Originally Posted by dbassett74 I've got an existing part that I would like to make a mold out of so that I can ultimately cast the same part many times. The existing part is a small aluminum intake manifold with a large bore through the middle of it. |
You didn't mention that the product would be made of - so I take it that a plastic or resin might do it it heat is not too much of a problem.
To make the part many times - You can make silicone or urethane molds fairly easily and there are a number of sites that have intro/starter kits and instructional video/dvds.
I've used these folks for materials they're helpful on the phone and have a pretty good range of product:
http://www.smooth-on.com/howto.htm
Freeman has a wide range of materials for casting and machining:
http://www.freemansupply.com/SampleKits.htm
another is:
http://www.alumilite.com/applications.cfm
Now, if the product is metal, be sure to check out:
foundry 101 and:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/hmbrown/Links.html
and for a generous (long) set of FAQs try:
http://www.ravensforgeminiatures.com/faq20413.html
Metals casting of minatures is a pretty popular hobby, so you may find some forums there that are helpful too.
However, the bore sounds like it will make a simple casting difficult. But there are methods. The simple,
Drop-in-and-Cast, is not
exactly that easy
Careful, you'll find another hobby!
Jim