So, all your hard work is gone?
Rusty.
No. Luckily... I recreated/fixed what was broken on the molds. Also, 2 actual polycarbonate bodies exist in .060. They're the prototypes. So that's good.
I could make more in 060 (common thickness for SC bodies & such)...but not with the process that actually takes place with real manufacturers. They'll just get wiped out in about 2 attempts with 060. It's not pretty. The molds (or bucks) currently are plaster. Knowing that, and watching it, it's gotta be done right. What happens in a real thermoforming place is almost scary to watch and hotter than you'll ever get in your garage.
Making bodies in your garage isn't all that simple if you want a product like the major manufacturers make, nor is it as simple as you see on youtube. Nothing against that stuff, but... I want something that is comparable to what you expect.
Polycarbonate is what all the big boys use. Petg, as many things on youtube claim, works for things, but won't hold up to the industry standard. Petg is prone to cracking easily and does not take the hits of what an SC truck does.
There's drying of polycarbonate sheets to remove the moisture. That's a 12 hour process by itself in an oven I don't have. If you don't do that, you get bubbles (moisture boil-off) in the poly and a "carbonated" look in the plastic.
I went digging and found someone that's a pro willing to teach me. I learned some things.
So, the next steps: Recreate the mold (the buck) properly with a proper base for professional machines. (yep, there's specs for that too).
Next... Take a special goo, and pour it into the only existing bodies... and create the proper buck from that. It'll ruin the prototypes... but to do it right it has to be done. If it works, awesome-sauce. If not, I have the original molds to pull a .030 PETG body from again... and attempt recreating the proper buck again.
I want it right, and I want to create a line of good bodies with style that nobody's seen. (hence the name of this venture)
I now know why people don't do this... it's hard
Pushing on.