Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Wanted O scale concrete cinder block mold

6590 views
8 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 7,486 posts
Posted by ndbprr on Saturday, May 29, 2010 6:26 AM

 

Seeing your picture, unless your edge with the hole is going to be visible you may not need to cast as many as you think. If building a wall or some other structure why not just cut out rectangles of solid plastic and just make the top row have the webs?  Sure would save tons of time and effort.
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 8 posts
Posted by J.B.L. on Friday, May 28, 2010 2:45 PM

Hello- Thanks for all your help. I found something. Will post a pic if I can make it work. Comes with 150 blocks & dead on in scale. Now to make a mold for them all and start building. I figure I need thousands. What fun.

Joel

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 7,486 posts
Posted by ndbprr on Friday, May 28, 2010 1:37 PM

 

There are a variety of bricks and blocks used in military dioramas.  Scattered around they represent blown up or run over walls and buildings.  perhaps that would be either a source of blocks or ones that could be molded.  personally I have enough to do that if they were available commercially I would go that route.
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 8 posts
Posted by J.B.L. on Friday, May 28, 2010 3:29 AM

thank you for all the replies. I think I will try the sculptamold method. If I can make one that I am happy with I then will be able make a mold from it.

Joel

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 2,751 posts
Posted by Allegheny2-6-6-6 on Thursday, May 27, 2010 10:48 PM

 

 Joel,

How about these? Their dimensions are 1.40"x .69" square which translates into 5'-6" x 2.5' in O scale.

I know it's large then a cinder block but they are easily cut down to size so you can make your positive for your mold.

 I purchased mine in AC Moore but you can find them in Toy R Us or just about any craft or toy store I suspect.

 

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3904797

 

 

Just my 2 cents worth, I spent the rest on trains. If you choked a Smurf what color would he turn?
  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:01 PM

Glad to see that you're not afraid of making molds and castings.

I had another thought, and I tried it out on a scrap from a stone wall casting in Hydrocal that I had in my workroom.  I have a mold called "cut stone wall" in HO.  I got it from Dave Frary at www.mrscenery.com.  He has since gotten out of the hydrocal casting business, but I ran into him at the Amherst show in West Springfield, MA, and he told me that he sold that line to someone else, whose name unfortunately escapes me.  He would in all likelihood respond to an e-mail if you asked who has these molds now.

Anyway, this is not a cinderblock wall, and it's in HO.  However, I put my scale ruler up against the blocks, and they were about 18 inches wide in O gauge, which is pretty close to a cinder block.  Then I took a piece of sanding screen, a common hardware-store item used for smoothing drywall compound, and I was able to smooth down the rough surfaces, leaving the deeper grooves between the stones intact.

This would work for you, if you're willing to do a little bit of extra work to smooth down the casting.  If you have a lot, then once again, you can screen one casting down, make a mold of your own and go to town.

Incidentally, I've used this mold to make curved walls by waiting about 10-12 minutes after pouring the Hydrocal, and then carefully bending the mold around a template shape, either convex or concave.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 8 posts
Posted by J.B.L. on Thursday, May 27, 2010 4:25 PM

Thanks for the Link. I will have a look see. I am doing a routed 3 lane 1/43 slot car track that is 7ft by 28ft. I need the cinder blocks for making the pit buildings & the grandstands.

I have been making molds of 1988 Le Mans cars and re casting them in resin so it wont be a problem casting the blocks. Thanks for the help.

Joel

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,483 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Thursday, May 27, 2010 7:42 AM

You might try this guy:

http://www.cccrow.com/pages/o-scratch-pg.html

He sells the castings, not the molds themselves.  If you really need a lot of these, you might buy one casting from him and make your own mold from latex rubber.  I've made a few molds myself. The process isn't all that difficult, just time-consuming.  I've gotten very good results this way.

Another option would be to cast a flat sheet of Hydrocal, and then cut it yourself to produce a cinder block pattern.  If that's all you need for your project, then you're done.  If you need a lot of castings, make a mold from that master and go into production mode.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 8 posts
Wanted O scale concrete cinder block mold
Posted by J.B.L. on Thursday, May 27, 2010 3:22 AM

Hello- Just like the topic title says. I am trying to find a mold for cinder blocks. Needs to be close to 1/48 scale. Not sure about the textured paper stuff. I plan on painting the blocks a light blue. I am afraid that I would lose to much of the paper detail.. I appreciate any help that may come my way.

Joel

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!