Diy frag plugs

[spit.fire]

Got bored and decided to make some mould for some "custom" frag plugs

Started by making 12 wax positives

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/tyty_220/AC95DCD6-4C3E-4A8D-935B-DDE58216440B-264-00000017AE356E65_zps2e9ae87b.jpg

Next up (after work hopefully) will be making the silicone mould with liquid silicone (3:1 silicone:paint thinner) and corn starch for a catalyst

[chewie]

Great idea, what will you be using to make them with? (fill the finished molds up with)

[spit.fire]

Just normal concrete

[spit.fire]

And my super secret accelerator

[mrhasan]

And my super secret accelerator

Corn starch?

[apexifd]

how about fiberglass resin?

[spit.fire]

Corn starch?

That's for the silicone

[chewie]

You will have to let them sit in water, changed out often, for a while to get the ph of them to come down to 8 or so. I made a batch of diy rock a few years ago using cement, crushed oyster shell and argonite (sp..?) sand. Took about 8 months of them in rubbermaid containers with downspout running into them for the ph to go from off the scales 12+ to around 8.5..
Im sure a few off them in your tank would not affect your tanks ph not sure how it would affect what your trying to frag on them, if you dont cure them.
I have read some people putting theirs in a mesh bag in back off toilet to cure.

[spit.fire]

You will have to let them sit in water, changed out often, for a while to get the ph of them to come down to 8 or so. I made a batch of diy rock a few years ago using cement, crushed oyster shell and argonite (sp..?) sand. Took about 8 months of them in rubbermaid containers with downspout running into them for the ph to go from off the scales 12+ to around 8.5..
Im sure a few off them in your tank would not affect your tanks ph not sure how it would affect what your trying to frag on them, if you dont cure them.
I have read some people putting theirs in a mesh bag in back off toilet to cure.

I've got tricks to speeding that process up too. I make hundreds of frag discs a month

[Marlin65]

I would like to see more pictures of this.
How does the silicone corn starch work?

[msjboy]

Check whAteyecando s thread for his homemade frag blocks...He made his own concantation of portland cement and sand.

[spit.fire]

I would like to see more pictures of this.
How does the silicone corn starch work?

Haven't made the mold yet. Was a late night :s

Basically silicone in a giant blob will take a long time to cure so by adding the corn starch to the thinned down silicone it cuts the cure time to a couple hours

[spit.fire]

I would like to see more pictures of this.
How does the silicone corn starch work?

So I heard about the corn starch from a few different sources online...

Tested it and the corn starch did nothing for the cure time so I went ahead with a method that I had used in the past that worked well for me... Mix the thinned silicone with a bit of water :). Dried to the touch within an hour throughout the whole 2" thick block ( I cut it in half to check)

So now all I have to do is buy some more rtv silicone and make my final mould now that my "tests" are finished

[Ross]

Mix the thinned silicone with a bit of water :)



So, you thin down Silicone 3:1 with paint thinner and then mix water into it to accelerate the drying?

Can you please elaborate on this?

[spit.fire]

So, you thin down Silicone 3:1 with paint thinner and then mix water into it to accelerate the drying?

Can you please elaborate on this?

Pretty much

Rtv Silicone cures through exposure to moisture in atmospheric air, because I'm creating a giant "blob" of silicone the center does not get exposed to moisture. By adding a small amount of water to the mix it exposes the inner parts of the blob to water allowing it to cure.

Also I used xylene as a thinner as I have lots laying around

[spit.fire]

There's an easier way too... But two part silicone :)

[spit.fire]

Buy...

[Ross]

I assumed that he was using 2 part RTV to begin with.
This would be a bit cheaper if it works.

[spit.fire]

I assumed that he was using 2 part RTV to begin with.
This would be a bit cheaper if it works.

Nope, I'm just using all the half tubes of silicone I have laying around

[spit.fire]

First attempt with one of my test moulds

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/tyty_220/D59AD0C3-ADBF-4F92-9853-5385531FC53B-632-000000C5EA31DC4B_zps89fd0196.jpg