Is there a method of casting or hand-molding a thin plastic shell over a 10" stone? Think of "multiplying clocks" and you see what I need.

I have made the previous shells out of paper mache', but I could appreciate the thinness of a plastic shell, similar in thickness to a plastic pop bottle.

Hi Autumn,

I see the problem that you face...

There is two way to achieve what you want..

1) Using FiberGlass to create the shell you desire. The thickness depends on the number of layers that you apply.

2) Vaccum Forming. Its require a quite big size room about 200-300 sft. A powerful vaccum 1600w - 2500w and a table to do the platform for vaccum forming..
An oven. If you have a home oven. That will be good enough.

If you want further details I don't mind explaining the methods in here. As this might be a great knowledge to other members in the Café.

Do some research on what I said.. you might find something that might be a great help for you.

Lastly, Vaccum Forming is able to achieve more to what you want.

Hope that what I provide will be useful to you.

Cheers and happy building.

Regards
Aaron Chee.

Thanks, Aaron. The vacuum forming sounds more like what I want. I have an oven, a vacuum and could probably make a table out of pegboard.

Is there any way to do something similar with a hot air gun and a sheet of this vacu-form plastic?

I get what you mean.

I strongly not reccomend you to do that. As the hot gun does anot able to heat the whole area (Area where you want to heat). It will be uneven. Another words, if you use the hot gun and heat the left side and then heat the right side of the object.By the time you finish heating the right side, the left side had cooled down.

So to get a better even molding and a nice mold. Using a oven will be great. As the heat in the oven will heat up the plastic and soften the plastic evenly and makes molding easiler. But this is said easier than done. This got to be done fast and precise. The vaccum forming table must be near from the oven and obstruct free from anything.

Simply said, once you heated the plastic sheet and observe that its soften. Remove the plastic sheet and place on to the mould for vaccum forming. REMEMBER DO NOT USE BARE HAND. THE PLASTIC IS VERY HOT. Use a heavy duty glove.

If you have any other question that you are in doubt, feel free to ask and I will see how can I help.

Cheers.

Regards
Aaron Chee.

I did some research and the vacu-form seems to require more than I bargained for. Are there other methods besides this and fiberglass for making a shell?

How heavy is fiberglass? I hear it is fragile. Would a thin shell be prohibitively fragile?

Hmm...out of your bargained ?

Did you did the research for vaccum forming machine. ...If you did research on those, it will cost you a bomb.

There are home made version. Its simple and quite economical.

Well as for alternative, not to what I know of.. I will say that Vaccum Forming method is the closest to what you want.

As for fiberglass....There are disadvantages. It has sharp edges, messy and smell. Fiberglass is good as its waterproof and durable. As for how fragile it is, that will depends on how many layers you create. The more layers the thicker will be and harder will be and stronger it is. So I can't say its fragile. If you are gonna make it real thin as paper. I am sure it will crack/break if you don't handle it well.

Regards
Aaron Chee.

Thanks, Aaron! Ah, I did a search: http://www.tk560.com/vactable4.html and http://members.aol.com/GCGassaway/vacuform.htm I have plenty of room in my shop. I actually have a real shop for the first time in my life! (For years I made cuts with a jigsaw using my kitchen counter as a guide! Arg.)

Here is an extremely simply method: http://www.robots.ox.ac.uk/~wmayol/resou......dex.html

I have a general idea of how it works and can imagine the set-up. This might prove to be very helpful to me for several projects on which I am working.
Autumn

This is one my friend Ralis made for his shop. it's easy to make.. easy to use..
and is ripped off constantly online for other sites...

His is the original.. and still the best..

http://www.halloweenfear.com/vacuumformintro.html

Great to hear that Autumn,

Hope that everything goes as what you expected.

I hope that I had provided enough help that you want.

Happy Building Autumn.

Cheers and Take Care.

Regards
Aaron Chee.

Makeup guy, that was the best link I have seen!
Aaron, thanks for all your help. You provided a great solution for my creative magical needs!
Autumn