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T4 Quad Headlight Project .......... latest update

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  • Turk, my van is a 1998.
    Me cago en la madre que te pariĆ³!

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    • Originally posted by arfur fox-acre View Post
      Turk, my van is a 1998.


      Thanks arfur .......... now updated


      Check out page 12 post 114 > http://just-t4s.co.uk/showthread.php...ull=1#post9892


      You'll be OK with yours being a 1998, as it was early 1996 that they changed from a three section lower front panel, to a single one ......... don't know what else they changed, but hopefully there shouldn't be any fitting issues on the headlights.





      TURK
      Yeah, baby ! ........ new Multivan 151bhp AHY 'BigBlue' ; ) >> http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023689
      And ......... Lulu, T4 2.5 TDi short nose 126bhp > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=276554
      The T4 Quad Headlight Project > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=249064

      Comment


      • Take your word for it Boss.
        Me cago en la madre que te pariĆ³!

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        • Hi all,


          First of all, apologies for not being able to post the update as I had intended ............ My Adobe Lightroom photo editing software 'broke' ! I only purchased it a few months ago and a couple of weeks ago there was a program update, somehow the update screwed up the program and and rendered it useless ! As I shoot all my photos in RAW I have to edit them back into Jpeg for web use ........ so I spent all evening and most of the night trying to sort it out.


          Kind of reminds me of microsoft sh*t, download an update, and then your PC doesn't work anymore !






          Anyway, onto the project ...........






          In the last update I left you all with this. Two perfectly formed silicone moulds for casting aluminium resin tooling plugs for vacuum forming. The thing is, you couldn't simply poor ( cast ) resin in those as you would end up with a solid block of resin. Because of the intricate shape of the tooling plug itself, there must be vent holes coming from underneath the plug >>







          There aren't too many ways of accomplishing this task, making a hollow tooling plug. One way the industry do it is to use sheets of a special hard wax, an A4 size sheet of wax cost Ā£19 ! and the thickest they do is only 5mm. That's no way thick enough for the walls of a vacuum tooling plug, as mine have to be at the very least 20mm thick as they have to be able to withstand at least 20 pounds of pressure per square inch or the plugs would simply crack under pressure, so I would need dozens of sheets of wax. Making that particular method ridiculously over priced. Spending over Ā£200 in wax on a mould that already costs in the region of Ā£400 is not a cost effective method of producing hollow moulds.


          There is another method however, known as 'blocking-out'. Some people simply use blocks of wood ........ but I've had problems in the past using solid materials against one another in mould construction. Another method I believe would work would be the use of plasticine, but I haven't got enough of it in stock, so I came up with this .......... >>







          I began by cutting out some templates indicating the area to be 'blocked-out', leaving me with about a 20mm gap as a side wall >>







          I then transferred all those dimensions to a sheet of 5mm PVC foam, and cut them to shape >>







          And then assembled the 'skeleton' with the aid of a glue gun ........ I now have my basic shape >>







          You then have to block-out the gaps using a polyurethane foam, to create a solid structure >>







          The reason why it's a good idea to use PVC foam for the ribs and PU foam for the blocks is, when you move onto the sanding stage, the sanding is so much easier as the PU foam is very soft and the PVC ribs are a little firmer, it's easy to see how far you have to sand ....... once you hit the 'green stuff', stop sanding ! >>







          And you should end up with this ........ the inside of what will be your cast resin mould ....... minus 2cm all the way round >>







          Then you apply a skim of body filler to harden the whole thing, and sand that down. but it doesn't end there ........ you now have your 'block-out' mould, but you have to be able to release it from your resin cast afterwards >>







          I then turned my attention to working out how much resin I would need for casting. So I filled the silicone mould with dry rice to find out the volume >>







          As it's so important to remove the 'block-out' mould from my resin cast afterwards, without damaging the resin tooling plug, I decided to use a flexible material as a 'glove' as sorts. People 'blocking-out' using wooden blocks in their resin casts, would have to chip out the wood with a chisel as resin sticks to wood like sh!t to a blanket, I chose a different method. I simply used the remainder of that OOMMOO 30 silicone rubber I had from the last fiasco, and just painted a few millimetres of it onto my foam plugs. I also found two tupperware containers about the same size as my 'block-out' mould and deducted them from my silicone mould volume >>







          Now that I know the actual amount of resin I'll be needing to fill my mould, I still need to workout what that is as weight as the rice thing is it's volume ( the amount of space the resin will take up inside the mould ). You can't workout how much catalyst you need just by volume, you need it's weight. It so happens that the volume of the rice was equal to 2000ml on my measuring container.


