Serenity - Feb 22 2007

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0022201.jpg

Lot s more sanding to get as many imperfections out as possible

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0022202.jpg

And the same with the second one

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Well I finally gave up and figured the mould I did weeks ago was a loss. So I started the painful process of scooping out the uncured rubber. However I soon discovered that just below the surface the rubber had cured.

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Unfortunately it cured soft so the mould was too floppy for the small wings and any casts would vary in thickness. I need to make another mould using the newer rtv rubber I recently purchased

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0022205.jpg

Scooping out of the shuttle body also turned out that underneath the surface the rubber had cured. I was about to pull the rubber to do another pour but figured it should be good so I will prepare the other side for pouring

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I prime the base first sanding the resin in some areas to give the primer some tooth to hold onto.

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I decide to pour some of the curing agent into the mould to hopefully cure the remainder of the rubber. It looks like a mess but finally works

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Pulling off the bottom I now need to pull out the clay

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I pour a few moulds. Shuttle wings, landing gear pad and the rear most exhaust can.

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take out clay, clean up the mould, mix some resin, start the pour, forget to use some mould release to separate the two halves, try and save it by brushing in some release compound and hoping not to ruin the small amount of rubber already poured, pour the rest of the rubber, put it in the vacuum chamber.