sawone
Has opinions now!
Posts: 332
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Post by sawone on Oct 20, 2013 1:42:35 GMT -5
I need guidance in choosing a material to use for making casts of tracks, assuming I'm ever fortunate enough to find ones worth the effort. I'm hoping that there is something avialable that would have a long and stable shelf life under field conditions; in other words, a material that can be carried in my 4x4 at all times, bounced around on rough trails, left in the truck in heat and cold, and still be usable when those perfect tracks are found at last. I know that's a tall order, so please chime in with anything you've used that fills at least some of those requirements.
Thanks in advance, Brad
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Post by Captain Morgan on Oct 20, 2013 11:39:04 GMT -5
Use this search link to view every thread about using DENTAL STONE and the ebay supplier that Jason buys from. grandcherokee.proboards.com/search/results?what_at_least_one=dental&who_only_made_by=0&display_as=0I can vouch for it. You can sub divide in to large plastic zip bags and double bag each portion. (one bag of DS inside another bag for strength and protection) Our experiences are that it takes a little more powder than you think you'll need, so I would use gallon baggies. If you double bag then you can then divide the dental stone in to each bag and have enough room to add water and stir or reseal the bag and manipulate by hand to mix. Setup time is pretty quick, so once you add water and mix you need to pour as this will set up in a couple of minutes. .
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billr
Really into this!
Posts: 856
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Post by billr on Oct 21, 2013 0:34:48 GMT -5
I know Thomas still uses plaster of Paris I need to pick some up as I have never carried anything
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sawone
Has opinions now!
Posts: 332
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Post by sawone on Oct 23, 2013 22:20:24 GMT -5
Thanks, captainmorgan, for the link to that thread; I hadn't seen that one. If the police use dental stone for casting prints, that's good enough for me. Sorry for taking so long to respond, but my computer caught a virus on Sat. night that shut down my access to the net, and I just got it back from the shop, all nice and bug-free, this afternoon.
I was also wondering if there are any products similar to silicon caulking that would produce a good, clear print, without setting to a brittle state, thereby resisting damage from handling after casting. That would seem to be a desirable thing.
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Post by Captain Morgan on Oct 24, 2013 1:12:49 GMT -5
The problem I see with any type of rubberized or silicon gel is the thickness of the gel. It would need to be thin and viscous enough to capture the fine details without moving the dirt\sand\mud or shrinking\expanding while curing.
I prefer something that will harden enough for removal and transport in a short time, and harden enough to not get easily scratched up. Dental Stone fits the bill.
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