious.

while i hate the shell build threads, because well, they're worthless, a new shell maker is exciting to me, because the more makers, the more the 3-4 have to lower their prices to compete with cheaper/better shells.

i maintain building a pack is far more fun and satisfying.
By BigJon
#236614
That's a sound theory, but only if the new shell maker can put out a product that is on par with what the other makers are selling. Similar to how the vacuform shells like Studio Creations make didn't really put a dent in the fiberglass shell prices because they weren't really much of a comparison.
User avatar
By ProtonCharger
#236619
BigJon wrote:That's a sound theory, but only if the new shell maker can put out a product that is on par with what the other makers are selling. Similar to how the vacuform shells like Studio Creations make didn't really put a dent in the fiberglass shell prices because they weren't really much of a comparison.
you know, studio creations did two things: they made cheap shells and cheap...molds. however, i understand, shells are only good if they're good, though any competition is great, people still do purchase studio creations shells. studio creations really isnt in the proton pack business anyway, while shell makers are purely in the pack business.
By hooker
#236623
In the end you get what you pay for. There are various levels of quality, craftsmanship, and over-all accuracy with shells.

To answer your question Shedder...

If you are new to casting and need to purchase all products needed to make a mold and shell you can expect your investment to be well over $1000 (depending on products) to make a proper mold and cast before you would ever get your first shell out.
-Silicone Rubber
-Fiberglass resin (both shell and mold support shell)
-Gel coat, Brush up resins, or surface coats
-Fibers (both shell and mold support shell)
-Fillers (both shell and mold support shell)
-Gel coat, Brush up resins, or surface coats
-Release agents, mixing materials etc...

Molding and casting a proton pack to produce fiberglass shells is NOT an easy or cheap project to take on. None of this includes the man hours and investment into making a master to mold.
By momeraths24
#236631
It's great that you are thinking about making shells. However, would suggest for you to start by casting small parts first and work your way up to bigger items. If you never done this before, it could be a real headache if you make a mistake while casting a shell.
Franchesky
By Gareee
#236646
There is also the issue of accuracy. The most accurate and best shells are ones made by people who have owned packs in the past, and have built off what they've learned from others.

I was following everything I could when I made our packs, even though as were intentionally inaccurate, but I'm still amazed by details I didn't notice two years ago. And basing a pack shell off inaccurate information means a less popular pack for sticklers for detail, and also a lower selling price, because you can't compete with better more accurate shells already out there.
User avatar
By ProtonCharger
#236724
actually, if i had about 90 bucks to blow, id take a studio creations pack and use it as a mold to make a jello proton pack to illustrate my point.
By Shredder565
#236834
Hey guys,

Wow, a tad more expensive than I thought. I would have thought the wood construction process was the most involved part of it. But as said before, this is an RGB pack. Since there are no ways to get accurate measurements, it'll be mostly guess work. I was hoping to sell it for $250 if the stars of Keiken aligned perfectly and everything actually came out good. Not sure if a trap would be easier too try, but it's a back up option.
By The Stiff
#236905
ProtonCharger wrote:which means that you should do this, because those 3-4 people need more competition. im 100 percent serious.

while i hate the shell build threads, because well, they're worthless, a new shell maker is exciting to me, because the more makers, the more the 3-4 have to lower their prices to compete with cheaper/better shells.

i maintain building a pack is far more fun and satisfying.
Your argument is confusing me. You hate shell build threads, but you want to encourage competition among shell makers, in order to reduce shell prices.

With lower shell prices, that means there will be even more shell builds, hence more shell build threads, which you hate.
By Filandrius
#236934
No, no, no. He wants to weaken shell makers by forcing them to lower the price of their dreaded, worthless, god forsaken shells. But yes, the shells will sell more. I don't think he thought about that.
User avatar
By ProtonCharger
#237000
i didnt think too far ahead, i was more concerned with shell makers having to lower their prices and fall into a panic because they wont be holding the market purely for themselves.

but yeah, unfortunately more shell threads... its not like anyone scratch builds these things anymore anyway.
User avatar
By Paul-Butt
#237080
Hey hey! I'm almost done a scratch built pack! I think it will, in the end, be more rewarding than a shell build because I built it (with my father) from the ground up. Although not 100% accurate, it's damn good for being made out of wood!

I'm with you though PC, too many shell builds, not enough scratch.
By Kant Lavar
#237091
I guess you (and that's a general "you") just have to decide whether you'd rather have more newcomers, like me, building shell-based packs and getting involved in the community, or not having a chance to do so since we don't have the time, tools, or talents to scratch-build a pack.

I mean, I could get the tools, and learn how to use them, but then I'd have hundreds of dollars of tools that I'd never use again (or at least until I had to upgrade my pack, build a new one, or whatever) cluttering my basement, and I'd be willing to bet the final product would look like crap compared to a shell pack.

So... yeah. While I give full props to the guys that can and do scratch-build theirs, I can't say that I really sympathize nor understand the apparent disdain for shell-based packs and their build threads. And as fair warning, I guess I should mention that in September or October I fully intend on starting my own build thread, and I'm planning on picking up one of Alkaline's shells, since God knows any attempt to scratch build mine would end up making that cake-based pack look screen-accurate. :-P
By Filandrius
#237096
Truer words have never been spoken. Not to mention that they're some people that doesn't even have a basement to put their tools. I live in an appartment, where am I to store all the equipment that I would need? And where would I work? I barely have the space for a shell build (I'm forced to work on my kitchen counter and paint in my driveway) All of this doesn't even take into account the fact that I have zero experience working with wood or styrene or whatever... All in all, that's a whole lot of logistical problems that explain that some people simply CAN'T scratch build a pack. That's not disdain or laziness or anything, I can assure you. Give me access to a full shop or simply a garage with tools, and sure, I'll try it. But for now? It's simply out of the question. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't.
By Shredder565
#237210
Well, may have gotten the terms mixed up, but you know what I mean :0.

Plan to build it from scratch, in this case wood...then try and make a few fiberglass shells of the RGB packs.....
if they turn out good, I'd sell a few..

Loads of free time, looking for a hobby
User avatar
By | alkaline |
#237710
ProtonCharger wrote:
jackdoud wrote: You're looking at about $400-$500 in materials plus the fact that there are already 3-4 producers in the market.
which means that you should do this, because those 3-4 people need more competition. im 100 percent serious.

while i hate the shell build threads, because well, they're worthless, a new shell maker is exciting to me, because the more makers, the more the 3-4 have to lower their prices to compete with cheaper/better shells.

i maintain building a pack is far more fun and satisfying.

OK, this is going to come off biased but oh well. Calling a thread worthless just because its based around a pre-made shell is not only silly but insulting to those whom purchase one and enjoy displaying their build threads for everyone. As stated above not everyone has the access to the tools, space, and time required to scratch build. So a shell provides a nice starting point for them. Even though they didn't scratch build maybe they come up with a new way of attaching a part or a new method to applying paint or weathering effects.

The point is every build thread, regardless if they scratch build or start with a shell, has the potential to teach new comers (and older members) the ins and outs of prop making or new, easier ways to achieve desired results.
By Filandrius
#237721
Amen. :)

Good point about the insults. I mean, make your point, explain it but why insults? I've never saw a shell builder insult a scratch builder. I mean, what's the point? We're not enemies. I'm a shell builder, and I admire scratch builders, I really do. Except when they insult me. ;)

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