welshchris77 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Had a go at casting some radar dishes.Cast from a vintage 4" Tupperware lid.The second one I added a lip but I may reduce the diameter by a few millimetres Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Nice work! I've seen vacformed ones before but they were always lacking the sharp details, your casts are great, how much do they weigh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 13 minutes ago, Hausi said: Nice work! I've seen vacformed ones before but they were always lacking the sharp details, your casts are great, how much do they weigh? Thanks Urs, the one without the lip is 80 grams, I may be able to get them lighter though if I can incorporate a void into the back, an old CD could then be used for the lip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 29, 2019 Author Share Posted August 29, 2019 Here is what the original looks like before I cast from it.The cast is 109.5mm measured from the back, also took a pic with a cd to see what it looks like.Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrookKnight Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Can I buy 10 from you?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sithlord337 Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Do any of the packs use this part though? I've only ever seen the jug lids which are differentSent from my VKY-L09 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Chris's original yellow lid is a different part, I have a similar orange box for vegetables or fruit, can post some comparison pics to the tupperware sunshine lid tomorrow. However, Chris's cast part looks right and obviously has the right size. In ANH they used the tupperware sunshine lids in two different colors, some were white and some were rather translucent. So the white resincast absolutely works for PO level. For SWAT, it depends what radardish was used on the original screen used pack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 8 hours ago, CrookKnight said: Can I buy 10 from you? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes, I would need to restock some supplies first and create a sales thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 7 hours ago, Hausi said: Chris's original yellow lid is a different part, I have a similar orange box for vegetables or fruit, can post some comparison pics to the tupperware sunshine lid tomorrow. However, Chris's cast part looks right and obviously has the right size. In ANH they used the tupperware sunshine lids in two different colors, some were white and some were rather translucent. So the white resincast absolutely works for PO level. For SWAT, it depends what radardish was used on the original screen used pack. Great information Urs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 So here´s the size comparison I had promised, on the left you find the same lid Chris has used for casting (mine is orange though), in the middle is a white tupperware sunshine lid (already dirty as I had it on my very first pack) and on the right there is the translucent sunshine lid. You can see that the size is virtually identical although the shape looks just so slightly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 So here´s the size comparison I had promised, on the left you find the same lid Chris has used for casting (mine is orange though), in the middle is a white tupperware sunshine lid (already dirty as I had it on my very first pack) and on the right there is the translucent sunshine lid. You can see that the size is virtually identical although the shape looks just so slightly different.Great comparison pictures!, my original actually came from my late grandmother's house, when we were clearing the house ready for sale I spotted it, I thought it might be the radar dish but wasn't 100% sure at the time so put off to one side, I have fond memories of using Tupperware at her house as a kid in the eighties, lollipop (popsicle) moulds were my favourite Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 My wife got the orange one from her mother when she moved out and it's still in use. One other thing that just came to my mind: I wouldn't use a cd on the back as those are very brittle and you will probably hit something with it when trooping. I cut mine from a 2mm black ABS sheet, I used a cd as template though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 My wife got the orange one from her mother when she moved out and it's still in use. One other thing that just came to my mind: I wouldn't use a cd on the back as those are very brittle and you will probably hit something with it when trooping. I cut mine from a 2mm black ABS sheet, I used a cd as template though. I love hearing the stories behind these itemsGood point about the CD, I have some black plasticard somewhere, I could use this in the same way, thanks for the tipSent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 So I experimented using a shape to displace some of the resin to make this lighter, found the perfect shape in the form of one of my daughter's plastic doll plates. Was a bit more labour involved doing it this way, did it in two batches, the first stops the plate from displacing too much resin and making the cast too thin, when this was almost set I did the second pour and pressed the plate.Happy with the results, made a huge difference to the weight, the one with the lip is 146grams, without is 81grams and the 'MK2' cast is only 38grams. The original vintage lid is 29grams so only 9grams in the difference, yay!Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 That's a brilliant idea and a good result. Thumbs up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 That's a brilliant idea and a good result. Thumbs up. Thanks Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 Cut a disc from 2mm plasticard, have a dome nut but not sure if it is the correct size?It fits a 8mm thread, it has a 12.5mm (1/2inch) head Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 That dome nut looks good to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 I have updated the style of my radar dish by making a mould of the other side of the Tupperware lid, was a bit more work involved but worth it I think. This new style also has the recess at the rear to reduce weight. Also I am fabricating the black discs from 2mm plasticard, using a small router jig with the dremel to do this as my regular router is too big for the job. Again these are tricky to make as the plastic has quite a low melting point so have to be cut slowly in multiple passes. The plasticard can be quite costly buy the advantage is it is solid colour so won't chip, lightweight and will take a knock without shattering like other plastics. Finished off with a 6mm × 20mm stainless steel hex bolt and domed nut. The whole unit is just 80grams. Doing a run of these in the sales area if anyone is interested. http://forum.mepd.net/index.php?/topic/16436-new-style-radar-dish-full-kit/ Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 Looking at screen shots it is difficult to see exactly what fixing is holding it on, some use domed nuts, others use coach bolts.I have used domed nuts so far but tried a M6 coach bolt and think that looks good too.I am going to offer both options for the radar dish kits I am currently offering.What are others thoughts on the fixing type?Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCKo Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 I also used a domed coach bolt on my radar dish, I think it’s screenaccurate! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hausi Posted September 16, 2019 Share Posted September 16, 2019 Yep, completely agree with RoCKo, did the same for my latest SWAT pack, as I think the dome nut looks too bulky for the #3 pack. I am not sure about the other packs right now, would have to have a look at references again, quite possibly they used different fixing solutions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 hour ago, RoCKo said: I also used a domed coach bolt on my radar dish, I think it’s screenaccurate! Thanks for the information Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshchris77 Posted September 16, 2019 Author Share Posted September 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Hausi said: Yep, completely agree with RoCKo, did the same for my latest SWAT pack, as I think the dome nut looks too bulky for the #3 pack. I am not sure about the other packs right now, would have to have a look at references again, quite possibly they used different fixing solutions. I think you are right about the pack 3 fixing and also the possibility of different fixings for other packs pack 3 definitely look more like the coach bolt to my eyes :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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