Hi all. A few months back I created a thread attempting to start a business reproducing rubber parts for vintage appliances. Unfortunately, the timing of my college graduation prevented me from following through on that, but I wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to see what information I had found for doing it. If you have a part to work from, it actually wouldn't be too difficult (or expensive, at least compared to hiring an outside firm) to make a mold and cast a new one, even with dyes.
I had been working with products from Smooth-on. Since working, I discovered this video that shows the basic process for casting a two part mold around an existing part. They have a huge catalog of different resins and silicone rubbers, which would allow you to replace essentially any small (or large, if you had the setup) parts you need. They also sell the dyes to color match.
The only thing I'm unsure of is whether the materials they're selling would work in a washer. I never got to test that, but considering it's the same materials that are being used in professional applications, I have to believe there's a better than zero chance it will work.
I'm still getting my setup created to practice with this stuff, but it sounds promising for what y'all were talking about needing before. I hope this helps.
I had been working with products from Smooth-on. Since working, I discovered this video that shows the basic process for casting a two part mold around an existing part. They have a huge catalog of different resins and silicone rubbers, which would allow you to replace essentially any small (or large, if you had the setup) parts you need. They also sell the dyes to color match.
The only thing I'm unsure of is whether the materials they're selling would work in a washer. I never got to test that, but considering it's the same materials that are being used in professional applications, I have to believe there's a better than zero chance it will work.
I'm still getting my setup created to practice with this stuff, but it sounds promising for what y'all were talking about needing before. I hope this helps.
