Jewels for the '41 Continental...from Knobsoup

[Keith L.]

Keith here, again.

As I’ve said, many members in the club have helped by loaning me their original parts to make reproductions. I started about eight years ago with trying to make just the dash items for my ’41 Zephyr.  Now I manufacture most 1936 through ’48 plastic parts…and still growing.  Dashboard  knobs, steering wheels, parking and taillight lenses, and some rubber parts. All thanks to you.

 

Well, Alan Whelihan called me and asked it I would make the small high beam and turn signal jewels for the ’41 Continental.  There are reproductions for the red high beam jewel (early Ford suppliers) but none that I know of for the green jewels.  He sent me a sample.

 

Sometimes the hardest reproductions are not the largest but conversely the smallest.  Such is the case with reproduction jewels.  This one was a challenge.  First I had to have a tiny pour spout for resin, then be able to cut off the hardened sprue and finally a way to hold it while it was sanded smooth.

 

First photos with three panels: I realized I couldn’t use a sprue like plastic models use, a small stem-like tree branch. It would be difficult getting the liquid resin poured into the mold and the jewel out of the mold after casting. Model plastic parts are injected under pressure (a lot), I have to pour.  So I made a flat sprue out of styrene from the hobby shop. Mounted it on the jewel and attached to a small round plug. Then made a wall out of PVC to hold the silicone. Poured the silicone and waited sixteen hours.  I made two of these molds to speed up the production (first mold is down in the rt. hand corner.)  Two days time.

 

Second: After curing, the mold is ready for dark red (or green) translucent resin.  I have to squeeze the mold to fill it with resin. In a two step process, I vacuum the two-part resin (A plus B, like epoxy) in a vacuum chamber to remove air trapped in the liquid resin, pour it into to mold and then I cured the resin in a pressure pot under about 45 to 60 pounds pressure depending on the product.  Pressure squeezes out any remaining trapped air in the resin down to zip. All the products I make are vacuumed then cured in a pressure chamber to ensure they are bubble free. Esp. the steering wheels.

 

Three and four: After curing I remove the jewel by again squeezing it.  To remove the flat sprue on the casting I drilled a hole in a half-inch acylic. the same size as the OD of the jewel. Nice tight fit. Then I just sand off the sprue on the sander and punch out the jewel from the back side.

 

Five: Sanding.

 

Six: Done.

 

And that’s what it takes to make a simple small jewel.

Thanks for letting me blather on.

 

Any questions. knobsoup@gmail.com

 

Edited February 4, 2017 by Keith L.
spacing (see edit history)

[Tom_Overfield]

That is a ton of time for such a small piece, but thanks again so much for your efforts.

 

Tom

[Keith L.]

If you're wondering what I look like.  Here's a photo of me at work on a wheel.  Just finished buttoning it up and ready to go into my pressure chamber.  And another of me when I was eight with my brother, Kent (we're twins) We built this car for the "Wheel on parade" in Burbank, CA.  Won First Place. I'm pushing.  I've been into cars for ever so long.

K

[Tom_Overfield]

That's a photo to treasure!

[oldstyle]

Wow, nice work!

[DSpringer]

Nice to see you Keith. Still enjoying my steering wheel.Too bad my latest acquisition doesn't need plastic parts - except for the whole body. (Yes, I'm also a Saab enthusiast. They have Ford motors though!)

 

Regards, Dave