General Plastic Model Question...

...you can make an epoxi mold for the part, the one that you will use to fix pipes or tanks and the like, some even get hard as a stone in 10 minutes...

then, use a torch to cast aluminium, or even lead...

or even taking the mold over at the locksmith might be, although I´d think of an exhaust shop, they are good with torches and know what to spect...

 

Let me say this in all sincerety - how much did the plastic kit cost in the first place? It will probably be cheaper to just buy another one if you break a part.

I don't usually try to interference-fit the wheels on a plastic model - they usually don't roll worth a darn anyway, so I open up the clearence and glue them on. These things are really for display, anyway...and that way they won't roll off the shelf and disintegrate in a million pieces after all your hard work.

However, if free-wheeling is the goal - why not try to drill out the suspension parts and substitute a metal stub axle, or a tiny jewelers screw in it's place? Perhaps a segment of brass tubing could be epoxied into the wheel to make a bearing? Then you could creatively make a real "knock off hub" from a similar pitched bolt -

PS: The real old-time 1/24 kits (JoHann, AMT, etc...) used to all have metal axles with press-on wheels and they rolled just great.

 

You would have to make a 2 part mold to get the piece out without breaking it if its a complex shape. If it has a flat surface then you can press the part into the mold material, flat side up. When the mold dries/hardens (if its a rubber mold) you should be able to wiggle the part out (carefully) without breaking it. Hard molds are usually made using the "lost wax" method which is not what you are going to use most likely. You do not remove a part from those (lost wax) molds. You would have the part made from wax, pour the mold around it, wait for it to dry, then heat the mold, melting the wax part. Now you have an empty mold after the wax melts out of it. Into this you would pour your metal. Then break the mold releasing the part. And if you want to do it yourself you will need to learn how to do this by practice. There are some good tutorials on the web to help you out if you look.

Forget about having someone else do it. For $20?? It will never happen. Materials alone would cost more than that. And time. Nobody in the casting industry works for less than $30 an hour and it will take more than 1 hour to make a finished part.

I have many parts made by various casters and sell my own model kits. I need to get things made in the hundreds and sell them in order to make money doing it. I can tell you that if you find someone willing to make the part for you for $20.00, you have a very good friend who you owe a favor to.

Onesies and twosies are not worth it and no professional caster will be willing to do it.

Why not just repair the broken part with 2 part epoxy? And if you can't any part can be made from scratch using plastic rod or sheet stryrene. You do it one time and you'll see its really not hard. Its sounds difficult but its fairly easy. You just need a few files, sanding sticks or sand paper and some glue. Use either CA type glues or epoxy.

Ed
Island Collectibles, Inc

 

+1

Ed has the best advice I think. Go to your local hobby store and you should be able to pick up some styrene plastic in many different shapes and sizes. They should have the correct size that can replace the axle piece that you broke. Chances are if the kit's you are working on break that easily then they can't be that expensive of a model kit so just purchasing a backup might not be a bad investment. Also some kit makers will have a section on their site about replacement parts. I've already had Revell send me a few replacement parts for a few models and they do so free of charge.

Here's the styrene plastic Ed and I were talking about.
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