Reproducing running board mats

[Guest imported_virgilmule]

I hope to soon undertake the job of reproducing the running board mats on my '30 Marmon. The center of each mat has a somewhat intricate Marmon logo which I would like to recreate, since my are quite worn in spots. Has anyone had any luck doing this sort of job? Any suggestions as to procedure, materials, medications I'll need during the process, etc?

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

I'm glad someone has brought up the matter; I made a 36" square

open face mold for reproducing the 1/4" square pyrimid floor matting

(running on straight rows, not the 3/16" diagonal currently being

produced).

Does anyone have experience in working with sizable quantities

of room temperature cured urethanes such as Devcon flexane? I figure

I'll probably need 8 pounds of the stuff for the project; I haven't

mustered up enough courage yet..

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[Mark Shaw]

I suggest you get a roster for HCCA a look up Mike Yeakle in Bellingham WA. I believe he has reproduced the white diamond floor mats for early Buicks.

Mark Shaw

Vancouver, WA

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Thanks Mark,

I rummaged through my file to find Mike's number; he gave me a

couple of good leads..

Joe

[Friartuck]

I posted a thread on reproducing small parts using smaooth-on rubber products at http://forums.aaca.org/favlinker.php?Cat...er=&postmarker=

I believe you can use the same process to make a rubber copy of the Marmon logo, then make a plastic pattern. Touch it up as necessary for the wear. McMaster-Carr has liquid rubber in various Shore Hardnesses. Hope this helps.

Chris

[Guest imported_virgilmule]

Chris -

Thanks for the help. I researched the Smooth-on products a while ago - I was overwhelmed by the product choices and underwhelmed by the (lack of) response from their technical assistance department. I expect there will be a great deal of trial and error before I'm satisfied with the end-product. I'm just scared to death that I'll ruin what little I have to work with before I achieve an end-product! I'll keep a few cold ones in the fridge to help me through the bad times...

Jim

[Guest stude8]

You might communicate with John McCall in Grandview, MO, he reproduces 1930's era running board mats for several Studebaker products. 816-763-9711 evenings. Stude8

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

I just bought a 3 pint kit of Smooth-on clear urethane and a bottle

of white dye paste. It is a 2:1 mixing ratio by weight (resin to

hardener).

I"ll do some experimentation first,

Thanks,

Joe Kieliszek

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

Well, I mixed up a 30 gram quantity of the Smooth-on urethane and

added 5 grams of the white pigment:

The urethane is the first piece; the smaller piece is white rubber matting

left over from my dad's model 10 project. The urethane cured at a slow rate-

about an hour befor it really started to thicken up. There are no air bubbles

or imperfections on the backside (pour side) with a perfectly smooth surface.

The urethane is advertised as a shore 50 hardness. The sample is very flexible;

though it does have kind of a "sticky" feel to it.

Seems like it might work,

Thanks, Joe

[DizzyDale]

Dear Joe,NEAT project,great job on the mold.Gotta believe that that STICKY FEEL is goin be a dirt magnet.How do you keep a uniform thickness?Good Luck,keep us posted.diz

[Friartuck]

Perhaps I mislead you with my earlier post. I meant for the Smooth-On material for just the mold, not the final product. The cured material is sort of sticky and flexible. That's what it is intended for, as a molding material. After a mold is made, then use a liquid rubber of a hard shore hardness. Check with Devcon, Flexane series. Don't know if it is available in white. As mentioned earlier, what do other car owners use when they cross this problem. Also, Restoration Supply Company in Escondido, CA has diamond alum running board material (for fire trucks), perhaps could be used as a mold.

Chris

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

Yep, I did experiment with Devcon; I believe their flexane is a

shore 65 or 70. You can only get it in black; I tried adding

titanium white powdered paint pigment to it. The lightest shade

you can obtain is a medium gray before the amount of pigment

weakens the urethane too much..

The Devcon would an excellent black matting material if it wasn't

for the 10 minute pot life after mixing. Also, there were a lot

of air bubbles on the pour side with Devcon that never appeared

with the Smooth on. Devcon is excellent though for molding switchplate

covers, distributor cases, etc.

As far as the "sticky" issue goes, I'll just keep a bottle of

Armor all in one hand and a box of Brillo pads in the other...

Thanks,

Joe

[Guest Silverghost]

Joe: I have been down this same road before...

I have tried various Urethanes...

In the end...

It just never looked or felt anything like the "Origional" rubber parts.

We seem to often have little other choices...

I wish you better Success than I have had in the past trying to do this!!!

Good origional looking running board rubber is getting very hard to find today!!!

Most Suppliers simply do not wish spend the money to reproduce it.

Steele Rubber Co. has Dis-continued many of the styles that they once offered!!!

Please let us know how you rubber project turns out...

In the end...I don't think you will like the results urethane will give you...???

There are few other choices unless you wish to spend Big Money $$$ to have a run of origional style rubber material!!!

Burgesss Rubber Co here in Phila. will take on such a project...BUT...At EXTREME COST!!!

I had them make a "Special Run" for me in the late 70s...

It took me 20 years to sell out of this material!!! It was in my garage in a giant roll!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Good Luck!!!

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

Hello,

Well, I shimmed up and leveled out my mold (I had to weight down the

corners to get rid of a 1/32" outward buldge in the center of the

mold). I then removed the edge fences and smeared non hardening

silicone on them and sprayed mold release agent on the rest:

[Guest imported_Joe Kieliszek]

My second mat; the first one was .020 thinner than I wanted and also

had picked up surface stains from where the pressed aluminum segments

were joined together.

The second mat had picked up about a dozen air bubbles at the tips

of individual pyramids. Most of them will be cut out when I size it

for my floorboard. The material conformed to the mold just as well

as my test pour pieces, and with the back (pour side) being extremely

flat and smooth.

A word of caution: when removing the molded piece from the form, don't

drop the smooth side back onto itself- it sticks to itself like

contact cement!! I had to carefully separate a stuck section of the

mat. Spraying the mat with vinyl protectant seems to eliminate the

problem..

Thanks,

Joe

[Guest imported_daydreamer]

hi try cotacting this guy in canada at 1 403 335 9590 cant remember his name he does custom runing board mats in rubber. paul

[rgshafto]

That's probably the Precision Rubber guy in Alberta, but don't send your mats to him now. Due to health issues, he is very far backed up. He's had mine for 15 months and I don't know if I'll ever see them again.