MQ-1 casting

dankenman

Hunter
I have had an MQ-1 calculator for a few years, now that I have gotten back into it again, and I have extra materials from my sidearm build, I decided to make casts of the circuit board and the keypad for my scratch built gaunts and helmet.

Here we go:
CasioMQ-1.jpg

CasioMQ-1open.jpg


First I took it apart to get to the circuit board:
P1030450.jpg


I melted the solder to remove the metal battery clips without damaging them. I also removed the tiny white sticker from the black chip. I am doing everything so that in theory, when I am done, I will still have a complete working calculator that is not damaged. If I can't, then oh well. I then built up the thickness of the back of the board with clay and poured the mold. It was all set up today so I poured my first cast to test it out. The stiff resin material that I have is clear, so I added a small amount of ali powder to give it a little color. I am very pleased with the detail. It is hard to photograph because it is mostly clear with a sparkly metallic shine to it. On the black chip is some writing that has practically no relief to it at all, but the mold picked it up perfectly. You can see all the green circuit trails as well. I took a pic to try to catch the light at a good angle, but you miss some of the detail in the photo:
P1030458.jpg


Here is a pic of the original on the right, the cast on the left:
P1030461.jpg


My next step will be to prep for molding the calc pad
 
I just poured another sidearm, and another circuit board (this time with no color) and felt like doing something, so I started prep for the calc pad. I put the calculator back together, but I took off the cover that goes over the keypad.
P1030462.jpg


Now I am going to prep this piece and pour the mold. It takes about 24 hours for the silicone to dry, so if I get it poured tonight I will be able to test the mold tomorrow night. This would all be easier if I just cut up the calculator, but the challenge is fun.
 
Are you going to be offering any copies?

I may as well if people want them. I am not sure what to price them at. I looked through some old threads and did not find too much other than the occasional one sold because the person had an extra from a kit or something.
Any thoughts other than FREE? I definitely want to be fair, and it isn't really a money making project, but it does take the time to do it, material and mold costs, plus the cost of the calculator.

I finished the mold for the keypad and just poured my first copy. It takes 2-4 to set up, so in a few hours I can take a pic of how the keypad turned out. The mold looked good, and all the button holes and numbers are clean.
 
I threw a coat of black primer over the circuit board cast, it makes it easier to see detail in the photo:
P1030473.jpg


I will be pulling the first keypad cast in a little bit and will post more pics
 
I pulled my first copy from the keypad. As you can see, to prevent damaging my MQ-1, I decided to cast the entire calculator. The material is clear so it is hard to photograph detail:
P1030503.jpg


I put a quick coat of silver on it so you can see it better:
P1030520.jpg


It looks great. I got a couple tiny bubbles on the side of a couple buttons, but I was excited and since it is small I poured too quickly. If I pour it slower, it should fill those areas slow enough to not trap a bubble. You can see one on the bottom right button, the + sign, it is on the left side of the button.

I may build a dam in the mold to save material by not casting the entire calculator, but it is not very much, and I would hate to damage the mold in the process.
 
You are doing an amazing job. I love all the details on the keypad and on the circuit board. Keep up the good work.

Respect!
 
Thank you for all the positive comments.

I did a little research to figure a cost on these. I didn't find many options which surprised me as I thought these were more available. I found one that wasn't even cast from a MQ-1, but from another more square calculator, and he wanted $15! The authentic casts that I did find ranged from around $8 to $20. I want to keep it fair, but I also don't want to spend a ton of time making these and driving to mail them, and have it cost me extra time and money.

I was thinking $10 each, and discount them for multiple purchases. What does everyone think about that? I have not made a sale thread yet, and I do appreciate any thoughts that anyone has regarding this.
 
Ok guys, I will be getting the Sale thread up soon, maybe tonight. I am doing a few other little surprise things that I want to have ready before I start the sale.

I have not looked into shipping yet, but they are small and light so it should be cheap. Does anyone object to them being shipped in thick padded envelopes? I think it will be the least expensive way, but not as protected as a box. When I go to ship some sidearms tomorrow I will look into my options and get some price quotes, but I can't imagine it being more than a buck or two.
 
I will be getting that sale thread up soon now. I made a few other greeblie molds out of some found parts I have for the blaster...the V8 model part, and the molex connector. I will add these to the sale as well, and prob set up some type of price break, or offer a free greeblie with a certain order or something.
Here is a pic of the clear parts fresh out of the molds:
P1030557.jpg


and a pic with some paint on the same parts to show the detail better:
P1030570.jpg


and a close up of the 2 new parts:
P1030574.jpg
 
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