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replacement tripod foot

Posted by bpress54 
replacement tripod foot
October 24, 2011 11:24PM
This is a foot for my telescope tripod; obviously there are 3 of them but one has cracked and is broken beyond repair. Unfortunately, the company who manufactures it doesn't offer replacement parts. I'm pretty sure I could make a mold and cast a new one, but I'm not sure exactly how to go about it or what materials I should use to make the mold and cast the piece. The top section (to the right in the photo) is some kind of plastic, and the small triangular piece at the bottom (to the left in the photo) is made of stiff rubber. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Ben
Attachments:
open | download - IMG_0811[1].JPG (161.7 KB)
Re: replacement tripod foot
October 25, 2011 06:57AM
The typical RepRap way is to model this in CAD, then print it, of course.

If you still want to cast it, plaster or even concrete is a reasonable material for the mold, polyester or epoxy for the part. A bit more expensive are silicone molds, which require a 2-part silicone. You'll find plenty of instructions on "RTV molding" on the web.


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Re: replacement tripod foot
October 25, 2011 08:31AM
Unfortunately, I don't have the means to do this in CAD, so I have to go the old-fashioned way. Thanks
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