How can I make a rubber stopper at home? tia sal

plaster of paris,

Why? The scientific supply catalogs are full of stoppers. This seems like a quest to reinvent the wheel. You could never make stoppers one-at-a-time that would be as uniform or inexpensive as what you can buy ready-made. Unless, of course, you are making some anatomically correct sort of "stopper" for some activity that we don't need to know about.

Greetings all,

I would like to make my own rubber stoppers I have created a mold using plaster of paris, I have tried epoxy and fiberglass resin but these end up being to hard does anyone know what I can use to make softer rubber stoppers.

TIA SAL

"Moonraker" wrote in news:rn8ze.58627$ snipped-for-privacy@bignews1.bellsouth.net:

Cute :-) We know where your mind is hahahah (anatomically correct....) I'm making various shapes with glass and epoxy resin for a hobby. buying stoppers from the catalog won't match the strange shapes I make. Try and by 1 heaxagonal stopper from a catalog. shipping and handling alone is 5 times the price of the stopper if you can find it.

Besides learning is funny and so is the satisfaction of making something with your own two hands TIA SAL

plaster of paris,

Well, if you want to make rubber stoppers, why would you ask in a glass group?

But since you have asked, and we already know that epoxy won't make a rubber stopper, and neither will polyester resin. Odd, I don't remember either of those being rubber to start with... why would... oh well.

To make your own stoppers, rubber stoppers, you start with ...rubber! The easiest for the layman to get his/her hands on is RTV or Silicone rubber. Varying degrees of hardness will result from these synthetic rubbers, and there are varying hardness within each category. I would suggest RTV.

DO a google and look at Dow Corning series of RTV rubbers, they are readily available worldwide, variety of hardness level, and easy to work with 2 part mix. you mix what you need, save the rest. Make your mold out of plaster of Paris.

Thanks for the help. That answers my question.

Sometimes the best way to get where you want to go is by going somewhere else. Think outside the sphere.

Thanks Again all Sal

"Javahut" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@enews3.newsguy.com:

Now that they've had their fun with you, I'd say to check out Latex Mold making material.... or such. I've made molds with it and it may be the consistency you're looking for. Or try good old silicone in a tube, eh? Squirt that stuff into your mold and give it a week or so to cure... or simply build it up in 1/4" thick layers which will cure overnight, than add another layer. It does come in black for that traditional all stopped up look. I only "ask outside the box" when my thinker stops thinking outside same. See what else YOU can come up with and let US know....;-) I'm sure curious... and remember, the perfect wheel ain't been invented yet!

cheers, Jacques Bordeleau

plaster of paris,

fresh silicone generally won't stick to cured silicone. nothing usually sticks to it, for that matter.

I have used both of these firms products, to build flexible molds and for hard cast resins. What makes these 2 places excellent are their "how-to" guides so you can learn about the different properties you can cast.

Solly Cholly .... that is the recommended procedure direct from Corning for filling in large cavities. I was on a project in Austin once where the glass company hung a 3' high x 12' long, 1" thick piece of plate glass over the entry to the ballroom prefunction area (after I'd etched on it). The glass was first positioned top-edge-down into a steel beam with steel plates attached 6" tall .... the 1/2" wide cavity left betweem the front and rear surfaces of the glass was filled, 1/2" at a time per instructions, with silicone...and this, according to Corning, would support the entire weight of the glass!!!!! The glass company decided to put 2 small steel supports under the very ends ofg the glass "in case"...I agreed! The entire piece was then flipped over and hung by the steel beam between the floor to ceiling etched panels on either end. Technically amazing...I did my part, they did theirs.....

cheers, Jacques Bordeleau

=============================================

And so far, the guillotine hasn't fallen? How long was it in the air before you finally stopped holding your breath? Wow, what a story.

Hahahahah.... It was hung about 20 years ago in the "new' Marriott at the Capitol in Austin, Tejas..... I never saw anything about in on the evening news....LOL....so I guess it's still hanging there...;-)

cheers, Jacques Bordeleau