6 replies to this topic

[W. J. Dougherty]

Is there a tutorial out there about making a slot car body? How to create a mold, hot to modify the mold, etc? There used to be a rule that direct back pours were not allowed, that the body has to be modified at least 10%. Is that still true or are people doing 100% knock offs and selling them as their own? Im not looking to sell, Im just in it at the art. Thanks...

[Bill from NH]

I don't recall any formal step-by-step tutorial, but you could check YouTube. They seem to have videos on just about any subject matter these days. I would also check the Slotblog posts of Gene Adams, owner of Gene's World. I know he makes molds & pulls bodies. In the past, he has posted some very good photographic info, but I don't recall exactly where it's located.

 

A couple of the old makers had vintage bodies that appeared to be molded from model car kits, probably not directly..  

 

There's a Vacuum Forming site on FB too. They might contain some useful info too.

[DOCinCanton]

As Bill mentions above, there are many ways to arrive at a suitable slot car mold. First you might take the model to mold approach, or you might go directly to the mold. I am a third generation model and mold maker. Since I had all there proper equipment at my disposal at my Dad's shop, I went the old fashion method. I first made drawings and got them approved by Ken McDowell. Then I created the model with all all the details and used aluminum plate for the side plates. The model use sanded and primered into a surface that was as smooth as a baby's butt. Then it was delivered to Ken. He made an elastic mold off off my model. Then the side fin plates were removed from the model and inserted into the elastic mold. Then Ken made a mold off of the elastic. And you now have one good mold. That was back in the day.

 

Today, a good Cad-Cam process could go directly to manufacturing the mold if an appropriate block of molding material can be found. Or you can use other computer systems to first create the model and then add detail such as door lines, window lines, vents, etc.

[MattD]

Are you wanting to make a resin cast copy of a slot car body or a buck/mold to do a vac formed body?   Two completely different things. 

 

  There seems to be no copyright on any of the old vac formed bodies.  Gene Adams has taken many of the old bodies and refined them and made copies as good or better than the originals   There are a few guys just using his bodies to make a mold and then selling second generation copies of his work.     None of the body companies from the 60's are around to even worry if you copy their design.  

[Revtor]

Ive made molds for resin bodies in HO scale. Lots of fun when you finally get the bodies cast, lots of little details to mess up too! I used matchbox cars as the starting point for mine but anything could work as long as the basic proportions work out.

I have a long winded (but thorough) crummy quality ( but thorough) series of vids on YouTube if thats what youre after.

[MattD]

John Kitman has just done a a couple of great videos on molding and casting.  You should  be able to find it real easy on slotblog.    If you want really simple molding. you can make an exterior mold wiht air cured rubber.  And slush cast the resin and make a simple body for any use.   

 

 

 

Hobby Lobby sells Alumilite products and their high strength rubber and quick cure  resin work great.   They had free shipping with online orders last week.   Those small quantities are all most guys need for  small projects.     

[Brian Czeiner]

In the beginning I was back pouring a lot of old bodies. The thing about back pouring is each time a body is back poured, it loses more of the detail until you are left with something that is hardly recognizable.  I would then remastered the mold for detail, fit and sometimes better symmetry. That's more than enough for the 10% you spoke of.  

 

As for copyrights, the only mold process I know of that would be copyrighted are molds made from 3d printing. It has something to do with the laws about printed materials and CAD drawing.  Otherwise a 10% change isn't much and not worth the time or expense to challenge anyway. Nobody is getting rich making bodies. Yes, I have been taken to court over this in the past. It was dismissed. All that happened was the lawyers got paid.

 

What I don't understand is why manufacturers don't keep up with the demand they created? If they did, I would have far less work to do and more time to race.

 

For a tutorial, find Gene Adams posts about molds in the Thingie section of Slotblog. He offers good step by step execution of the mold process and the machine itself.