# Fixing people



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

As part of casting windows for buildings, I used one of my figures as a "sprew"...a channel for resin to fill the window mold.

The guy was OK but not perfect, and anyhow who wants a dozen of the same guy floating around the railway?

So I got to thinking, why not "fix" them? I found some epoxy putty at the hardware store that works fine for making new arms and legs. I have a little saw and a knife that I can use to do major surgery. 










I used my saw to cut off arms and legs to start the process










Here are some of the reengineered guys. the all white guy in the middle is the raw casting... a back woods character. The bluish material on the others is the added epoxy putty. I added new arms, legs, noses, and clothing as felt like and radically changed the look of the original guy. After painting the sitting guy, I think his face on the needs some more work.










Here is a photo of one of three finished conductors, each a bit different.

They are not perfect but do give atomosphere to the railway!


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

They are not perfect but do give atomosphere to the railway! 

You mean, like real people?  
I think the figures look real nice. Great idea to use a figure as sprew and use something that otherwise be residual.


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice job... never thought of using figures for sprews... thanks for the tip


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Nit...Nit... Nit.. 

The word is Sprue, not sprew. 

FROM that ALL KNOWING source Wikipedia: 

Casting 

In casting, a sprue is the passage through which a molten material is introduced into a mold, and the term also refers to the excess material which solidifies in the sprue passage. In sand casting, the sprue is formed by a dowel which is removed from the sand to make the hole into which the metal is poured. 

Function 

Sprues can serve as filters, heat sinks, and as feeders. Bronze in particular has a high shrinkage rate as it is cooling; a sprue can continue to provide molten metal to the casting, provided it is large enough to retain its heat and stay liquid, as metal in the main casting cools and shrinks. The design of the sprue and runner system can be also utilized to trap unwanted dross and sand from continuing into the main cavity; this may include adding porous material to the runners, or designing the sprue to eject the dross to the side of the sprue using cyclonic separation. 

Sprue design 

The design of gating and runner is also essential for casting. The design can be done by using vertical and bottom gating. 

For bottom gating 

t_f = \frac {2 A_m(\sqrt {h_t}-\sqrt {h_t-h_m})} {A_g \sqrt {2g}} 

where: 

tf = Time for filling 

Am = Area of mold 

Ag = Area of gate 

g = Acceleration due to gravity 

ht = Total height 

hm = Height of mold cavity 

This equation may change if the height of gating is equal to height of casting material. 

Then the equation will be: 

t_f = \frac {2 A_m\sqrt {h_t-(h_t-h_m)}} {A_g \sqrt {2g}} 

or, simplified, 

t_f = \frac {2 A_m\sqrt {h_m}} {A_g \sqrt {2g}} 

where: 

tf = Time for filling 

Am = Area of mold 

Ag = Area of gate 

g = Acceleration due to gravity 

ht = Total height (Height of gating + height of mold cavity) 

hm = Height of mold cavity 

Injection molding 

In injection molding, the term sprue refers to the passages through which a liquid material (such as polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride) flows into a die, where it solidifies to form parts. It also refers to the material which solidifies in these passages, forming a framework attaching the parts together in a roughly planar arrangement. 

Gates and runners 

Some moldmakers make a distinction between three separate entities: the gate, the runner, and the sprue. Certainly in the plastics injection moulding industry, the gate is the location at which the molten plastic enters the mold cavity and is often seen as a small nub or projection (the "gate mark") on the molded piece. The sprues are large-diameter channels through which plastic flows, usually around the edges of the part or along straight lines. Finally, in this naming scheme, the runner represents only the smaller channels that divert from the sprue to the individual part. An analogy to the sprue/runner system might represent the sprues with city water mains, and runners with the smaller pipes leading to individual houses. 

Many scale model kits are made from injection-molded plastic. Hobbyists, such as builders of scale models, typically remove the parts of a model kit from the runner using a sharp craft knife or razor saw. They may also use the sprue or runner as a raw material to fabricate additional parts, such as railings on model ships, or antenna wires on airplanes. 

Sprues in model kits often include engravings to identify the parts by number.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Sory bout that, I stant corectet! Engineeers cant spel!


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

Eric 

I understand completely. Unfortunately, I did far too much technical editing as a mathematician / computer guy / cartographer while I had a "real" job and sometimes lose control and revert to correcting "stuff". Please don't go looking for a definition of "sprew" on the net. You will be disgusted.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Yes, epoxy putty can be of great use. 
When my brother in the UK needed some 1900 era 1/32 scale figures for his coaches some years back, he could not find any suitable ones.
What was available were the seated figures for slot car racing.
So, he set to making these look suitably 'Victorian' by using epoxy putty to add hats, collars and long dresses etc..
Since through the windows you can not see that much detail, they are not 'perfect', but I think that he did a great job.
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Fixing People???? I've heard of fixing dogs and cats, now we're fixing people too????? Golly be.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

When I first heard of computers run by eunics, I could only think the worst.


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