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Post by Mastercaster on May 17, 2009 19:47:10 GMT -8
Well.... Here is something a little different. A toilet plunger! You may ask, why a toilet plunger?? WELL, this is not your run of the mill dime store plunger! This is 7.5" across on the outside diameter and about a 1/2" thick. This thing will really move the poop or whatever you stopped up a sink drain with! There is only one company that makes a plunger this big that I know of......Sexauer. Yep, that's a mighty funny name of a plumbing supply company. You have to have a account with them to buy their products. ASU has their catalog but they say the rep never shows up to sell anything. So, I decided to see if I could copy it. I have the like new one here at home, and one at work that has probably 15 years of good use and is starting to wear out from heat exposure in my work van. I aquired them from previous employment. They had the best of everything! I plan to make the plunger out of the same purple silicone that I make molds from. I smeared clay over the name and logo to make it a no name plunger. At work, I call it MISTER PLUNGER. I might call this one BIG MUTHA PLUNGA, or THE BIG PURPLE POOP PUSHER, not sure yet. I'm going to be able to put big chunks of old molds in for filler on this one. also note that one corner is cut to "key" the mold   |
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Post by Danno on May 17, 2009 22:27:41 GMT -8
Gregg! I gotta admit that's one unusual casting project.  But, I can go your story one better!! 40+ years ago my father (before his stint with Capitol Records) was a sales rep for J. A. Sexauer & Co. of New York, NY! He covered Kansas and surrounding areas; some of his biggest clients were KU, K-State, Wichita State, Oklahoma and Missouri Universities, along with Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma state governments and several cities and institutions. He was a high-producer enough that he knew old man Sexauer himself. In fact, once as a very young boy, I met J.A., too. I grew up with Sexauer products and samples all over the place; and, you're right: some of their stuff just had no peers. None of this is important other than to once again highlight what a small world it can be! Interesting that 40+ years later, the Sexauer name comes wandering through my world again. Good luck with plunging into this crappy project, but I have confidence that now your ideas are flowing and you'll flush out all the details! |
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Post by Mastercaster on May 18, 2009 6:41:17 GMT -8
WOW! It is a small world isn't it? They sell great tools and repair parts. You just can't beat the OL BULLDOG plunger! I have the one that is the old cannon ball too, but I prefer the cup type. About a D cup. LOL
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Post by Mastercaster on May 18, 2009 10:24:54 GMT -8
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Post by Mastercaster on May 20, 2009 10:44:44 GMT -8
 While I'm at it, I sanded a flat spot on this part to key it too. |
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Post by Mastercaster on May 21, 2009 11:04:09 GMT -8
 FILLER UP?!  Indeed I did! Removing the boards from this big block of silicone might prove to be a huge struggle. Hopefully since I chose to cut up two shelves I got from the depot with the plastic on it, it might not be too bad. I could have sprayed mold release in the interior of this box and plunger before I started. It would have made the demolding proccess much easier. SEE, you learn something all the time. I just wish it wasn't mostly hindsight! More tomorrow! |
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Post by Mastercaster on May 23, 2009 10:13:47 GMT -8
  OK. pic 1. Unboxing it wasn't too bad. If it had been bare wood without a finish, it would have been a real struggle. There is a lot of surface area here. It is a 8 inch cube of silicone with the plunger cup imbedded in it. I put it on my old bathroom scale and it weighs 18 pounds!! give or take. I sprayed lots of mold release in it too. In the second pic I decided I had better put these bent pieces of metal across it to help hold up the part that forms the inside of the cup. It will want to sink in maybe more than it should causing all this work to turn out a useless part. I will pull some of the silicone up to dribble on the metal parts and then let it cure till tonight and then finish pouring the silicone. If the metal is in a fixed position I can be pretty certain they will not move when pouring the remainder of silicone |
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Post by Mastercaster on May 27, 2009 19:51:55 GMT -8
Well....I made a big miscalculation when thinking about pulling the master and copies from the mold. Do you see at the top of the plunger where the handle screws in, how it's bigger round there?? It kept me from pulling out the master. I had to cut the side of the mold open and cut some slits on the inside to allow it to give to remove my original part. All is not lost though. I will screw a piece of sheetmetal on that side and then I will have to remove two screws to remove a finished copy.
I could have changed the shape of the top of the plunger with clay and I would not be in this pickle!!
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Post by darkrapid on May 29, 2009 15:43:29 GMT -8
I see what you mean. Where it necks down right!!. Also are you putting the plug back in the mold before you cast the new one?? If you don't you will have a nipple on the top.
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Post by Mastercaster on Jun 26, 2009 10:55:36 GMT -8
  OK, I need to finish this project! Upon trying to pull the master out I soon realized I had made a big BOO BOO! At the very top of the plunger is this area that is bigger in diameter than the area just below it. Had I thought of this in the beginning I could have formed clay in this area and it would have pulled right out and would have made this part thicker and beefed up the plunger there. But instead, I had to actually split the mold open enough to pull out the master. I then had to cut a piece of sheetmetal, go to Ace Hardware and buy some studs that were wood screw threads on one end and a machine thread on the other and be able to remove it with wing nuts, That was another 5 bucks! Another lesson learned. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! The next step is to figure out how much silicone I will need to mix up to properly fill the mold. I poured water in the mold and then put the top on. Then I poured the water in my measuring cup and then I rounded up to 400 ML. In silicone it weighed 470 grams.  I let the mold dry over night from pouring the water in. I mixed up some silicone and put the top on. I had to put quite a bit of weight on the top to force it down. I sure hope it makes a good part. |
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Post by Mastercaster on Jun 26, 2009 11:13:06 GMT -8
Yes, Raoul, sorry I didn't even notice your comment, it is back in. Thanks for the reminder!
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Post by darkrapid on Jun 26, 2009 17:21:21 GMT -8
No problem Greg!!
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Post by Mastercaster on Jun 27, 2009 10:13:18 GMT -8
  Well........It made a pretty nice plunger, but it's a bit flimsy! I pushed it down on the tile floor, when I pulled it up the handle came out and the cup stuck to the floor LOL I could get another kit of the rubber resin I used to make the secret weapons. The kit is 35 bucks and I would make maybe 3 at most. I'm probably better off getting my boss to buy them from the company. This was another wastefull but lesson learning project! LOL THE END |
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Post by darkrapid on Jun 28, 2009 9:21:30 GMT -8
I was wondering about that. If the material used would be able to handle the pressures involved. Do you think the black resin we used for tires would work better?? The tires I made with it did harden in time and didn't stay soft.
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Post by Mastercaster on Jun 28, 2009 9:33:15 GMT -8
Yes, I think the black resin would be much stiffer, but expensive. I think a new plunger from Sexauer is about 12 bucks and you even get a handle! It's still a very cheap price. They can last a very long time even with daily use. The sun and the heat is mostly what's killing mine.
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