          As I'll be doing the casting in two pours, I put an equal amount of dry rice ( 1000ml ) in each mixing container, then weighed that.
          So we get the weight of the rice which is 947 grams, but lets not forget the density of the resin ....... this particular resin because it has aluminium in it weighs almost twice as much as the rice ........ that is to say 1.80 grams per cubic centimetres


          947 g X 1.80 ( g/cc ) = 1704.60 grams of resin


          And as the resin/catalyst mix is a 100:6 mix ratio ( for every 100 grams of resin you need 6 grams of catalyst )


          So the sum is


          1704
          x 0.06
          --------
          102.24 grams of hardener required for mixture
          --------


          Now it's just a case of prepping everything, you must give the resin a though mix before use, as the aluminium would of sunk to the bottom >>







          As I'm doing this in two pours, I prepared both the resin and the catalyst, you don't want to be mucking about with weighing scales midway through casting resin >>







          The two pour technique is to minimise on air entrapment, so I used Archimedes' principle on 'fluid Dynamics', where any object submerged in a body of water displaces it's own volume of said fluid. Same if you were to fill your bath tub up to an inch from the top, then stepped into your bath it would overflow.


          So I poured the first container into the silicone mould >>







          I then positioned the 'block-out' mould very carefully into the resin being careful not to trap air underneath. An air pocket trapped under the mould would most certainly destroy my completed resin cast >>







          I then poured the rest of the resin from the second container to fill the silicone mould, after securing the block-out mould in place. You'll also notice on this close-up that there's a millimetre gap between the silicone mould and the wooden side of the mould box ........ that's not good ! ........ that's due to shrinkage, most materials will shrink after they have had time to cure. The drawback with this is, the mould could end up a millimetre too small !


          Now I just got to wait for it to cure .......... curing time is 12 hours >>







          A couple of hours later I went back into the workshop to check on the progress, and saw this ! ........ that's not good


          As careful as I was, there had been an air pocket trapped under the block-out mould it caused the resin under the mould to escape thus causing this bubble burst ! ......... nothing I can do about it now, I just have to pray and hope ! The interesting thing is, notice the tape has come unstuck ....... that's down to the amount of heat that the curing process produces. The 'exothermic' reaction caused even the wood to heat up to a point where is was as hot as a cup of coffee, and even dried the adhesive on the tape ! >>







          Moment of truth .......... I stayed up like a little kid at Christmas eagerly awaiting Father Christmas with my presents


          So at 4 AM it was time to demould, the foam block-out plugs ( or 'Bucks' Gaz ) are simply a temporary measure and will not be used agian, so I can simply break them apart. >>







          Well, that worked out a treat ! after releasing the tension, the rest of the 'buck' just peeled away. The cavity isn't pretty to look at, but who cares .........
          I've got a hollow mould. And it doesn't look like the air pocket did any damage to the inside of the resin cast. Actually, I think it was completely expelled, leaving that bump of cured resin on the sidewall >>







          I struggled for almost 2 hours trying to demould this cast as the resin was stuck to the silicone mould ......... then I hit upon an idea, so I squirted some soapy water into the silicone mould. This is where I cut my fingers to shreds, trying to force my entire hand in between the cast and the silicone mould to break the 'seal', those edges are like razor blades !


          It's amazing just how strong and flexible this RTV silicone is, it's tear strength is amazing. At one point I had both my hands up to my wrists inside that mould and it still didn't split !


