I have a female mold for a complicated part. It is complex and detailed. However, what I really need is a male mold. So I am planning to pour a male mold using the female. So far so good. The problem is that I am planning to hammer my parts from 1mm thick sheet metal. So the male mold needs to be exactly 1mm smaller than the female. So I need to somehow coat the female mold with a 1mm "filler" substance to take the place of the metal. It turns out this is a lot harder than it sounds.
1) I tried using aluminum foil. However, it it very thin and does not conform to the complex details of the mold. It folds and tears and does not communicate all of the fine details. Adding multiple layers to achieve the 1mm thickness only makes the problems worse.
2) I tried 1mm plastic sheeting. It also does not conform to the fine details and also refuses to stay in place.
3) I tried silicone sheeting and it is about the same as plastic sheeting and aluminum foil.
4) I tried using multiple layers of duct tape. It stays in place. But it also loses all of the fine details.
5) I decided to try a spray on product. So I went with "Plasti-Dip". This is the stuff you use to apply plastic handles to tools. It covered the piece VERY nicely and captured every detail beautifully. But it was only about .20 mm thick. I tried applying multiple layers but only got it to about .47 mm thick - even after about 25 coats. If someone can explain to me why one sprayed coat is .20 mm and 25 coats is only .47 mm, then I'll be very impressed.
6) I tried the "brush on" version of "Plasti-Dip". This stuff was actually terrible at capturing details. It looked good at first but then shrank during drying and cracked.
7) I tried a product by Devcon that supposedly provided a smooth 1mm coat. Unfortunately, it was total crap.
8) Then I tried some "rubberized" coating for roofs that I bought at Home Despot. This turned out to be nothing more than thick paint and left a very thin coating. It was also a total PITA to remove.
So I am at a total loss. I have no idea what to do and I am at my wit's end. I considered using the original part to make a male mold - but that would require destroying the part and losing the shape in the process. The resulting male mold would be crap.
You guys seem smart and resourceful. I am sure there are more than a few McGyvers here. So if you have any ideas, I'd genuinely appreciate them.
TIA.
