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| Step | Estimated Time | Number of People | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAD Mold in Solidworks | 1 | Google "Solidworks Mold-making Tutorials" and you can find helpful articles and Youtube videos. Make sure to include pry slits and alignment holes. | |
| Measure MDF layers | 1 hour | 1 | Make sure to leave enough space on either side of the nose cone (and room for pry slits/alignment holes). Account for thickness of blade when marking lines. |
| Cut MDF | 2 hours | 2-3 | Cut the lines as straight as you can, because this will give you nice straight edges that will help a lot with alignment during setup for the router. |
| Epoxy layers together | 2 hours | 2-3 | Epoxy soaks into MDF quickly, so make sure you're using enough epoxy and clamping everything together tightly or you'll get gaps after you start routing. |
| Prepare CAM | Make sure your step size isn't too big or the tool will be taking off too much material and create a lot of friction/ruin the tool, etc. Quentin Thernize ('21) did this for Hermes 2 so talk to him if you need help. | ||
| Set-up piece/tools on router | Make sure mold is clamped securely to the router bed. Make sure your tool is long enough to avoid colliding with the sides of the mold (read below) | ||
| Route | ~5-8 hours (depends on size of mold) | 2-3 | Roughing pass + finishing pass. Do a test above the piece before you start. Have a vacuum prepared because there will be lots of sawdust. |
| Sand mold | 5-7 hours | Up to you | Wet sand once you get up to, like, 800 grit. Sanding takes a long time, so prepare for this! Make sure you don't sand the edges to keep them nice and sharp! (protect with some straight edge) |
| Epoxy mold, sand again | 2-4 hours | 1-2 | Apply, let soak for 20 minutes, then wipe away. Don't apply multiple times because epoxy doesn't stick very well to epoxy. Then sand back up to 2000 grit |
| Wax mold (5 layers) | 2-3 hours | 2-3 | Don't apply wax until you're ready because wax is difficult to sand off. Wax the mold, let sit for 15 minutes in between coats. |
| Apply PVA film | 30 minutes | 1-2 | Use a fine-haired brush (I used a makeup brush). Don't apply acetone to the mold after this or the PVA film will dissolve and mold release will be more difficult. |
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