1st time Uni-Mould mold making : how to clean the part ?

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1st time Uni-Mould mold making : how to clean the part ?

1st time Uni-Mould mold making : how to clean the part ?

Author	Message
Jess8bit	Jess8bit posted 12 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 133, Visits: 566	Hi Guys, I've just experienced my first mold making using Uni-Mould system. My project it to CF copy the "B Pillars" covers of the VW Golf 6 car. These parts are made of plastic, with a glossy black finish. So I made a mould this way : - 4 layers of EC Chemical Release Agent, 30 mn between each - 1 layer of Model 6 release wax, buffed. - 1 coat of Tooling GC - 2 slices of 80g CSM with the Coupling Coat - 2 slices of 450g CSM with the Tooling Resin. Demolding was quite straight forward. Here the problem : To restore the initial gloss of my part, I used EC Mould Cleaner and lint free wipes to clean the part surface, which was initialy covered by the release agent. But all I get is a kind of dull, even whitish in some places, surface. Can't get my gloss back. What happened ? Thanks for helping, I'm afraid I have damaged the part surface but don't know why... as if the release agent, or the mold cleaner, had attacked the gloss...
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Replies
carbonfibreworks	carbonfibreworks posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 292, Visits: 4.5K	Hi Jess8bit It looks like the gel coat had not cured enough before you used the coupling coat, if you use the times given on the EC bonnet video you should not have any issues (assuming you have the correct ambient temperature) Regards Chris
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Jess8bit	Jess8bit posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 133, Visits: 566	Hi Chris, thanks for your contribution Yes, I really suspect I did not wait enough. It's about 20° in my workshop. I guess a good 3h30 curing time would not be too much (if I remember well, I waited for 3h). I really hope this is the source of all my concerns, cause that one can be solved pretty easily I will give feedback once I'll have done new moulds. Regards, Jess
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carboncactus	carboncactus posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 243, Visits: 1K	4-6 hours minimum, even overnight. I think you gelcoat might also have been too thin. It needs to be half a mil thick and hard enough so that the CMS doesnt print through. Another note, I would have used release wax only, not a semi permanent, and certainly not both.
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carbonfibreworks	carbonfibreworks posted 12 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 292, Visits: 4.5K	Jess8bit (17/05/2013) Hi Chris, thanks for your contribution Yes, I really suspect I did not wait enough. It's about 20° in my workshop. I guess a good 3h30 curing time would not be too much (if I remember well, I waited for 3h). I really hope this is the source of all my concerns, cause that one can be solved pretty easily I will give feedback once I'll have done new moulds. Regards, Jess I leave the tooling gel coat over night and the EC system has worked fine, it is always tempting to try and speed the job up but patience is needed I am the same when it comes to removing parts from the mould but I have leaned to control my excitement . Regards Chris
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