          And this is the result .......... an absolutely flawless resin cast ! T: >>







          I am well happy with that not a single blemish on the resins surface, nice solid 20mm walls, should be strong enough to produce many vacuum formed parts. I've just got to tidy up the base a little, sand off that resin bump and smooth out the edges which are really like a knife edge >>







          Was all this really worth the effort ? ........ you bet ya ! From a PU foam plug covered in Pattern-Coat resin to a silicone mould to a foam buck to a cast aluminium resin tooling plug ........ a lengthy process and an expensive one >>







          I've learned a great deal from this entire process and had a lot of fun doing it, and now I'm pretty sure I can create just about any shape, that will lead to producing just about anything .......... I'll only be restricted by the size of my vacuum forming machine. Just look at the surface finish of that ........ flawless >>







          And just one last shot of my first attempt at making a tooling plug. This thing is so heavy that it actually feels just like a solid block of aluminium >>











          Next up will be to drill some vent holes in it, in order to allow the vacuum to form the shape required for the part. I'll have to work out where the holes will be positioned, as it's not just a case of drilling anywhere. And I also have to make another one ! Yes folks ....... the drawbacks of designing and fabricating headlights, every process is done in two's. I didn't have enough Vac-cast Epoxy resin left to start the other one, but it's already been ordered and it's already on it's way.




          Hope you enjoyed the update peeps ........ plenty more to come








          Until then, Salut T:














          TURK
          Yeah, baby ! ........ new Multivan 151bhp AHY 'BigBlue' ; ) >> http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023689
          And ......... Lulu, T4 2.5 TDi short nose 126bhp > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=276554
          The T4 Quad Headlight Project > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=249064

          Comment


          • truly amazing turk, every time I see wot your up to I am amazed on how much detail and patients you have. you do need to get a day job lol. ow and hurry up ,y lights are shit lol

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            • Wow.... there is smooth, there is super smooth... and there is this.
              Gotta be proud of that chap.

              Not sure I could bring myself to drill into it!
              BONGO FURY - 222bhp - 390lb/ft - 16.7064 1/4
              Are you quick enough for the T17.club?

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              • Yet another great post

                Sent from my SM-G930F using Just T4s

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                • Thanks guy's, glad you liked the update
                  ****** ( now the emoticons don't work !!! )




                  And yes Jim, it feels like a solid block of aluminium .......... really, really smooth. That casting resin isn't cheap, but boy is it good. I happen to mention on the other forum that I had enquired about having some tooling plugs made up for me a while back. We were at the time talking about over 2 grand, and that wasn't even including the CAD designs.


                  And that wouldn't of guaranteed that the initial dimensions were correct, so a few sets of 'prototype' tooling plugs would have to be produced. You could feasibly envisage your final vacuum tooling plugs costing you around Ā£10,000 ! That's why I had to learn the process myself, at least I'm now in the position to 'fine tune' things.


                  And just think what else I could do knowing that procedure !?














                  TURK
                  Yeah, baby ! ........ new Multivan 151bhp AHY 'BigBlue' ; ) >> http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023689
                  And ......... Lulu, T4 2.5 TDi short nose 126bhp > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=276554
                  The T4 Quad Headlight Project > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=249064

                  Comment


                  • Thanks for the update Turk, coming along nicely!

                    Comment


                    • That looks looks smoother than a rubber gimp mask! [emoji106]


                      Sent from my settee

                      Comment


                      • Thanks for the kind comments guys.

                        Smooth as glass Snowrider ........ I'm familiar with glass, really don't know anything about gimp masks !





                        TURK
                        Yeah, baby ! ........ new Multivan 151bhp AHY 'BigBlue' ; ) >> http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023689
                        And ......... Lulu, T4 2.5 TDi short nose 126bhp > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=276554
                        The T4 Quad Headlight Project > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=249064

                        Comment


                        • Great stuff dude keep it coming

                          Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

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                          • maybe a sideline lol

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                            • Hi all,


                              Welcome to another update from the R & D department, in my nice comfortable little 'Atelier'.


