body shell

[chunkytom95]

hi just wondering what is the best material to make a 1/18 scale body shell out of

[j.m.]

2 litre soda bottle.

[mrspeedy]

The best material would be 0.75 mm polycarbonate but not necessarily the easiest to work with .... Pet-g is also an option but won't be as durable

[apple_fanta]

speedy can you direct me to someone who can make me a body shell? i am willing to pay for it but it has to be done by this sunday?

[Colinevan]

Originally Posted by apple_fanta

speedy can you direct me to someone who can make me a body shell? i am willing to pay for it but it has to be done by this sunday?

To make you a shell ??

Just curious as to why you want someone to make you a shell, it would be very expensive to make a mould and to then make shells from that. Is it a project or something that you have on the go?

Col.

[j.m.]

If you only want a few (or one) shells taken from the mould, you can use 2" thick insulation foam to carve a shape, then fit a 2 litre soda bottle around it and drop it in a pot of nearly-boiling water.

[tymill]

Originally Posted by j.m.

If you only want a few (or one) shells taken from the mould, you can use 2" thick insulation foam to carve a shape, then fit a 2 litre soda bottle around it and drop it in a pot of nearly-boiling water.

Does that really work? tempted to experiment now...

[j.m.]

Here's the basic idea:

http://www.foamflyer.info/canopy.pdf

Except this guy uses a heat gun (duh?)

The thing with using boiling water is if the ends of the bottle are sealed against the form (with an air release) the water will push the plastic against the form, allowing you to do concave curves.

[mrspeedy]

If anyone wants to make their own mould I can get a quality Polycarbonate bodyshell taken off from it at a reasonable price

MDF and car body filler are the best to make a mould for this tho and can produce very good results like this - ....

[j.m.]

You have a vacuum table?

[mrspeedy]

No, but I know a man that can

[craig smith]

Hi there although you really should n do this i have a brand new uncut shell which if i filled it with plaster of paris you could then take the mold to school college and make a load of them in polycarbonate or coloured abs poly be more durable
let me no cheers craig

[Dyna]

Originally Posted by craig smith

Hi there although you really should n do this i have a brand new uncut shell which if i filled it with plaster of paris you could then take the mold to school college and make a load of them in polycarbonate or coloured abs poly be more durable
let me no cheers craig

I'd be wary of doing this as unreinforced Plaster of Paris shrinks a fair amount and isnt the toughest or durable of materials. It might last a couple of pulls if your lucky but no more.

Remember to have no major undercuts on the master or you will struggle to get the buck out once you've pulled it. You can get away with small undercuts and verticals on larger, thin material moulds, but a small draw of 1 degree on all verticals will make sure the buck comes out very easily.

As Si ( Mr Speedy ) says, MDF & car body filler are fine for a buck which will do a few dozen pulls if needed, as you can keep repairing it easily enough, or modifing it as you need. If you get a design you like and want to do more, you need to get a decent hard buck made. Certain higher grades of Fibre Board can be machined relatively easily and last ages if looked after.

Its not too expensive to make a mould with MDF & filler, especially if you can scrounge some. If your good with hand tools, a leisurely day will see you to a decent buggy buck. If not, just stick with it and you will get there...

Once you get it sorted, then most schools and colleges still have a small vac-former sitting somewhere in the corner under a dust sheet - sweet talk the technician and you will probably get a couple of pulls for beer money. They might also have some Polycarb kicking around somewhere as well. If not, there are lots of places you can go to to get some off cuts, or even a large 10x5 sheet if you want to save money in the long run. Just remember to check the minimum cut size needed for the machine your going to be using.

Or when the time comes speak to Mr Speedy, he can get it pulled for you

[panaba453]

I used plaster and i have made over 50 blitz body's so far and it is still in great shape http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVISj9DT1sQ

[dodgydiy]

thistle finishing plaster makes very good and very strong moulds, may take you a little while to learn how it behaves before you get it right though. very easy to copy a body with it, but the body needs to be supported very well as the weight will distort it a fair bit

[Dyna]

Very good D.I.Y. vids those panaba453

I agree that the way you do your shells i.e. heat up the Polycarb seperately then press it & vac it on to the mould, will give the buck a longer life as you are not directly heating up the buck initially. And your master is a very large, thick buck which also helps. But a lot of commercial vac-formers, for example like mine, place the buck underneath the clamped sheet material with then heat over that. Depending on the sheet material & thickness used the bucks can get awful hot very quickly, and then are cooled down very quickly on de-mould. Basic plaster of paris dosent like this very much, especially if its a small buck.

And yes, there are different types of plaster and various ways of reinforcing them for moulds, some quite strong that could last for a good while with your method. But If i need to do something like that i just go straight to the works-every-time polyurethane resin cast in a vacuum chamber.... the buck comes out with no imperfections, will last for ever and has a high heat deflection temperature range... Not exactly D.I.Y. though i admit

I have to say though, anyone contemplating doing their own D.I.Y. bodies could follow your vids and get a very, very good result

[grelland]

Originally Posted by mrspeedy

If anyone wants to make their own mould I can get a quality Polycarbonate bodyshell taken off from it at a reasonable price

MDF and car body filler are the best to make a mould for this tho and can produce very good results like this - ....

Any more info/pics on this?

[mrspeedy]

Sorry, that shell was a one off for my own buggy and probably wouldn't have fitted most chassis layouts any way

But something similar might be available soonish ....

[Tom3012]

Sorry to rob the thread a bit, but if i make a mould similar to your shell above, how much would it cost to get a few shells taken from it?

[grelland]

Originally Posted by mrspeedy

Sorry, that shell was a one off for my own buggy and probably wouldn't have fitted most chassis layouts any way

But something similar might be available soonish ....

I understand, but I was more interested in how you made it, as I plan on a little DIY project myself