Getting close folks. 7 tentacles copied into wax, 3 are posed in their final positions 2 of those 3 have been finished and repaired to look good. All I have to do after that is make the body's flappy foldy holds and merge it with the legs then it's time to cast the bastard. Pics tomorrow I think once I pose the new legs. If I didn't have to swap out my car's alternator and return the brand new one I got for being defective I'd have gotten a lot done on projects. I can't believe that A1 Toyota wanted 300 dollars to diagnose my car and then 500 to 700 to replace the alternator if it was bad. It cost me 135 with a lifetime warranty on the new alternator to fix my car and about 3 hours to run back and forth to the store a few times. RIP off artists man.
Yeah, auto repair prices have gone through the roof! Autozone and the other suspects are a royal pain, but a while lot cheaper in the long run. Sad part, the alternator you just bought was overhauled in mexico and you'll be lucky if it lasts 3 years. Why an OEM alternator can go 7-10 years and an overhauled one can't is beyond me. I've been driving the same POS since 2003! I've lost count of how many batteries and alternators I've stuck in it. My beater lives outside and only gets washed when it rains. As long as the air blows cold, I'm happy! We get hail and low flying locomotives, no way am I spending big money on a daily beater. 250K miles and still counting. Two choices in life, get smart or you better be wealthy.
Yep. Mines just gone over 200k its from 2006. I just replaced the alternator 3 years back in Tennessee. Unfortunately the mechanic didn't give me the advanced autoparts receipt and they played dumb when I showed up asking for the lifetime warranty they have on alternators. So I won't be buying from them again. I went to autozone which keeps digital copies of your receipts tied to a phone number. Much easier to keep track of warranties that way eh? I guess 'advanced' autoparts isn't really that advanced if they need paper receipts. I figure if and when it breaks I'll just get it replaced for free with the warranty, what's the point of buying a 180 dollar new one when I can just use the warranty and get it replaced free. In all honesty I think someone will crash into my poor car and total it before it lasts 3 more years. That seems to be the way my cars always go. Some Jack ass does something crazy and my car gets totaled.
So I did a comparison pour. The wax tentacle on the left was poured with the wax smoking hot. The tiny tentacles at the tip of the mold filled perfectly with only 1 or 2 defects but the entire length if the tentacle has millions of tiny bubbles under the surface. If it is flame polished now the skin in top of the bubbles will break and there will be millions of pits. The tentacle on the right was poured cooler and didn't have the same bubble under the surface issue but the tiny suckers on the tip didn't cast well and had to be repaired quite a bit. I wonder if there's a way to heat the wax up to smoking, then degas it so the bubbles don't form?
From what I've tried, ya heat the wax smoking hot, shut the heat off pour and dump. Leave the heat off and continue pouring layers as the pot cools.
Yeah but the smoking hot wax has bubbles. The cooler wax pour had less so that won't work. All tentacles are cast and ready to be positioned.
He does look a little tied up dosen't he? Oh well. He s angry he was put on a wheel and dragged out of the water.
Haha yeah. I think the last 2 tentacles will be entwined with each other a little bit at the tips. I'm trying to make sure that it doesn't stick out anywhere and catch clothing or whatnot. I think each tentacle will weigh about 8 lbs. So the whole thing will be about 70 lbs? Hopefully thats alright. There isn't good way to dry the insides of the tentacles out if I hollow cast them and put shell inside so they have to be solid.
Could you cut the tips off and cast them solid but leave the main portion hollow? Or cast as a top and bottom section and tig it together? (yea thats a bitch)
I think it would be difficult. Basically to cast things with shell you need about 1/4" to be super safe that it will cast well. Since the tentacles are roughly 1 " thick for about the first foot of tentacle that would mean I'd need a hollow center of about 1/2". That small dia hole would be next to impossible to dry the shell inside. And it would only save me maybe a pound or two? And introduce the risk that the floating shell core would break during burn out, or not fully form. I think I'm just going to have to bite it on this one, its right in that middle grey zone that I'm not super confident it will cast without being solid. Who knows maybe it will end up weighing less than 70 lbs. At least the head is hollow 1/4" walls.
Im certain that in silicon bronze you can get away with much thinner. I would not attempt to "shell out" the inside of the tentacle, but instead core it out with some investment. I cant say I have done it personally, but it is do able..
Looking good. You'll finger her out. Dig up that artist in you. or google.. lol https://www.google.com/search?q=oct...jrbiAhVRtlkKHavrA9gQ_AUIDygC&biw=1536&bih=473
Finished the legs. Joined them all together and started to make the body. I'll work more on it tomorrow. Hoping to start coating it tomorrow evening. How do you think I should sprue it? Direct cast down the tentacle? Or J sprue it just to be sure?
This is a tricky one.... On the plus side, you've got plenty of smooth surfaces which will make removal and blending in easy. What's the harm in adding a few right? I'm stuck in neutral, UPS broke my replacement bucket and now ANOTHER had to be sent out today. side note: Anyone else notice the forum is running like molasses? I thought it was my end, but ran a speed check and I'm pulling 380Mbps down and 105Mbps on the up.... There was a Mozilla update, wonder if that screwed the show?
I haven't noticed a speed reduction but I have noticed people seem to be not posting as often. I'll probably J sprue it then even though it will almost certainly cast without. Why risk it I guess?
