Treadwell WED-15 droid build : Part 20 making tracks

 

July 9th 2023

As date says, this was work carried out a few months back.

Track moulding 

Step 1:

So after last month’s attempt at test moulding track, this second attempt went much better.

I bought 85 shore compound mix, the higher the shore number the harder the rubber.

I should of used a mould release, but I was rushing lol. Once cured, I had to really prise the new rubber tread out of the mould.

Step 2:

Was to mix up another small batch and see how well it would join up with the first section of tread. Once it had cured, I used the first section to help pull the second section out.

The join, just a straight join line, bonded well together.

I had thought I would need something to help join the two sections.

You can see the flashing where the two join, but it is seamless and strong!

Step 3:

The next step was to assemble the new joined track into the mould and fit the second part of it. Another batch was made and poured into the mould.

This time it didn’t bond with the track???

Had I removed it to soon in my haste?

On the flip side, I did find out that this piece is actually too large, depth wise. This also makes the track less flexible going over the main drive wheels. That is quite a solid chunk of rubber!

Step 4:

I mixed up some of the last rubber and poured it into just the second half of the mold. This I only filled up half way. The result was much better. It wasn’t so ridged which could be better.

Re-mix:

As a re-test, I mixed up a second sample of the 60 shore rubber, this time using the measuring pot I had used for the better track testing, and these came out ……..ok/the same (good or too sticky). The result was a good one. Soft and rubbery without the stickiness as before.

September, and it’s been a while since I did the re-mix re-test and have not had time to do more.

Electronics:

The receiver arrived safely and so I 3D printed off a mounting bracket for it.