Casting buttons

Uglysteve · 25. November 2013, 17:32

I am going to have to cast a replacement push button. There are several resins to choose from, epoxy, acrylic, and polyester.
Has anyone made there own push buttons? What resin is the best?
Thanks,
Steve

Tapeworm664 · 25. November 2013, 22:28

Some time ago i made some buttons for the sliders of a SABA 8100 (most of them were lost, only on the balance and treble slider were buttons left).
I did them with a simple polyester-resin, as for use in car-repair. Result was satisfying but not optimal. The surface, even coming out of a silicone-form was not the best and there was a lot to finish on them.
Last experiment i made with a special resin for modelcraft. I casted buttons for a Grundig Cassette Deck. It was a grey colored polyurethane resin. Apart from some bubbles closed in the resin, the result was fantastic. The surface was smooth and could be used without further work on it. Only problem is, that you cannot realise very thin walls. You need at least a thickness of about 2-3mm to get stable walls.

What kind of button do you like to cast?

Uglysteve · 26. November 2013, 00:34

Tapeworm664 postete

What kind of button do you like to cast?

The push buttons on the Sachsenwerk Olympia, the Aus button is missing, UKW is cracked.

I like the advice on the Polyurethane. I thought it would be to soft.

Steve