Yep, rear wheel centre caps, they're halfway through the moulding process but I can't see them being too much of a problem... That said, nothing's ever quite as straightforward as it seems
Right, clear plastic lenses. Let me explain the task I'm facing and then I'm all up for ideas
With the silicone I use for the moulds, it's not cheap, but it's great at replicating details. The main plastic it can be used with is polyurethane, like the hi viz masts.
Polyurethane comes in a couple of different types... some set very quickly, I can make a hi viz flag in under 5 minutes(!)... some set really slowly but are generally used for vacuum moulding or other types of casting rather than pouring into a mould which limits me to what I can use. With the one I use, it comes in white or 'clear'. The hi viz masts are actually white with a black pigment.
Following so far? Okay... the pigments cause more problems because they are extremely difficult to measure accurately. Pigments are used at a 0.5% ratio... for every 100ml, it takes 0.5ml to turn it that pigment colour! For that reason, the hi viz flags use 60ml of plastic, and 0.2ml of black pigment to obtain the right shade of grey and even then they're never identical!
With the indicator lenses, the problem gets even worse. 'Clear' polyurethane is actually amber. There IS a clear one, but it's a very slow setting one that can't be used with the moulds I have. The theory was to add a touch of red pigment so that red+amber=orange. The first attempt last night (100ml plastic, 0.2ml pigment) turned it a blood red. No good. So then it becomes silly. I think to get the right shade of orange will actually need approx 60ml plastic with about 0.05ml pigment, and as of yet I haven't found a way of measuring 1ml let alone 0.05ml! Which leaves me back at square one.
I've found a pigment online that is a 10% ratio, that might work, or I've found another which IS orange, but with the amber of the plastic this might turn it a murky orangy yellow instead!
Anyway, as for clear/frosted, I REALLY like the idea, but at the moment I can only do amber
I'm kind of an obsessive person, I won't stop until I've got it right, but it's back at the drawing board stage at the moment. I'll knock up a couple later to show you the moulding anyway, but if anyone does have an idea of how I can get orange then I'm definately open to suggestions!!