I recently came across a hand built model, O gauge, with a beautiful (but rusted) body, intact drivers (probably replacements of the AF variaty from MEW), and a working motor. However, whoever made it made the frame from wood, and it is almost rotted away. I would like to make a new frame, preferably molded in some way so that I can replace the mainframe again with ease if necessary. Has anyone ever used resin to cast a replacement part like a frame? How durable is it?
I've never done any resin casting, but I have worked with a couple of resin cast models. They struck me as being kind of brittle and maybe not well suited for a component subject to mechanical loads.
I suspect that there are several choices for casting resins, some being better than others for a mechanical part. Since surface finish is probably not a prime concern, you could ass some strength to the casting by mixing some chopped glass fiber into the resin.
An alternate idea, if you have access to the proper equipment and software, would be to make the frame with a 3D printer.
Good luck.
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