Carbon Fiber Mold/Plug Q

[mark zhai]

Hi y'all, I need to make some real intricate carbon fiber parts for our new car but I can't find this wax that molds/plugs are made from. I've used it before and I can't even remember the name. I know it's not the "lost wax mold technique." I first used this about 5 years ago when I was in high school, and to the best of my recollection it was a was some type of polymer with a name like "_______ wax." While styrofoam and fiberglass works fine for larger molds/plugs; the shape, size, and geometery of the parts I'm making just cannot be accomadated by the conventional methods. I wonder if anybody knows what I'm talking about and where I can find a distributer again. And yes, I have looked for hours on on every search engine. Otherwise if you happen to know of a similar technique to create molds that are round and uneven, please let me know. All I can find is the ol' foam, fiberglass, sand, and patch technique-which is too unexact; I also don't want to wait or pay to CNC it. Thanks for any help or feedback, I really appreciate it. Now I'm going to go pass out as I have been studying for midterms for the past 24 hours. PS-I hate circuits.

[mark zhai]

Hi y'all, I need to make some real intricate carbon fiber parts for our new car but I can't find this wax that molds/plugs are made from. I've used it before and I can't even remember the name. I know it's not the "lost wax mold technique." I first used this about 5 years ago when I was in high school, and to the best of my recollection it was a was some type of polymer with a name like "_______ wax." While styrofoam and fiberglass works fine for larger molds/plugs; the shape, size, and geometery of the parts I'm making just cannot be accomadated by the conventional methods. I wonder if anybody knows what I'm talking about and where I can find a distributer again. And yes, I have looked for hours on on every search engine. Otherwise if you happen to know of a similar technique to create molds that are round and uneven, please let me know. All I can find is the ol' foam, fiberglass, sand, and patch technique-which is too unexact; I also don't want to wait or pay to CNC it. Thanks for any help or feedback, I really appreciate it. Now I'm going to go pass out as I have been studying for midterms for the past 24 hours. PS-I hate circuits.

[BeaverGuy]

Is it jewelers wax you are looking for? The stuff is very firm and can be made into very intricate shapes.

[Greg H]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mark zhai:
to the best of my recollection it was a was some type of polymer with a name like "_______ wax." <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
We have used something called "machinable wax" in the past for our restrictor, if that's what you are talking about. Can't help you much more than that.

PS-I think we were near the top of that list more recently, before they came up with that dry-campus nonsense.

[Bulldog R]

We used "parrifin" wax when we made the mold for our plenum. I believe this is just a candle type wax, not sure what exactly its made of.

Joe
CSU Fresno

[J. Schmidt]

Mark,
Check out this site and see if it'll suit your purpose trycut (http://www.trycut.co.uk/). It's an easily machinable plastic that has good dimensional stability. The shavings and material can be melted and reused. Do you need to cast the mold or will the machining be way too tedious?

Joel