                              We are now getting very close to manufacturing automotive headlights parts, just like the real manufacturing process that manufacturers use. Only, mine will be much better I: none of this mass produced garbage we see so much of these days, mine will be individually fabricated and assembled with love and care, with the emphasis on quality T:




                              As my last tooling plug went so well, and my new stock arrived within two days ........ I got cracking straight away on the OffSide tooling plug. The entire setup is exactly the same, the casting resin was also prepared in exactly the same way as amazingly I got everything spot on, even the amount required. The only issue I have is the slight shrinkage on the silicone moulds, if you look closely at the gap between the silicone itself and the side of the setup box, you'll see theres about a millimetre gap there ........ that can't be avioded, materials do shrink when they have cured. But if you remember, I accounted for a little shrinkage to allow for the adhesive to bond properly. Hopefully that millimetre shrinkage won't be too much, as there will also be shrinkage of the 3mm ABS when I get round to the vacuum forming procedure >>







                              The demoulding process was as easy as the previous one, again, I was as careful as could be when casting the resin not to entrap air under the internal plug, but I still got an air pocket .......... you can't fight the forces of nature. But as you can see the bubble is on the side wall and not at the bottom corner ........ which is where the vacuum holes will be drilled. A large air bubble in that area would of been disastrous ! >>







                              On the previous demould I happen to have cut myself to bits, because the silicone and the resin do tend to stick, making the demoulding process very difficult. It's a fact that silicone doesn't stick to anything but itself, I had to find out why I was having trouble with this, so I contacted the supplier of the silicone. They advised me that even thought the technical data sheet for the product indicates a 12 hour demould time ( which is when I demoulded the mould ) it was probably best to wait at least 24 hours for a full cure >>


                              But me being me, not wanting to take any chances or even cutting my fingers to shreds again, I waited 48 hours. But the demoulding process was the same as last time, silicone stuck to the resin ! Actually, to be fair it wasn't 'stuck', it's more a case of the silicone 'gripping' the resin part. Conclusion ........ demoulding with ease is probably down to the size and shape of the part you're trying to make. As mine has many large flat surfaces on it, I get much more grip on the part making it difficult to release.


                              You can see just how firm this particular silicone rubber is, you have to begin by 'breaking' the seal and pushing your fingers into that gap. And those resin edges there, are as sharp as razor blades ! >>







                              The good thing about using silicone rubber for making moulds is it's 'tear strength'. This CS25 resin that I'm using is particularly strong, as you can clearly see by the amount of effort I'm putting into pulling it back like that. It's at this point that I take the opportunity to inject some soapy water with a syringe into the gap >>







                              Twenty more minutes of fiddling about, trying to squeeze your fingers into the mould ........ and out comes your part ! >>







                              Now I have two perfectly formed immaculate tooling plugs, for producing hundreds of parts T:
                              You'll also see that I've sanded the base of the previous one flat >>







                              The lines you see on the resin tooling plug are the pour lines, as the casting was done in a few pours, they're not on the surface nor do they feel bumpy. The plug is still very smooth to the touch. You can also see just how the shape of the plug has evolved from my last headlight mounting bracket prototype. This is by far a much more friendly vacuum forming shape I think >>







                              And in comparison, my new tooling plug is 15mm higher. Which means the headlight positions will be brought forward >>







                              Not only forward but, the inboard position for the high beam unit was moved down a bit ( the one with the metal frame sitting on it ), and the outboard unit moved up a bit. Which will look much nicer I think ........ the completed headlights will have a slanted look about them, like 'cats eyes' >>











                              Well, ladies and gents ....... we finally got there a very long, very difficult process, you've all put up with lots of my ramblings, but I finally got exactly what I wanted and needed. We can finally put mould making behind us ......... the rest of the project will be down to vacuum forming, a process I'm still learning, so next time I'll be actually producing the parts.


                              But before I can do that, I still need to workout where I'll be drilling the vacuum holes in these tooling plugs. I may not be an expert in vacuum forming, but I do know that if I drill the vent holes in the wrong place, the heated ABS plastic sheet will not formed ( drawn ) into the relevant areas. Too much suction around the footing of plug will not form the shape required at the top, and too much suction at the top would deform the footing. So quite a lot to work out yet.




                              See you all in the next update T:










                              TURK
                              Yeah, baby ! ........ new Multivan 151bhp AHY 'BigBlue' ; ) >> http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1023689
                              And ......... Lulu, T4 2.5 TDi short nose 126bhp > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=276554
                              The T4 Quad Headlight Project > http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=249064

                              Comment


                              • Top notch fella, it's great to see the results of a dedicated enthusiastic craftsman keep up the good work can't wait to see the finished articles and read the next installment

                                Sent from my F3111 using Tapatalk

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